Job Information
- Organisation/Company: University of Zaragoza
- Department: Biomedical Signal Interpretation and Computational Simulation (BSICoS) group, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A)
Offer Description
Project Description
Genetic cardiomyopathies are an important cause of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. However, marked variability in cardiac structure and electrophysiology makes it difficult to identify which patients are at greatest risk and would benefit from early, targeted preventive treatment.
This PhD project will develop personalised approaches for arrhythmic risk stratification by integrating advanced signal processing, cardiac imaging and patient-specific digital twins. The candidate will combine electrocardiograms, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging to investigate how structural and electrical abnormalities interact to create arrhythmogenic substrates.
These multimodal data will be used to build personalised ventricular digital twins that reproduce individual cardiac electrical behaviour, explore arrhythmic mechanisms that cannot be directly observed clinically and derive novel digital biomarkers. Virtual populations of digital twins will support the development of multivariable risk models integrating electrophysiological, anatomical and imaging-derived features.
The project will use datasets from patients with hypertrophic and other genetic cardiac pathologies collected through collaborating clinical centres. Particular attention will be given to identifying robust biomarkers of arrhythmic events and understanding differences between women and men.
Ultimately, the project aims to deliver more accurate and personalised tools for clinical decision-making and the prevention of sudden cardiac death.
Planned Secondments
- Corify Care, Spain (2 months): training in non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGi) and validation of hypotheses generated from digital twin simulations.
- King's College London, United Kingdom (2 months): development of large cohorts of anatomical models capturing population variability.
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatia (2 months): preparation of an external validation cohort and exposure to clinical cardiomyopathy research.
Requirements
Research Field: Engineering » Biomedical engineering
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Specific Requirements
Desirable Project-Specific Qualifications and Skills
- MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- Experience in scientific programming using MATLAB, Python, C/C++, or a similar language.
- Knowledge of signal processing, computational modelling, numerical simulation, or machine learning.
- Previous experience with cardiac electrophysiology, medical imaging, physiological signals, or patient-specific modelling would be advantageous.
Eligibility Criteria
- MSCA Mobility Rule: You must not have lived or worked in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years before recruitment.
- MSCA Eligibility Rule: You must not already hold a doctoral degree and must be eligible to enrol in the PhD programme at the University of Zaragoza.
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent
Additional Information
Website for additional job details: https://www.cdtnet.eu/
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: University of Zaragoza
- Country: Spain
- City: Zaragoza
- Street: Campus Río Ebro
Contact
- City: Zaragoza
- Website: https://www.unizar.es/
- E-Mail: minchole@unizar.es
- E-Mail: CDTnet@kcl.ac.uk