Postdoctoral Researcher

Project background

Advanced Patient-derived 3D Bone Organoids for Personalised Osteoporosis Drug Screening

Fragility fractures remain a major consequence of impaired skeletal health in older adults, frequently resulting in reduced mobility, loss of independence, and long-term disability. While current standards of care provide valuable tools for evaluating skeletal health and fracture risk, they do not fully capture patient-specific biological responses to altered bone remodelling, mechanical loading, inflammation, and pharmacological intervention. Osteoporosis and related age-associated bone disorders are highly heterogeneous, with individuals differing in bone formation capacity, osteoclast activity, inflammatory status, mineralisation dynamics, and mechanoadaptive potential. These biological differences can influence both fracture risk and response to therapy, highlighting the need for human-relevant models that can support more personalised approaches to osteoporosis care.

Building on the dynamic bone organoid culture platform developed in the Laboratory for Bone Biomechanics at ETH Zurich, this project aims to further develop and apply patient-derived 3D bone organoid models for in vitro osteoporosis research and personalised drug screening. The postdoctoral researcher will lead the optimisation of workflows to 3D print patient-derived mesenchymal stromal cells, guide osteogenic differentiation under dynamic mechanical stimulation, coculture with peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and assess donor-specific responses to pharmacological interventions. The resulting organoid models will enable the investigation of osteoporosis-related remodelling, immune-bone interactions, age-related comorbidity effects, and personalised drug-response profiles.

Biological readouts from these models will contribute to predictive modelling frameworks for bone remodelling trajectories, treatment response, and fracture risk, supporting the advancement of precision musculoskeletal care.

Job description

The Postdoctoral researcher will interact closely with engineers, clinicians, biologists, computational researchers, to generate robust biological datasets for personalised modelling of bone remodelling drug response, and fracture prevention.

Some key components in the work are:

• Development, optimisation, and standardisation of patient-derived 3D bone organoid models for in vitro osteoporosis research and personalised drug screening.
• Establishment of workflows to integrate peripheral blood mononuclear cells into bone organoids to model immune-bone interactions, monocyte-derived osteoclast activity, inflammation, and bone remodelling.
• Design and implementation of organoid-based drug-response assays to assess donor-specific responses to osteoporosis-relevant pharmacological interventions.
• Characterisation of osteoporosis-related organoid phenotypes and treatment responses using molecular, biochemical, histological, imaging, and microscopy-based techniques.
• Generation, quality control, and documentation of standardised biological datasets for integration with computational modelling and clinical data.
• Coordination of wet lab workflows, including experimental planning, protocol development, data management, and contribution to project deliverables.
• Supporting and advising PhD, MSc, and BSc students, where applicable.

Selection Criteria

Applicants should hold a PhD degree in biomedical engineering, or a related discipline.

The candidate should have strong previous experience in tissue engineering, mammalian cell culture, and advanced in vitro model development. Experience with 3D cell culture, organoids, bone or musculoskeletal research, bioreactor-based culture systems, or mechanical stimulation of tissues would be highly advantageous. Experience with human primary cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, osteoclast differentiation, immune cell assays, or inflammatory signalling would be considered a strong advantage.

Experience in organoid-based drug screening, pharmacological response assays, or disease modelling. Experience with molecular, histological, imaging, and biochemical techniques, such as immunostaining, microscopy, gene expression analysis, cytokine profiling, mineralisation assays, or osteoclast activity assays, would be advantageous. Experience with computed tomography, image analysis, Python-based data analysis, or quantitative data analysis would be an additional asset.

Candidates should be highly motivated and have a strong interest in skeletal research, precision medicine, and translational in vitro models. They should be able to work independently, coordinate complex experimental workflows, contribute to project planning and deliverables, engage constructively with supervisors and collaborators, and mentor junior researchers where applicable. Applicants must have excellent written and spoken English communication skills. Familiarity with across-cultural and interdisciplinary research environment would be advantageous.

Why SEC is your employer of choice?

• Accredited with 5 Tripartite Standards by Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) Singapore.
• A diverse workplace with 32 nationalities, offering ample opportunities for mutual learning.
• Positive and inclusive working environment.
• 25 days of annual leave for fixed-term contracts.
• 1 day of Birthday Leave.
• Annual dental benefits.
• Committed to being a supportive employer as you prioritize your physical and mental wellness.
• Comprehensive healthcare insurance coverage.
• Flexible hybrid work arrangement (up to 2 days per week from home).
• Abundant networking opportunities across various disciplines.
• Accredited with NS mark certification.

The Singapore-ETH Centre is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated on their merits and qualifications, without regards to gender, race, age or religion.

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• A cover letter with a specific statement of your motivation for the project.
• Your CV including the name and contact information of 2 references.
• A copy of your university transcripts as PDFs.

Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Work location: 1 Create Way, CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602 (NUS University Town)

Duration: 2 year contract for PostDoc

Further information about The Singapore-ETH Centre can be found on our website: https://sec.ethz.ch/

For further information, please contact: Dr. Chris Steffi (ETH Zurich) at [email protected], (strictly no applications)