Postdoc position in Ultrasound Imaging and Microbubble Physics
You will investigate how coated monodisperse microbubbles change their acoustic response when they bind to molecular targets on blood vessel walls. Using microfabricated hydrogel vessel models and ultrasound imaging, you will track bubbles and study how the acoustic signature of designer microbubbles changes upon molecular binding. Your work will contribute to the development of new molecular ultrasound imaging methods for disease diagnosis.
Interested in experimental ultrasound imaging, microfluidics, and fluid dynamics? Join our research program on molecular ultrasound imaging using functionalized, monodisperse microbubbles. The project addresses a fundamental question: how does the acoustic response of a microbubble change when it binds to a molecular target on a blood vessel wall? By combining monodisperse designer microbubbles, microfluidic blood vessel models, and programmable ultrasound imaging, you will investigate how binding alters the acoustic signature of individual bubbles and how this effect can be exploited to acoustically distinguish bound from freely circulating microbubbles.
Beyond ultrasound imaging, there is ample opportunity to develop complementary experimental approaches to understand the underlying bubble physics. These include ultra-high-speed imaging of bubble dynamics at up to ten million frames per second and laser-induced fluorescence imaging to probe microbubble behavior and shell dynamics. The goal is to obtain a full physical understanding of the mechanisms governing the acoustic response of bound microbubbles.
You will perform ultrasound imaging experiments using a fully programmable Verasonics NXT research ultrasound system to study microbubbles flowing through and binding to microfluidic channels in hydrogel-based blood vessel models. Using the acquired RF data, you will track microbubbles as they travel through the vessel phantom and bind to the vessel wall, and analyze changes in echo amplitude and spectral content associated with binding.
You will work closely with three PhD students who develop the microbubbles and tune their molecular targeting and viscoelastic shell properties. You will have substantial freedom to develop new experimental approaches and imaging strategies, and there is ample opportunity to initiate and coordinate experiments together with the PhD students while contributing to their supervision alongside your own research track.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before April 18, 2026, and include:
- A Curriculum Vitae
- A cover letter explaining your specific interest and outlining your prior experience on the research topic
- List of publications
- Name and email addresses of at least two visible references who are willing to send a recommendation letter on your behalf.
An interview with a scientific presentation on your previous work will be part of the interview process.
For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact: t.j.segers@utwente.nl.
Screening is part of the selection process.
About the department
You will be embedded in the BIOS/Lab on a Chip group at the University of Twente, part of the Max Planck Center Twente for Complex Fluid Dynamics, the J.M. Burgers Research Center for Fluid Mechanics, and the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology. You will work in a multidisciplinary research environment with strong interactions between microfluidics, acoustics, and biomedical engineering.
About the organisation
The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
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