Doctoral Study

Project: BioMuscle – Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (No 101312643) BioMuscle addresses the urgent need for regenerative solutions for abdominal wall repair, where current synthetic meshes often fail and lead to high complication and recurrence rates. Using native biomaterials, the project will combine expertise in bioengineered muscle grafts, scalable bioprocessing, preclinical testing, computational modelling, engineering, and regulatory sciences. The consortium will train 13 doctoral candidates and advance clinically translatable, patient-specific muscle grafts for functional tissue regeneration.

Recruiting institution: Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Czech Republic
Position: Doctoral Candidate at Experimental surgery doctoral program
Research field: Medical sciences; biomedical sciences; tissue engineering; veterinary medicine; regenerative medicine

Supervisor: Dr. Vladimíra Moulisová is a senior scientist specializing in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine at the Biomedical Center of Charles University’s Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen. Her research focuses on developing biocompatible 3D scaffolds, specialized hydrogels, and tissue decellularization protocols to solve critical organ shortages, building on over a decade of international research experience from the University of Glasgow. Alongside lecturing on medical biology and genetics, she actively serves the global scientific community through journal reviewing and editorial roles, maintains memberships in several prominent scientific societies, and contributes directly to research funding evaluation through her active participation on grant agency committees.

Application deadline: 30 November 2026
Expected starting date: 1 April 2027
Duration: 36 months, full-time
Gross salary: 2790 € – gross salary (excluding employer’s social and health contributions); In accordance with MSCA regulations, the recruited doctoral candidate is eligible to receive a mobility allowance to support relocation to the host country and, where applicable, a family allowance for researchers with family responsibilities.

Offer description

Biomedical center at the Charles University invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position within BioMuscle, an international research and training network funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks programme.

This PhD project focuses on developing an integrated perfusion-based platform for the recellularization of decellularized muscle matrices (DMMs). Building on an existing lab experience with perfusion systems developed for liver recellularization, the successful candidate will adapt and upscale this technology to enable the efficient and homogeneous repopulation of full-size abdominal muscle matrices with viable primary cells.

The research will address three main objectives:

• Design/Adaptation of the perfusion system: Using existing liver recellularization platforms, design a modified platform for repopulation of decellularized abdominal muscle tissue considering its specific structural and biological requirements.
• Process upscaling: Develop and optimise perfusion protocols to scale up recellularization from small muscle fragments to full-size abdominal muscle matrices.
• Experimental validation: Validate the recellularization procedure using primary cells and assess cell distribution, viability, and maintenance of cellular functionality under optimised perfusion and culture conditions.

The project will combine bioreactor design, adaptation, process optimisation, and experimental cell culture to establish a platform suitable for the recellularization of functional full-size decellularized abdominal muscles.

Moreover, this PhD project is closely interconnected with another currently available PhD position (DC07: Preclinical porcine allograft model for abdominal wall reconstruction), thus will involve complementary research activities, offering opportunities for collaboration across surgical model development, implantability of engineered muscle tissue and assessing graft performance. Depending on the progress and needs of the research, the doctoral candidates may contribute to activities related to both projects.

Training and secondments

The doctoral candidate will benefit from interdisciplinary training and international collaboration within the BioMuscle network, including two planned secondments in Spain and Belgium:

• Training and practical experience with perfusion devices and related technologies.
• Experimental testing and validation of the recellularization system using primary myoblasts and endothelial cells.

These secondments will provide complementary expertise in perfusion technology, bioreactor operation, cell culture, and the biological validation of recellularized muscle matrices, each taking approx. 3 months.

Requirements

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, biotechnology, cell biology, biomedical sciences, tissue engineering, or a related discipline before enrolment (1 April 2027).

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• A strong interest in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, perfusion systems, bioreactor development, or cell-based technologies.
• An interdisciplinary mindset and willingness to work at the interface of engineering and biological sciences.
• Good analytical, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to work independently and collaboratively in an international research environment.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English (candidates are expected to demonstrate proficiency at minimum C1 level; C2 preferred).

