*NBP/National Bank of Poland exchange rate of 4,2239 PLN per 1 EUR valid on 16.12.2025

Supervisors :  Sano: dr. Maciej Malawski (Sano Director)

Additional supervisors : prof. Vanessa Diaz, dr. Andrew Narracott, prof. Gabor Zavodszky

Project start : ASAP (no later than 31.10.2026)

Project duration : 36 months

Degree Awarding University : University of Amsterdam

At Sano, a PhD-position is available within the ThromboRisk project, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network funded by the EU. The position is open for appointment before the end of October 2026, with a duration of 36 months and is hosted by Sano and the University of Amsterdam.

Project Objectives

The project will address key challenges in understanding lower limb haemodynamics through the following objectives:

1. Develop a computational model of the calf muscle pump and integrate it with existing lower limb haemodynamics models.
2. Incorporate the effects of respiration into lower limb haemodynamics modelling.
3. Investigate the combined and individual influences of muscle pump activity and respiration on venous flow in the lower limb.
4. Evaluate the significance of these mechanisms in the context of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) development.
5. Assess the potential for personalisation within the developed modelling framework.

Expected Outcomes

1. A comprehensive lower limb haemodynamics model that accounts for the effects of both the calf muscle pump and respiratory activity, independently and jointly.
2. Demonstration of how these mechanisms influence venous haemodynamics — with the muscle pump exerting a more localised effect and respiration having a broader, systemic influence.
3. Evidence indicating that the resultant haemodynamic changes are substantial enough to affect coagulation dynamics relevant to DVT formation.

The following secondments are planned:

• University of Amsterdam (Prof. Zavodszky): Regular visits totalling approximately six months.
• University College London (Prof. Diaz): Six-month placement focused on modelling collaboration and engagement with clinical partners.
• University of Sheffield (Dr. Narracott): Two-month placement for joint work on vascular modelling.

What are you going to do?

You are expected to:

• do original research in this field under the direction of the supervisor;
• participate in the many seminars by internal and external speakers as well as journal clubs and group activities;
• collaborate with other PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and other Sano employees.

What do we require?

As our successful candidate you should have:

• You are creative and ambitious, hard-working, and persistent.
• You have a MSc degree or equivalent, or you will have it by the end of 2025/2026 academic year in a relevant field – biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and engineering, physics or related. To be eligible, a Doctoral Candidate must have obtained a degree which formally entitles them to start a doctorate in the Netherlands
• You have theoretical and applied knowledge or interest in:
• Modelling and simulation of biomedical systems,
• Programming in Python, Matlab or Julia,
• Computational fluid dynamics,
• Medical image analysis is a plus.
• You have good communicative skills, and the attitude to partake successfully in the work of a research team.
• You have a fluent command of the English language (at least C1 level).

Eligibility criteria:

• Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment.
• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. For ‘International European Research Organisations’ (IERO), ‘international organisations’, or entities created under Union law, the researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment in the same appointing organisation. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.

Our offer

The position is funded for 36 months with an expected start date before 31.10.2026. This will be supported by an educational plan that includes attendance of courses, international meetings and secondments. The contract will include opportunities to participate in teaching and supervision of undergraduate and master students.

This PhD will be a collaboration between Sano and University of Amsterdam. The student will be based in Poland, Krakow operating in conjunction with the Cyfronet supercomputing centre hosted by AGH.

Sano offers excellent opportunities for study and development, an access to many international conferences on computational medicine and a possibility to grow in a scientific society.

ThromboRisk – European Doctoral Network  From cells to systems: Pioneering multi-level thrombosis risk prediction models,  consortium is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101227706. It groups 10 hiring universities: Eindhoven University of Technology (NL), University of Maastricht (NL), University of Amsterdam (NL), Catholic University Leuven (BE), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University College London (UK), Transsilvania University of Brasov (RO), SANO Centre for Computational Personalized Medicine (PL), University of Leeds (UK), and University of Bern (CH).

ThromboRisk will develop an integrated platform to advance our understanding of thrombosis across biological scales, combining mechanobiology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and computational modelling. For this inclusion to occur, each DC will develop through their research a unique contribution to the multi-level thrombosis risk prediction framework, addressing specific aspects of thrombus formation, growth, rupture, and clinical impact. This hands-on training is supplemented with several scientific professional courses and an immersive training program where the DCs can fine-tune their skills for the jobs of tomorrow, while addressing the societal challenges of the ThromboRisk program.

Questions?

Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about our organisation? Please contact us at m.golabek@sanoscience.org

About Sano

Sano Centre for Computational Medicine is an International Scientific Foundation located in Kraków, Poland.

Sano aspires to be a major translational scientific institute, operating at the meeting point of academic science, established MedTech industry, and emerging start-up environment, combining the best of these three perspectives.

Established with support from the European Commission and the Foundation for Polish Science, Sano aims to be a major driving force behind the advancement of computational medicine for the benefit of healthcare systems worldwide.

Sano acts as a core technology and expertise provider for industry, and creator of innovation, developing state-of-the-art solutions for healthcare. Thanks to the substantial funding and excellent European partnership network, Sano will bring a critical mass to this transformational field of research, in order to translate scientific advancements into clinical practice. Sano’s ambition is to become the Reference Centre for Computational Medicine in Central Europe and build a reputation as a leading institute on a global level.

As a cross-disciplinary institution, Sano uses machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), large scale computer simulations (HPC), data science, and other computational technologies towards overcoming global challenges in healthcare systems. The Research Agenda will be executed in close collaboration with Partners in Poland, EU and USA.

Job application

Sano is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application.

Applications in .pdf should include:

• a cover letter;
• a curriculum vitae;

The recruitment process will involve an interview with a Recruitment Committee of at least two senior researchers at Sano and a separate competency-based interview with the Team Leader, discussing a provided scientific paper.

Apply:

• https://sano.elevato.net/en/sano-phd-student-2-thromborisk,ja,192