Ph.D. position: Surface finishing of porous shoulder implants produced additive manufacturing

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Engineering » Chemical engineering Engineering » Materials engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 2 Feb 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number BAP
- Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number  Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

The CUSTOM project is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network that unites three core disciplines (design, manufacturing, and testing) towards the development of a next generation of patient-specific shoulder implants. The number of shoulder replacements is projected to increase by 300-400% between 2020 and 2040. With the current technology, 10% of those artificial shoulder implants will fail within the first 10 years of service, mainly due to soft tissue failure, infection, and implant loosening.

CUSTOM focuses on combining (1) computational tools that allow patient-specific design, (2) additive manufacturing to realize the custom, complex designs and structures and their further postprocessing to incorporate multi-functionality, and (3) blended in-silico and experimental testing to reduce the burden on experimental testing for certification. In doing so, CUSTOM can address the major failure mechanisms of current shoulder implants and improve their overall functionality and longevity.

This Ph.D. topic of the CUSTOM project addresses an important challenge in the development of porous shoulder implants produced via additive manufacturing (AM), which is improving the surface finish. AM-produced structures often have high surface roughness and semi-attached particles, which is incompatible with a safe use of implants with optimal properties. In this PhD project, you will focus on three key objectives: (1) to develop successful chemical and electrochemical cleaning strategies for porous titanium structures produced via AM, (2) to enable internal surface roughness characterization of such structures via microfocus X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) and statistical analysis and (3) to identify the impact of the internal and external surface roughness on mechanical properties, particularly fatigue resistance, via machine learning approaches.

This doctoral project also foresees three secondments, each for the duration of three months, during which you will have the opportunity to visit partner institutions to perform experiments and to share knowledge across disciplines. This includes a secondment at Semmelweis University (Budapest, Hungary) to perform cytotoxicity testing of samples treated with different surface finishing procedures, a secondment at the University of Udine (Italy) to simulate the impact of altered surface roughness and roughness parameters on fatigue performance, and secondment at Amnovis (Aarschot, Belgium) to compare the developed finishing techniques with existing industrial processes.

The ideal doctoral candidate for this project has excellent oral and written English communication skills and is a highly motivated, enthusiastic and communicative researcher with a Master degree in Materials Science or Engineering, or Chemistry. You should have obtained excellent study results and be able to work independently as well as in collaboration with other researchers in the lab and doctoral network.

Candidates should have experience with experimental work and a strong hands‑on attitude. Specific experience with electrochemistry, X‑ray CT and/or electron microscopy is a plus.
Since this is an MSCA Doctoral Network, applicants for this position should comply with the mobility rules: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation (Belgium) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.

• A doctoral scholarship (fully funded) and a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science if successful.
• A highly specialised doctoral training in an international environment at a top European university.
• Extensive training and networking activities via the MSCA Doctoral Network 'CUSTOM' project, which involves a total of 16 doctoral candidates.
• A living allowance, mobility allowance and, if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances.
• The opportunity to participate in research collaborations and international conferences.