Experience in bioreactor design or operation, perfusion culture, cell culture, tissue engineering, biomaterials, or experimental process optimisation will be considered an advantage.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the MSCA Doctoral Networks eligibility requirements at the date of recruitment:

• They must not already hold a doctoral degree.
• They must comply with the MSCA mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding recruitment, subject to the applicable MSCA rules.
• They must meet the academic admission requirements of the relevant doctoral programme.

Applicants of any nationality are welcome to apply.

What we offer

• Employment as a Doctoral Candidate at Charles University within an international Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network.
• An interdisciplinary doctoral research project combining perfusion technology, bioreactor development, cell biology, and regenerative medicine.
• Opportunities to collaborate with experts in perfusion systems, muscle tissue engineering, and primary cell culture.
• International training and research secondments.
• Participation in the BioMuscle network’s scientific activities, training programme, and international collaborations.
• Opportunities to develop technical, scientific, and transferable skills relevant to academic and non-academic careers.

Employment conditions and remuneration will be provided in accordance with the applicable MSCA funding rules and the regulations of Charles University.

Application procedure

Applicants should submit the following documents in English:

• Curriculum vitae (CV).
• Motivation letter describing their research interests and suitability for the project (Clearly indicate how many months of “equivalent research experience” you have / will have in the period between obtaining your MSc and January 2027 and in which countries you have resided during the last 3 years for more than 12 months. If you are applying for multiple positions within BioMuscle, rank the positions based on preference. You can apply for a maximum of 3 positions within BioMuscle.)
• Copies of degree certificates and academic transcripts.
• Contact details for two academic or professional referees.

Applications should be submitted via https://is.cuni.cz/studium/eng/prijimacky/index.php?KEY=Az1 by 30 November 2026.

Interviews (1^st round) with candidates will take place between 14 December 2026 and 30 January 2027.

2^nd round of interviews will be jointly organized by the coordinating institution in Kortrijk, Belgium by the end of February 2027 at the latest.

For informal enquiries regarding the project, please contact: vladimira.moulisova@lfp.cuni.cz

For inquiries regarding the application procedure please contact: barbora.stachova@lfp.cuni.cz

The recruitment process will follow the principles of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment.

BioMuscle is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks programme (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01-01).

It’s possible to apply for more study programs. However, for each of them a new application form and payment of the admission fee are required.

The fee for the electronic application is 840 CZK. You can pay by credit card after submitting your electronic application form.
Or send it via bank transfer here:

Komerční banka, branch „Plzen – mesto“, account No. 61633311/0100
Variable symbol: 60213
Specific symbol – the number of the electronic application
IBAN                   CZ 15 0100 0000 0000 6163 3311
SWIFT                 KOMBCZPPXXX

Documents to be uploaded in the student information system:

1. A brief CV
2. A completed university master’s degree program, not later than the date of the beginning of the study
3. Recognition of education and qualification gained by studies at foreign universities 
4. A brief abstract of a dissertation topic (max 1 A4 together with the name of the supervisor)
5. A list of published scientific articles
– For applicants from abroad who wish to study in Czech need to submit a proof of their Czech language proficiency at the level of B2 at minimum (not relevant for applicants from Slovakia)

The following documents may be used to prove compliance with the requirement of successful completion of study in a master’s programme of study at a foreign higher education institution:

A) a document proving general recognition of foreign higher education in the Czech Republic (so- called general “nostrification”)

The applicant must submit:
 An authenticated copy of a document obtained in accordance with sections 89 and 90 of the Higher Education Act or in accordance with prior legal regulations proving general recognition of a foreign higher education in the Czech Republic.
 It is issued by the public higher education institutions, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of the Interior, or the Ministry of Defence.
 For more information on the procedure for recognising foreign higher education at Charles University see: https://www.cuni.cz/UK-6452.html
 The fee of CZK 3.000 is paid to Rector’s Office that deals with nostrifications (nostrification is valid within the whole Czech Republic).

