Post-doctoral Fellow in vascular Mechanobiology

Joining Mines Saint-Étienne means committing to an institution where **science and innovation build a more sustainable future**. It is a school of excellence where everyone has the **opportunity to unlock their full potential** and **contribute to tackling the challenges of tomorrow**.

Ranked among the top engineering schools in France and recognized worldwide, our school, a member of the _Institut Mines-Télécom_, educates the talents of tomorrow while actively addressing major industrial, digital, and environmental challenges. By joining us, you become part of a community of 500 members of staff, 2,500 students and take part in an ambitious project: combining academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and positive societal impact.

The _Institut Mines-Télécom_ brings together France’s leading _Grandes Ecoles_ to tackle major industrial, digital, energy, and environmental challenges. With its eight public _Grandes Écoles_ and two affiliated Graduate Schools, it is the leading public institute dedicated to engineers and managers. Together, we imagine and build a sustainable future by educating the leaders who will shape tomorrow’s transitions.

**What we expect from you**

As Post-Doctoral Fellow in Vascular Mechanobiology, you will join the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology group of Professor Stéphane Avril within the SAINBIOSE research unit (Inserm U1059), based at the Centre Ingénierie et Santé in Saint-Étienne. You will contribute to the ERC Advanced Grant project JuvenTwin, focused on Multiscale mechanobiological synergies in vascular homeostasis, ageing and rejuvenation, and to an ANR-funded project.

The CIS (Centre Ingénierie et Santé) brings together around 70 people, including 18 professors in engineering, biomechanics and healthcare engineering. It has established itself as a leader in research on biomechanics and biomedical engineering, combining experimental, computational and translational approaches in collaboration with hospitals and industry.

Your mission will be to:

- Map mechanical stimuli around vascular smooth muscle cells in collagen hydrogels, including strain gradients, strains and stresses, and correlate them to specific local phenotypic parameters.
- Develop real-time imaging approaches for in situ characterization of cell-matrix mechanical interactions.
- Use the experimental data to develop a machine learning model of the mechanical interactions between the cell and its environment.
- Contribute to collaborative research activities within the ERC JuvenTwin project and the ANR project on vascular mechanobiology.

Your work will help establish multiscale digital twins of ageing effects on vascular mechanobiology and will contribute to the identification of rejuvenation treatments for vascular tissues.

**What we are looking for**

You hold a PhD in biomechanics, mechanobiology, or biomedical engineering and ideally meet the following criteria:

- Strong background in soft tissue biomechanics, biomaterials, and vascular cell biology,
- Hands-on experience with vascular smooth muscle cell culture and/or testing of blood vessels,
- Knowledge of microscopy and imaging methods for cell-matrix interaction analysis,
- Familiarity with machine learning or data-driven modeling is a plus,
- Proficiency in English (C1 level minimum).

Additional assets:

- Experience in interdisciplinary research environments,
- Programming skills (Python, MATLAB, or equivalent).
- Autonomy, creativity, and scientific rigor.

**Why join Mines Saint Etienne ?**

We support each of our employees on the path to excellence, with the conviction that together, **we can have a lasting and significant impact on our world.**

Joining Mines Saint-Etienne is the opportunity to find:

- **A stimulating environment**:Cutting-edge experimental resources, a welcoming working environment and a solid international network (T.I.M.E., EULIST).
- ** A real impact**:Contractual research projects worth €11 million/year, mainly with industrial partners, A science culture centre, _La Rotonde_, which has been committed to science outreach for 25 years, welcoming over 50,000 visitors per year.
- ** An incomparable quality of life**:46/49 days of paid leave, partial remote working, 75% reimbursed public transport, financial support for carpooling and cycling and a social barometer where 83% of employees praise the quality of life at work.

Let's build a more sustainable future, through **science, engineering**, and **projects that make sense**.

**Application deadline**:10/12/2025**

As part of its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy, the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne is committed to fair treatment of all applicants.

**ℹ️ **Additionnal information**
- Position open to civil servants (category A and B) and/or people on public contracts

**Contacts**
- For the content of the position

Professor Stéphane AVRIL - Researcher
Tel: +33 (0)4 77 42 01 88
- For HR and administrative aspects:
Milica PETKOVIC - Gestionnaire RH
Tél. : +3