Call for Applications: Computational Biology, Computational Medicine, Mechanobiology, Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Devices

Tipo de planta académica: Regular Academic Track

Employment: Full time

The Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM) of the Schools of Engineering, Medicine, and Biological Sciences at UC Chile (iibm.uc.cl) invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position in one of the following four strategic areas:

1. Computational Biology
2. Computational Medicine
3. Mechanobiology and Tissue Engineering
4. Biomedical Devices

This call is part of IIBM’s strategic growth plan to advance interdisciplinary research and teaching at the interface of biology, medicine, and engineering.

Profile

We seek highly motivated and creative candidates with an outstanding research record, a compelling scientific vision, and the ability to lead interdisciplinary projects. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field such as computational biology, bioengineering, structural biology, biotechnology, systems biology, machine learning, or biomedical engineering. Postdoctoral training is strongly preferred.

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• A track record of impactful publications in their field
• The potential to lead a competitive, independent research program
• The ability to attract external research funding
• A collaborative and interdisciplinary research style
• Commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching

Research Areas of Interest

1. Computational Biology

We are interested in candidates developing computational biology approaches, including:

• De novo protein design and engineering of therapeutic antibodies, enzymes, and biologic
• Molecular modeling and protein-ligand interaction prediction
• Computational strategies for the design of low-cost, scalable biologics
• Synthetic biology frameworks for programmable molecular systems and biosensing
• Machine learning in protein folding, stability prediction, or function annotation

2. Computational Medicine

We seek candidates with strong expertise in AI and machine learning applied to biomedical data, imaging, or clinical decision-making, with possible areas of interest including:

• Deep learning for multi-modal medical imaging (e.g., MRI, CT, microscopy)
• Integration of electronic health records (EHR), genomics, and wearable sensor data
• Predictive models for patient stratification, disease progression, and treatment response
• Natural language processing (NLP) for medical report generation and clinical knowledge extraction
• Foundation models and explainable AI in medicine

3. Mechanobiology and Tissue Engineering

We are looking for candidates whose research bridges mechanical forces, biological function, and tissue design, including:

• Biophysical modeling of mechanotransduction and cellular response to force
• Development of engineered tissues and organoids for regenerative medicine
• Microfluidics and 3D bioprinting of tissue scaffolds and models
• In vitro platforms for disease modeling and drug screening
• Integration of biomechanics and imaging for functional tissue evaluation

4. Biomedical devices

We are looking for candidates with strong expertise in the design, modeling, and deployment of biomedical devices and integrated systems for diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy, including:

• Development of implantable, wearable, or point-of-care biomedical devices for real-time physiological monitoring and health management
• Advanced biosensing platforms for detecting biochemical, electrical, or mechanical signals in clinical and research settings
• Signal acquisition, processing, and reconstruction methods for high-resolution imaging, electrophysiology, or multimodal diagnostics
• Computational modeling and simulation of medical devices, physiological systems, and device–tissue interaction
• Design and integration of closed-loop systems for therapeutic feedback control and smart drug delivery

Teaching Responsibilities

The successful candidate is expected to:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in their field of expertise
• Participate in developing new core courses in computational biology, systems biology, synthetic biology, or biomedical AI
• Contribute to the Major in Biomedical Engineering and development of new teaching programs
• Support the Ph.D. program in Biological and Medical Engineering through research mentoring and course development

Example courses may include:

• Computational Protein Design and Engineering
• Synthetic Biology and Molecular Programming
• Machine Learning for Clinical Decision Support
• Medical Imaging AI and Multimodal Data Fusion
• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
• Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
• Design of Wearable and Implantable Biomedical Devices
• Computational Modeling of Device–Tissue Interfaces

Institutional Environment

The Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering is a cross-faculty unit that brings together faculty from engineering, biology, and medicine. IIBM identifies computational protein design and molecular engineering as core strategic areas. The successful candidate will be part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment, with access to collaborative opportunities in biomedicine and biotechnology. The Institute provides access to shared research infrastructure, university startup funds, and career development support.

UC Chile is committed to equal opportunities, to the construction of an inclusive, diverse and fraternal community and to the promotion of the academic development of women and men.

A person of foreign nationality and who applies from abroad, in case of being selected for the position, will be required to have the corresponding visa, obtained from the consulate in the country of origin, in order to be incorporated into the academic staff of the University.

Candidates should submit the following documents to BMEfacultypositions@uc.cl (with the subject “Application”) and Prof. René Botnar rebotnar@uc.cl (director IIBM) by November 14, 2025. Late applications may be considered until the position is filled. Candidates to previous calls, please see note A.

1. Research statement (in English) indicating immediate and long term goals for your research plan. Detail potential collaboration networks with other researchers and plans for interactions with scientists in Chile and other countries.
2. Teaching statement (in English) indicating why you should be considered for the position and your plans for teaching. Be as specific as possible, e.g. giving examples of how you aim to transfer your knowledge to undergraduate and graduate students.
3. Up-to-date curriculum vitae in English – see note B.
4. Copies of your five most important WoS publications highlighting their contribution to science and engineering. Include a full list of articles you consider relevant in the context of your application.
5. In addition, candidates should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be emailed directly by the signatories to BMEfacultypositions@uc.cl and Prof. René Botnar rebotnar@uc.cl (director IIBM).

This position is available immediately. Please include in your application the earliest date at which you will be available.

Once the complete set of application materials has been received, the applicant will be contacted no later than December 12, 2025, and informed whether or not his/her application has been accepted for further consideration. If this initial screening is successful, the candidate will be asked to give a lecture on his/her current research topics and hold interviews with the Director of the Institute, the Deans and members of the Selection Committee.

Further information may be obtained by emailing the Director of the Institute, Dr. René Botnar (rebotnar@uc.cl), the Research subdirector, Dr. Mario Vera (maverav@uc.cl), or the Institute manager, Tamara Rodríguez (tprodrig@uc.cl).

Note A: Candidates who had participated in a previous call must inform the Selection Committee, through BMEfacultypositions@uc.cl, their intention to participate in this call. The applicant will have the option to update the documentation, or may be requested to do so.

Note B: The CV must be organized along the following lines:

1. Personal background: name, address, contact telephone (with country and city codes), e-mail address, web page (if any)
2. Education: list of all degrees or professional titles obtained with granting institutions and dates
3. Educational experience (university or institution, courses taught, years)
4. Professional experience (company, tasks, years)
5. Research

A. List of WoS journal publications including original work, editorials and review articles. Please avoid including other publications, such as non WoS journals, conference presentations and the like shown in 5.b. To see whether a journal is included in the Web of Science (WoS) catalogue, visit the following web site: www.webofscience.com

B. List of other publications such as non WoS Journals, reports, books or book chapters, attended conferences, patents etc.

C. List of research grants including name of principal investigator and amount awarded.

D. Other: prizes and awards, computing abilities, languages, other background information that you consider relevant.