Applications – medalloy.eu

Applications are now open! See details in the How to Apply section below. The closing date for round 1 of applications is 1st February 2026 at midnight GMT.

For informal discussions or to be notified of when applications open, contact medalloy@universityofgalway.ie Note that contacting this email is not an applications and only candidates who apply through the application system will be considered. We reserve the right to modify the opening or closing date of the call for applications.

The application portal is now available at here. The closing date for round 1 of applications is 1st February 2026 at midnight GMT. Applications are only accepted through the application portal; we cannot accept applications by email.

You will need to download and complete the Mobility Declaration form, which is available here medalloy.eu/mobility-declaration-download/ The Mobility Declaration does not need your exact address. Please only include the country and major city/region.

Ensure you have renamed your CV, Mobility Declaration form, and cover letter/research statement using the following format

Lastname_firstname-CV.pdf. e.g. Einstein_Albert-CV.pdf
Lastname_firstname-CoverLetter.pdf. e.g. Einstein_Albert-CoverLetter.pdf
Lastname_firstname-MobilityDeclaration.pdf. e.g. Einstein_Albert-MobilityDeclaration.pdf

Ensure that your CV and Cover Letter demonstrates your suitability for the programme and chosen DC project and explain your motivation for applying.

You are strongly advised not to use AI to write your Cover Letter. We want to hear from you, not an AI bot. We want to see your individual writing style, we do not want to see 100s of applications that all sound the same as they were writte

Essential Requirements:

At the time of application, applicants must not have resided in the host country for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before the appointment.
A degree in Mechanical, Biomedical, Materials, Civil or Structural Engineering (or related disciplines) that enables registration in the hosting University and an excellent track record of academic achievement.
Applicants must not already be in possession of a doctoral degree or registered as a doctoral student at the date of the recruitment.
English proficiency that enables doctoral candidates to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English. Non-native English speakers are required to provide evidence of competency an IELTS score of 6.5, or equivalent, is the minimum requirement.
Experience through coursework, project work, research work, or industry experience in one or more of the following: experimental mechanics, computational modelling, or materials processing.
Willingness to travel for secondments, training events, and consortium meetings.

Desirable Requirements:

Experience of working in international, multidisciplinary, or industrial research environments.
Experience in one or more of the following, as appropriate for the respective project: nickel titanium alloys, shape-memory/superelastic materials, fatigue testing, fracture mechanics, thermomechanical characterisation, additive manufacturing, medical device simulation or design, material simulation, experimental design, analytical modelling, finite element modelling, design of experiments, material characterization by x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy.
Proficiency in other languages of the consortium: Italian, Czech, German
Experience preparing scientific reports, presentations, or publications.

The roles and responsibilities of the Doctoral Candidate are:

Complete an original research project on their assigned topic
Complete an industrial placement of >18 months at the industry partner
Participate in network-wide training events and consortium meetings in the course of the project and complete any additional training required to successfully carry out the research proposal
Adhere to and develop materials for MEDALLOY reporting and personal training requirements
Prepare and disseminate research findings and activities in academic journals and for relevant stakeholders including the MEDALLOY website. social media accounts and other forms of public engagement.
Register as a doctoral student and prepare a manuscript for submission as a PhD thesis in accordance with the policies and procedures of their academic institution
Work with the Supervisors in preparing funding proposals related to the DC’s area of research
Complete training in and adhere to policies and procedures in both the host and secondment organisation including those related to health and safety, intellectual property protection, and research integrity
Any other duties assigned commensurate to this level of post

The MSCA-DN programme offers a highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions. The successful candidates will receive a salary and full time employment contract in accordance with the MSCA regulations for early stage researchers. Exact salary will be confirmed upon offer and will be based on

a Living Allowance of €4010/month to be paid in the currency of the country where the DC is recruited and with a country-correction factor to be applied according to the EU rules.
Mobility allowance of €710/month to be paid to all DCs recruited for the full duration of the project.
Additionally, researchers may also qualify for a family allowance of €660/month depending on family situation.

Taxation and Social Contribution deductions based on National and Institutional regulations will apply and will be deducted from this amount. Doctoral Candidates will also be responsible for ensuring their compliance with taxation and other relevant legislation.

In addition to their individual scientific projects, all Doctoral Candidates will benefit from further continuing education, which includes the opportunity to register for a PhD degree, scientific skills courses, transferable skills courses, active participation in workshops and conferences, and secondments to partner labs.

Each recruiting organisation has further employee benefits that are available to the DCs. For further information, please see Politecnico di Milano, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, University of Galway.ie and Ingpuls.

Do I need to have completed my degree before applying?	No, as long as you will have completed all the requirements for your degree before the beginning of the project, you can apply now and provide an estimation based on your current academic progress.
Do I need proof of English proficiency at the time of application?	Applicants are encouraged to have proof of their proficiency as we expect a large number of applicants and English proficiency may be used as a selection criteria. Any successful candidate will receive an offer conditional on their English proficiency which much be met either through an English proficiency test (e.g. IELTS), having completed their degree through English, or being a native English speaker.
Do I need to find a supervisor to apply?	No, supervisors from academic and industrial partners will be assigned to you if you are successful in your application.
Can I send you my application/CV by email?	No, only completed applications received through the application portal will be considered.

