PhD Position Nanozyme- coating antimicrobial implants

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

The Nanomaterials in Health Lab is a truly interdisciplinary environment that conducts pioneered investigations on particle bio-functionalization, particles uptake, accumulation, translocation across biological barriers and their bio-responses. With this we provide key contributions to novel personalized strategies of particles design for drug delivery, imaging or diagnosis. This PhD project will develop stimuli-responsive nanozyme coatings for personalized medical implants. Nanozymes are nanomaterials capable of mimicking the catalytic activity of natural enzymes and can be engineered to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) locally and in a controlled manner.

The position is within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Implant-to-Market (i2M), providing an international and interdisciplinary training environment connecting materials science, biology, medical devices and regulatory science.

• Design and synthesize nanozymes:
  Develop nanozymes, and optimize their physicochemical and catalytic properties.
• Develop functional implant coatings:
  Establish reproducible strategies for integrating nanozymes onto implant surfaces and investigate their compatibility with different implant architectures and surface modifications.
• Evaluate antimicrobial activity:
  Investigate the ability of nanozyme-coated surfaces to inhibit bacterial growth and biofilm formation while reducing reliance on conventional antibiotics.
• Investigate nano-bio interactions:
  Study cellular responses to nanozyme-coated implants, including cytocompatibility, macrophage activation, cytokine production and parameters related to osteointegration.
• Study stability, ageing and biodegradation:
  Investigate the transformation of low-dimensional nanozyme coatings in biologically relevant fluids.

• Motivation and Commitments to dive into an interdisciplinary challenge
• Completed Master's degree in biomaterials, chemistry, nanotechnology, or biomedical engineering.
• Experience in nanomaterial synthesis and characterization.
• Familiarity with cell culture and in vitro assays.
• Experience in catalysis, programming and large data analysis is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English (written and oral).

The project is planned for 3 years and will be carried out as a PhD thesis. It is supported by Empa under the supervision of Dr. Giacomo Reina. The candidate will perform research at Empa in St. Gallen with joint affiliation to ETH Zürich (D-HEST, Prof. Peter Wick). Desired starting date is upon mutual agreement.

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