Biomaterial Engineer: characterization and nurturing

This recruitment is part of the “DURALAYER” development project funded by SATT LUTECH.

Mission

You will contribute to the development of an implantable dura mater substitute through its production, characterization, process optimisation and evaluation of the regulatory/quality framework.

ACTIVITIES

• Routine production of polymer biomaterials with electrospinning for characterization, such as:

  • Mechanical and physicochemical properties (tensile tests, pressure, surface properties, etc.)

  • Long-term degradation assays in physiological conditions.

• Identification of GMP raw material requirements, comparison, contact with potential suppliers or partners, production trials.

• Discussion with clinical actors to evaluate the ease of handling of prototypes, optimization of production parameters as a consequence if needed.

• Implementation of a quality control process and improvement of the robustness of electrospinning protocols.

• Support for the development of a regulatory validation roadmap (bibliographic search, contact with service providers in charge of regulatory audits).

• Support for the analysis of the results of externalized in vivo implantations.

• Identification of suitable sterilization methods, comparison, contact with potential suppliers or partners, if possible sterilization assays and study of the post-sterilization properties.

• Identification of the scale-up potential of the prototypes, contact with potential suppliers or partners, comparison.

• Formatting and analyzing results, writing plans and experiment reports, writing protocols.

• Participation in project team meetings and discussions with partners

• Support drafting grant proposals, articles and/or patents.

• Interns supervision.

• Participation in laboratory activities (thematic axis meetings, scientific symposiums and general meetings, working groups, inventory management, GLP compliance, etc.)

Scientific background

Dura mater, one of the meningeal tissues, is a biological membrane located in particular between the skull and the brain. It covers many mechanical and physiological functions. In case of substance loss, an artificial substitute is often needed to replace it.

The Biomechanics and Bioengineering laboratory has developed for several years an implantable dura mater substitute based on nanofibrous polymeric biomaterials, leading to a patent submitted in September 2025. We are now looking for an engineering with strong expertise in the biomaterial field to strengthen the team and take this project further towards industrial application.

You will be involved in the production and characterization of prototypes of this substitute in a context of optimization, improvement of protocol robustness, and initiation of regulatory and quality control procedures.

You will need to liaise and interact with stakeholders from academia, the clinical sector and industry.

Additional information

Application dates

From 24/03/2026 to 23/04/2026

Type of contract and expected start date

Fixed-term contract – scheduled to last 13 months, ending no later than 19 September 2027

Gross monthly salary

Depending on experience and funding

Hours

37 hours and 30 minutes per week – 1,607 hours per year

Working environment

You will join the research axis “BioFab” (Biomaterials and Fabrication of biological tissues) of the BMBI laboratory (UMR CNRS 7338). You will report to the project manager, maintain regular communication with them and work closely with all relevant stakeholders.

The research projects of BMBI focus on biomechanics and bioengineering, in particular the mechanics of living systems and health engineering. The laboratory is affiliated with CNRS Ingénierie (Engineering).

The main objective of the BMBI laboratory's research project is to develop numerical and experimental models (in vitro or in vivo) of living systems that are capable of addressing the challenges of tomorrow's healthcare, and to enable them to interact with the collected data (through models, patients, etc.). From the experimental point of view, healthy and pathological complex tissue models (liver, skin, bone, tendon for example) are built and validated to become models for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, or to highlight new, innovative implantable biomaterials.

You therefore have experimental expertise (design and production of polymer biomaterials, mechanical and physicochemical characterization, and possibly cell-material interactions) and a basic knowledge of regulations (CE marking, standards, etc.) and/or quality procedures in the field of medical devices.

Qualifications

Minimum 5 years of higher education

Field

Biomaterial engineering or closely related fields, in particular polymers

Main skills and knowledge

• Mechanical and physicochemical characterization of (bio)materials.

• Additive manufacturing techniques, in particular based on polymer materials and electrospinning, are highly regarded

• Regulatory framework of medical devices and/or quality control.

• Cell-biomaterial interactions.

• Writing plans and experiment reports, protocols.

• Literature review.

• English, basic French

Any experience in regulatory affairs or quality assurance within the medical devices sector would be an advantage.

Profiles with an initial background in mechanics or process engineering with a relevant interdisciplinary dimension may be considered.

Experience

Junior applications are welcome.