Openings at BE

PhD position in Microfabrication of Piezoelectric Ultrasound Transducers

Opening for: PhD student

Focused ultrasound (FUS) brain stimulation is an emerging minimally invasive brain interface that combines high spatial resolution with high depth of penetration. Even though FUS has been shown great promise for the treatment of a vast range of neurological diseases, existing FUS stimulators are still bulky, power inefficient and with limited volumetric spatial resolution. This limits its applications to acute procedures, where test subjects are immobilized, and FUS helmet-like devices are controlled by robotic arms in a highly complex setup.

In this fully funded PhD project (UPSIDE EU grant - EIC Pathfinder Challenges), you will investigate lossless microfabrication methods to integrated 2D arrays of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers in CMOS technology. This work will be developed both in the TU Delft cleanroom facilities and in the Biosonic laboratory. You will be embedded in the research group of Dr. Tiago Costa and will have close collaboration with colleagues from the section Bioelectronics and the department Microelectronics.

Your work will allow our neurobiology colleagues to unravel the promising effect of FUS in the complex neural circuits involved in treatment-resistant depression.This can lead to minimally invasive and effective treatment for depression.

Please follow the link below to apply for this position:

https://www.tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/werken-bij-tu-delft/vacatures/details?jobId=7500&jobTitle=PhD%20position%20in%20Microfabrication%20of%20Piezoelectric%20Ultrasound%20Transducers

Requirements

We make our selection based on the following general requirements:

• You should have earned an MSc degree at a recognized institute for higher education in Electrical Engineering.
• You should have a strong background in analog and mixed-signal IC design. A background in ultrasound transducer interfaces or neural interfaces is desirable.
• Your Grade-Point-Average should be above 8/10. Also your MSc thesis should have received a grade above 8/10.
• Your MSc thesis or later work (publications) should reflect some original ideas. Critical and independent thinking are very important.
• You should be able to communicate well in english (written and oral).

It is expected to have a level of 7.0 or higher for IELTS-score, or 100 or higher for TOEFL-score. Provide TOEFL/IELTS scores if available

Your resume should contain contact information of prior advisors/supervisors who can provide feedback. 

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Contact

dr. Tiago Costa

Assistant Professor

Bioelectronics Group

Department of Microelectronics

Additional information

In The Netherlands, almost all PhD positions are linked to funded research projects. This has several implications:

• PhD students are employed: they receive a salary rather than a grant. Most projects have a duration of 4 years.
• Positions become available once a project is funded. This can happen at any time during the year.
• It typically takes 6 to 9 months for a project proposal to receive funding. In this period, a position may be anticipated but the outcome remains insecure. Once a project is funded, the open position needs to be filled as soon as possible.

If you are interested in our research, it merits to inquire whether openings will be available. We collect resumes of prospective PhD students throughout the year, for each of our research tracks.

General requirements

We make our selection based on the following general requirements:

• Formal requirements regarding prior education: you should have earned an MSc degree at a recognized institute for higher education.
• Background: this depends on the specific project.
• Excellence: your Grade-Point-Average should be above 8 (10). Also your MSc thesis should have received a grade above 8 (10).
• English: you should be able to communicate well in english (written and oral). Provide TOEFL/IELTS scores if available.
• Originality: your MSc thesis or later work (publications) should reflect some original ideas. Critical and independent thinking is very important.
• Team player: you should be able to work well in a team of other project members.

Your resume should contain contact information of prior advisors/supervisors who can provide feedback.