Join the group
Prospective students
You apply to a department, not to the group, so start with the department's own instructions. Once you have applied, or if you are already at Northwestern, email Prof. Rivnay with your CV and a short note on your research interests.
PhD
Most of our PhD students come through Biomedical Engineering, where Prof. Rivnay holds his primary appointment and directs PhD admissions, or Materials Science and Engineering. Both take applications in the autumn for the following September, with deadlines in early December; the GRE is not reviewed. Check the department page for that year's exact date.
Master's
We host master's students who want to do research. Apply to the MS in Biomedical Engineering and choose the thesis track, which is the one that carries out a project in a lab. A course-only master's will not place you in the group.
Northwestern undergraduates
Email a CV and your availability. Openings depend on current projects and on who is free to mentor. If you are thinking further ahead, McCormick's combined BS/MS program lets you earn a master's alongside your bachelor's, including in Biomedical Engineering and in Materials Science and Engineering.
Postdoctoral research associate: biohybrid systems and oxygenation
Northwestern University, McCormick School of Engineering
Location: Evanston, IL
Appointment: 1 year minimum, target 2–3 years (renewable upon performance and funding availability)
Start date: as soon as possible
Position overview
We invite applications for a postdoctoral researcher to design, develop, and lead key pre-clinical studies associated with oxygenation technologies, electrochemical actuation in vivo, and biohybrid systems such as “living pharmacies.”
Responsibilities
- Design and build mechanical and front-end actuation systems
- Prototyping and rapid design cycles
- Electrochemical characterization
- Collaborate closely with materials scientists and biologists to interface electronics with tissue/cells
- Develop and maintain experimental setups, documentation, and data pipelines
- Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present results at conferences
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary team
Required qualifications
- PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, or a related discipline
- Experience with wearable or implantable bioelectronic systems
- Demonstrated ability to prototype and debug integrated hardware/software systems
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
Preferred qualifications
- Knowledge or expertise in electrochemistry
- Embedded systems and electronics design and assembly, firmware
- Cell culture experience, prior animal work
Application materials
- Brief email cover letter
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Names and contact information for three professional references
Salary and benefits
Salary will follow Northwestern and NIH postdoctoral guidelines and will be commensurate with experience. Full university benefits are included.
How to apply
Send all materials as a single PDF to jrivnay@northwestern.edu with the subject line “Postdoc Application – Biohybrid systems and Oxygenation.”