Department: Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine/CVRI Dublin
Reporting to: Prof Osama Soliman, Deputy Director, CVRI Dublin
Location: Mater Private Network/RCSI
Contract/Duration: Specified Purpose
Remuneration: Aligned with the IUA Researchers PDR salary, dependent on experience
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SUMMARY OF POST

This role is based at the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) in Dublin, Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, and RCSI in Dublin We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced engineer with a strong background in cardiovascular engineering to join our research team at RCSI Dublin. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of a digital twin of the right heart and support the design, modeling, and testing of a novel Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD) as part of the RightHeartWise project, funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC).
This position is embedded within a highly interdisciplinary team of clinicians, physiologists, and engineers, and will be central to the development of patient-specific right heart failure models and digital twin technologies aimed at optimizing RVAD performance.

QUALIFICATIONS – (ESSENTIAL):

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular Engineering, or closely related field (or thesis submitted and awaiting defense).
• In-depth understanding of cardiovascular physiology, particularly right ventricular function and failure.
• Proficiency in MATLAB or equivalent scientific computing languages for simulation and modeling.
• Proven experience in mathematical modeling of biological or physical systems.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary clinical-engineering teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE – ESSENTIAL

• Hands-on experience with lumped-parameter cardiovascular modeling.
• Prior involvement in EIC/ERC-funded research projects or advanced proposal writing.
• Research experience in medical engineering, particularly involving patient data integration.
• Familiarity with clinical datasets from imaging, hemodynamic monitoring, or electronic health records.
• Experience with optimization algorithms and statistical methods for model fitting and personalization.
• Background in right heart failure pathophysiology and VAD modeling.
• Track record of presenting original research at international peer-reviewed conferences.
• Practical experience in in vitro cardiovascular device testing and benchtop simulations.

SPECIFICALLY, THE DUTIES OF THE POST ARE:

The successful candidate will work as part of Prof Soliman’s Lab at both RCSI and the Mater Private Hospital.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Developing and validating lumped-parameter models of the cardiovascular system, with a focus on the right heart.
• Creating and refining patient-specific digital twins for right ventricular failure using multi-modal clinical data (imaging, hemodynamics, EHRs).
• Collaborating with cardiologists, imaging experts, and physiologists to interpret clinical data and translate it into model parameters.
• Supporting the design and iterative optimization of RVADs tailored to individual patient physiology.
• Conducting in vitro bench-top testing of RVAD prototypes under simulated physiological conditions.
• Assisting in data integration, model calibration, and optimization algorithm development for device personalization.
• Contributing to project dissemination, including conference presentations, publications, and reporting to the EIC.