Project Details

See details of each project

This position focuses on the processing and characterisation of NiTi-based alloys for use in biomedical devices, with particular emphasis on improving fatigue performance and ensuring compliance with medical-grade purity standards. The project addresses the accumulation of plastic strains during martensitic transformations, which leads to functional fatigue of superelastic Nitinol components. The researcher will design and optimise alloy compositions and processing routes to produce materials that exhibit high-cycle fatigue life and stable transformation behaviour. The work will involve fabrication of NiTi using melt and forging techniques, followed by additive manufacturing trials to assess material suitability for laser-based processes to generate semi-finished products such as wires, sheets, or powders, meeting strict purity and inclusion-size requirements for applications in medical devices. The characterization of fabricated alloys will include physical property evaluation, thermomechanical testing and microstructure analyses by advanced methods of electron microscopy. The expected outcome is a NiTi-based alloy with tuneable transformation characteristics, exceeding the fatigue life performance of standard Nitinol in relevant biomedical loading conditions, and ready for integration into device manufacturing.

Recruiting Institution	FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
PhD Enrolment	FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Industry Host	BioActiveMetals
Academic Supervisors	Dr Heller, Dr Molnarova
Industry Supervisors	Mr. Coda, Dr Lemke

This position focuses on the processing and characterisation of NiTi-based alloys currently used in biomedical devices, with particular emphasis on improving the understanding and optimization of shape-setting processes for superelastic Nitinol medical devices used by the industrial partner. The project addresses the thermomechanical mechanisms governing the shape setting process, particularly the coupling between martensitic transformation, plastic deformation, and defect formation under thermal and mechanical constraints. The researcher will evaluate the functional properties of shape-set NiTi components, including recoil, permanent set, radial force, chronic outward force, and phase transformation temperatures. Experimental methods will include tensile and radial force testing, differential scanning calorimetry, and bending and free recovery analysis. Microstructural deformation during heating under constraint will be studied using thermomechanical testing, in-situ X-ray diffraction, Electron Back Scattered Diffraction in SEM and nanoscale orientation mapping of deformed microstructures in TEM. The results will be used to optimise heat treatment parameters, correlating them with the resulting mechanical performance and microstructural state. Collaboration with industrial partners will provide access to manufacturing capabilities for extensive process trials. The expected outcome is an optimised shape-setting protocol that enhances device performance, fatigue resistance, and reliability across production cycles.

Recruiting Institution	FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
PhD Enrolment	FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Industry Host	Admedes
Academic Supervisors	Dr Sittner, Dr Molnarova
Industry Supervisors	Dr Feth, Dr Sorg

The position involves research and method development focused on the characterisation and standardisation of Nitinol materials used in medical devices. The successful candidate will investigate how material properties affect device performance and supply-chain reliability. The project will include designing and conducting destructive and non-destructive tests to evaluate thermo-mechanical behaviour, inclusion morphology, corrosion resistance, and forming ductility in Nitinol wires, sheets, and tubes. Using both experimental data and computational analysis, the candidate will establish specifications that enable interchangeability of materials from different suppliers while maintaining functional device performance. The work will also support proposals for updates to international standards, such as ASTM F2004, F2005, and F2942, based on the new findings. The role includes collaboration with industry partners on the manufacture and testing of semi-finished components and devices. Expected results include validated test methods and reduced costs for material conformance testing, strengthening both device reliability and manufacturing sustainability.

Recruiting Institution	University of Galway
PhD Enrolment	University of Galway
Industry Host	Boston Scientific, MN
Academic Supervisors	Dr Ronan, Prof McNamara
Industry Supervisors	Dr Berg, Dr Clarke

This position aims to understand how inclusions and surface defects affect the fatigue life of Nitinol used in medical devices. The researcher will investigate whether flaws such as inclusions or surface imperfections act as critical crack nucleation sites or can be considered benign under cyclic loading. Experimental work will include quantifying inclusion size and morphology and assessing the influence of surface features such as oxides, wire marks, and indents on stress concentrations. These data will inform numerical and analytical models of stress distribution, crack initiation, and propagation. The project will develop a damage-tolerant design framework that relates fatigue life to a quantitative fatigue index parameter, enabling prediction of long-term material performance. The researcher will collaborate with industrial and academic partners on specimen fabrication, fatigue testing, and computational modelling. The expected outcome is a validated approach to predict defect tolerance in Nitinol components, supporting safer and more reliable biomedical device designs.

