Job Description

Job Summary
The Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery Laboratory (Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah) is seeking to fill a Postdoctoral position. Successful applicants must have a PhD in Bioengineering, Materials Science, Ceramics Engineering, or similar fields and have a demonstrated track record of productive research and publications. Candidates must have excellent communication and organizational skills, creative approaches to experimental design, and be able to work collaboratively and with minimal supervision.


Contact
For further information, please contact:
Drs. Sujee Jeyapalina or Jill Shea: [email protected] or [email protected]

Responsibilities
The ideal candidate is expected to lead the day-to-day research and development tasks outlined in the VA-funded project to fabricate apatite-based bone scaffolds. The candidate’s primary daily duties include but are not limited to synthesizing and characterizing apatite bioceramics, utilizing advanced materials processing to fabricate scaffolds with comparable strengths to cancellous and cortical bone, and then testing them in vivo and in vitro models. Previous experiences with bioceramics, additive manufacturing techniques, and/or high-temperature densification processes are considered valuable skills. The candidate is also expected to periodically conducts microstructural and mechanical characterizations on the investigated materials, participate in animal trials, and writes reports of relevant results in an appropriate form, such as manuscripts for scientific journals, conference abstracts, and annual reports for the funding agency.

The ideal candidate is also expected to perform collaborative research with internal and external scientists, including planning, designing, and executing materials and process development experiments, and also take an active role in managing undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and assigning tasks to technical staff. A suitable candidate will have opportunities to develop independent research to conceptualize new novel concepts, conduct pilot studies and collect data for grant submission.


Position Requirements
A recent (0-5 years) Ph.D. Degree in Materials Science, Bioengineering, Ceramics Engineering, or a related field.
Experience with orthopedic materials.
Experience with advanced characterizations, including XRD, SEM, TEM, EDAX, ICP-MS, FT-IR, and fracture/fatigue properties.
Data processing, evaluation, and interpretation skills.
3-D printing experience
Ability to present reports at the national and international level.
Oral and written communication skills.
Proven ability to be a team player.
A high commitment to safety.


Disclaimer
This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.

Minimum Qualifications
Preferences
Preferred Qualifications:
Prior experience in hands-on processing of bioceramics and composites.
Prior experience in biological scaffold fabrication and testing.
Type