What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Researcher-Biomaterials and Hydrogel Engineering position at Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation?
We are seeking a highly motivated early-career Postdoctoral Research Fellow with strong, hands-on expertise in biomaterials and hydrogel engineering. This position is best suited for a recent PhD graduate or researcher within approximately three years of completing their PhD who is interested in developing hydrogel-based platforms for stem cell culture, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
Hydrogel and biomaterials expertise is the primary requirement for this position. Stem cell knowledge is desirable but will not substitute for direct experience in hydrogel formulation, fabrication, and characterization.
Required Qualifications
Applicants must have:
- A PhD in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, biomaterials, materials science, chemical engineering, polymer science, or a closely related field
- A PhD completed recently, preferably within the past three years
- Demonstrated hands-on experience designing, synthesizing, modifying, or optimizing hydrogel systems
- Experience with hydrogel formulation and crosslinking, including chemical, enzymatic, photochemical, or click-chemistry-based approaches
- Experience characterizing hydrogel properties using methods such as rheology, mechanical testing, swelling, degradation, gelation kinetics, or structural analysis
- Experience evaluating cell-material interactions in three-dimensional culture systems
- A strong publication record relevant to biomaterials, hydrogels, tissue engineering, or regenerative medicine
- Strong experimental, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with one or more of the following is preferred:
- GelMA, hyaluronic acid, PEG, thiol-ene, maleimide-thiol, methacrylate, or other covalently crosslinked hydrogel systems
- Human pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, progenitor cells, or primary cells
- Stem cell maintenance, differentiation, characterization, or three-dimensional culture
- Organoids, bioprinting, microfluidics, drug delivery, or tissue-engineered constructs
- Polymer functionalization, peptide conjugation, controlled release, or bioactive hydrogel design
- Confocal imaging, flow cytometry, immunostaining, gene-expression analysis, or in vivo biomaterial evaluation
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Design, synthesize, optimize, and characterize hydrogel biomaterials
- Develop hydrogel systems for cell culture, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine applications
- Investigate hydrogel mechanics, degradation, transport properties, and cell–material interactions
- Conduct mammalian and stem cell culture experiments
- Design and execute independent research studies
- Analyze and interpret experimental data
- Prepare manuscripts, presentations, reports, and grant-related materials
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and clinicians
- Mentor junior researchers and contribute to laboratory organization
Important Applicant Guidance
This position requires direct experimental experience with hydrogel biomaterials. Applications focused primarily on stem cell biology, molecular biology, computational biology, clinical research, or general cell culture without substantial hands-on hydrogel experience will not be considered.
Applicants should clearly describe their personal contributions to hydrogel formulation, synthesis, crosslinking, modification, and characterization in their cover letter and curriculum vitae.
Simply using commercially available gels, Matrigel, collagen coatings, or pre-formulated scaffolds does not by itself meet the hydrogel expertise requirement.
Candidates whose experience is limited to culturing cells on biomaterial surfaces, without designing or characterizing the underlying biomaterial, are unlikely to be competitive.