Recruiting Institution	Ingpuls
PhD Enrolment	Politecnico di Milano
Industry Host	Ingpuls
Academic Supervisors	Prof Petrini, Prof Patriarca
Industry Supervisors	Dr Maass, Dr Paulsen

This position focuses on assessing and modelling the performance of additively manufactured (AM) Nitinol components for medical devices. The project will compare AM materials with conventionally processed counterparts, using the same alloy composition, to identify differences in microstructure, thermomechanical behaviour, and fatigue performance. The researcher will design and fabricate test specimens and device prototypes, characterise material properties, and quantify how manufacturing routes influence mechanical response and transformation behaviour. Particular attention will be given to anisotropy, heterogeneity, and porosity introduced by AM processes. The candidate will develop material constitutive formulations that incorporate these effects and apply them in computational models to predict device performance and fatigue life under cyclic loading. Collaboration with industrial partners will provide access to advanced AM and testing facilities. The expected outcome is a validated modelling framework and dataset that capture the fatigue behaviour of AM Nitinol, supporting design constraints and performance assessment for medical applications.

Recruiting Institution	University of Galway
PhD Enrolment	University of Galway
Industry Host	BioActiveMetals
Academic Supervisors	Dr Ronan, Prof Vaughan
Industry Supervisors	Mr. Coda, Dr Lemke

This position focuses on developing and validating a fatigue prediction framework for Nitinol cardiovascular devices. The researcher will design, manufacture, and test surrogate fatigue samples and semi-finished devices, analysing how inclusions, surface defects, and microstructural characteristics influence crack initiation and propagation. Experimental work will involve cyclic mechanical testing and fracture surface analysis, with results used to calibrate and validate computational models. Finite element analysis will be applied to compute local and surface strain distributions, and to develop criteria for fatigue life prediction in monotonic and cyclic loading scenarios. The project aims to establish a standardised fatigue life estimation protocol, including surrogate testing and in-silico evaluation, to support device performance validation. Collaboration with industrial partners will provide access to manufacturing, testing, and fracture analysis capabilities. The expected outcome is a robust fatigue assessment framework that enhances reliability and supports design optimisation for Nitinol-based cardiovascular devices.

Recruiting Institution	Politecnico di Milano
PhD Enrolment	Politecnico di Milano
Industry Host	Admedes
Academic Supervisors	Prof Petrini, Prof Berti
Industry Supervisors	Dr Koschella, Mr. Degel

This position focuses on developing a validated simulation framework for the shape-setting process used in Nitinol medical devices. The researcher will use finite element analysis to model the thermomechanical effects of multi-stage shape setting, including deformation, phase transformation, and defect evolution under realistic conditions. Experimental validation will be performed through the fabrication of test specimens and device surrogates, with strain mapping conducted using digital image correlation and computed tomography. The project will apply verification and validation procedures in accordance with ASME V&V40 standards to quantify model uncertainty and ensure predictive reliability. Collaboration with industrial partners will provide experimental data and process insights to refine and validate the simulations. The expected outcome is a robust, validated computational tool that accurately models the shape-setting process, improves process control, and reduces waste in Nitinol device manufacturing through predictive optimisation of heat treatment parameters.

Recruiting Institution	University of Galway
PhD Enrolment	University of Galway
Industry Host	Admedes
Academic Supervisors	Prof Vaughan, Prof Ronan
Industry Supervisors	Dr Koschella, Mr. Degel

This position aims to improve understanding of Nitinol’s mechanical response under complex multiaxial and torsional stress states relevant to guidewire applications. The researcher will develop and test Nitinol alloys subjected to various thermomechanical treatments to enhance low-cycle fatigue performance. The project includes experimental characterisation of guidewires under tension, torsion, bending, and compression to assess deformation behaviour and performance stability. These experimental results will inform the development of advanced constitutive models that capture the material’s non-linear and anisotropic response, including coupling between axial and torsional strains. Computational models will simulate guidewire behaviour under representative physiological loading conditions and be validated against benchtop tests. Collaboration between academic and industrial partners will support both model development and experimental testing. The expected outcome is a validated model describing Nitinol’s multiaxial cyclic behaviour and improved material formulations for guidewires with enhanced durability and mechanical reliability.

Recruiting Institution	Ingpuls
PhD Enrolment	University of Galway
Industry Host	Ingpuls
Academic Supervisors	Dr Ronan, Prof Vaughan
Industry Supervisors	Dr Maass, Dr Paulsen

This position focuses on developing a validated in-silico modelling framework for the deployment and performance assessment of a novel tricuspid valve repair device. The project addresses the challenges of designing and evaluating devices for patient-specific anatomies and dynamic cardiac environments. The researcher will use clinical imaging data to create parameterised anatomical models through statistical shape modelling, capturing the variability in tricuspid valve structures. Experimental testing of materials, devices, and delivery systems will provide input for high-fidelity digital twin development. Finite element simulations will be used to model device deployment, assess procedural variables such as catheter positioning and deployment angle, and predict long-term fatigue life under cyclic loading. Collaboration with clinical and industrial partners will ensure that models reflect realistic anatomical and procedural conditions. The expected outcome is a validated in-silico pipeline that supports patient-specific device design, regulatory assessment, and optimisation of tricuspid valve interventions.

Recruiting Institution	Politecnico di Milano
PhD Enrolment	Politecnico di Milano
Industry Host	CroiValve
Academic Supervisors	Dr Berti, Prof Pennati
Industry Supervisors	Mr. Kenny (CROI), Dr Jori (MCR)

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement No 101227596

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the
author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European
Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority
can be held responsible for them.