Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering PAS
Warsaw, Poland
offers the PhD student position
in the launching OPUS project „ Optimizing Dialysate Bicarbonate Concentration During Hemodialysis by Mathematical Modeling”
sponsored by the National Research Center, Poland
Profile of candidates: This competition is open to all persons with:
• Experience in working with ordinary differential equations
• Experience in computer programming, especially numerical methods
• Fluent English in speech and writing
• Familiarity with modeling of biological and/or medical problems
Applications should contain (in English):
(a) application and motivation letter
(b) CV
(c) copy of MSc diploma
(d) letter from the tutor dr John Kenneth Leypoldt (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with the acceptance of candidate for this position
(e) letter of reference from candidate's previous tutor or other scientist;
(f) list of lectures and exercises passed at the university with grades;
(d) contact information, including e‐mail address and phone number;
(g) any additional information on candidate’s abilities (certified by suitable documents) will be an advantage.
Application deadline: January 10, 2019, 12:00 Central European time;
PhD Scholarship: 4500 PLN for 36 months and 3000 for next 12 months.
Research topics:
Approximately 2 million people worldwide receive routine, thrice-weekly treatments by hemodialysis to stay alive. Treatment of such kidney failure patients allows the administration of bicarbonate buffer via the dialysis solution to control body fluid pH in these patients; however, the optimal amount and method for prescribing the bicarbonate concentration in the dialysis solution is unclear.
The main objective of this project is to explore potential new approaches for optimizing the amount and method for prescribing the bicarbonate concentration-time profile in the dialysis solution to better control body fluid pH in hemodialysis patients using a mathematical model.
The project will develop a comprehensive model of acid-base and bicarbonate biochemistry in the blood and whole body of kidney failure patients treated by hemodialysis. The model is necessarily complex and requires knowledge of chemistry, biomedical transport phenomena, and numerical mathematics. Once developed, the mathematical model will be compared with clinical kinetic data collected from hemodialysis patients. The comparison of model predictions with clinical data will allow optimization of physiological parameters and suggest novel methods for bicarbonate administration. The developed integrative model may also be applied in other biomedical engineering applications in medicine, mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal and contribute to the design of virtual human physiology for medical purposes.
Task description:
After getting acquainted with the problem of acid-base balance in patients on hemodialysis, the student works on the model based on the previous models, develops the code for the model, and works on application of the model for the description of different dialysis conditions, patient’s clinical status and available clinical data to propose a new method for bicarbonate administration. The method is tested in a clinical study carried out as a part of the project.
Recruitment procedure: Candidates should submit their applications before 10 of January 2019, 12:00, to the HR section (IBBE PAS, Ks. Trojdena 4 str, 02-109 Warsaw, room 703) or to e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Additional information:
Recruitment procedure is done according to the Regulations on awarding scholarships in NCN-funded research Project OPUS and the Regulations in IBBE PAS.
Additional information on the project is available by e-mail: Jacek Waniewski, IBBE PAS, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