B) a document concerning a foreign higher education which is automatically equivalent in the Czech Republic without any further administrative procedures
 A foreign document concerning a foreign higher education which is automatically equivalent in the Czech Republic in accordance with its international agreements without any further administration procedures – these include documents certifying completion of a programme of study in Slovakia (with the exception of diplomas issued by foreign branches of Slovak higher education institutions after 28 March 2015 to which the procedure under letter (c) is applicable), in Poland, Hungary, or Slovenia (only master’s diplomas, the procedure under letter (c) is applicable to bachelor’s diplomas from Slovenia).

The applicant must submit:
 An authenticated copy of diploma, certificate, or similar document (for example a certificate of completion of study) issued by a foreign higher education institution;
 An original or authenticated copy of the diploma supplement or a transcript of examinations passed;
 In the case of a certificate of higher education issued by a Slovak higher education institution after 28 March 2015, also a statement issued by a foreign higher education institution in the state in which the programme of study completed by the applicant was offered.
 Free of charge.

C) foreign document concerning a foreign higher education
 The applicant must submit:
 Completed form;
 An authenticated copy of the diploma, certificate, or similar document (for example a certificate of completion of study) issued by a foreign higher education institution;
 An original or an authenticated copy of the Diploma Supplement of the transcript of examinations passed.
 If needed the faculty will request the applicant to submit also the following documents:
 Additional information on the content and scope of foreign higher education;
 A statement issued by the relevant foreign body confirming that the given higher education institution is authorised to offer higher education in the given foreign state (a statement on accreditation).
 In the case of a certificate of higher education issued by a Slovak higher education institution after 28 March 2015, also a statement issued by a foreign higher education institution in the state in which the programme of study completed by the applicant was offered.

 Applies to documents to which the procedure under letter (B) cannot be applied.
 In the case of a positive assessment the document is accepted; in the case of a negative assessment the applicant is required to submit a document under letter (A) (a general “nostrification”).
 The assessment is valid only for the admission procedure at one faculty.
 A fee of CZK 990 paid after succesful passing of the entrance examination.

The deadline for submission of the required documents for recognition is 30 September 2026.  

The Doctoral bursary is paid to the students in the full-time form of study after the allocation of the Ministry of Education for a standard period of study (4 years – the entitlements from all universities in the Czech Republic are taken into account).

The payment date is the 15th of each month.

All students are entitled to other types of scholarships, e.g.:

a)       Scholarship under article 5 for outstanding RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation), artistic or other creative achievement contributing to greater knowledge; the amount of the scholarship is determined by the internal regulation of the Faculty, maximum 100 000 CZK per academic year.

b)      Scholarship under article 6 for RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) activities in accordance with special legislation; the amount of the scholarship is determined by the internal regulation of the Faculty, maximum 360 000 CZK per academic year.

In order to receive the scholarship and bursary students should record their account numbers in the Student Information System. In order to receive the increase of the doctoral bursary for publications students should notify the department of science and research about the publication of their papers.

The granting of scholarships and bursaries to students of Charles University, as well as the payments and other requisites are governed by the Scholarship and Bursary Rules of Charles University.

Other details including the respective amounts can be found in the following internal regulations of the Faculty (Czech version).

Detailed Information

• There are 23 accredited study programs organised in the postgraduate doctoral study (Ph.D.) at the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen. 
  
• Doctoral studies are provided under the direction of the Supervising Tutor (Supervisor) and a Consulting Tutor.
  
• All applicants are expected to meet the basic requirements – certification of completed undergraduate degree (master degree).  We welcome graduates from all the relevant fields, not only medicine. 
  
• We welcome graduates of all nationalities. In case the applicant is not a graduate of EU university or there is not an existing agreement between relevant country and the Czech Republic about mutual recognition of university diploma, it is necessary for the applicant to present a confirmation of equivalency of his/her university degree or a certificate. Read more details below in the section “Recognition of Master’s degree from universities outside the Czech Republic”.
• Conditions and topics for doctoral study are announced according to the number of available supervisors and their number of research projects (grants). That means that not all Subject-Area Boards announce admission procedures in both or one form of study for a given academic year. Conditions for admission, dissertation thesis topics, content of entrance exams, etc., are different for individual study programme and are being adapted every year according to the requirements of the Subject-Area Board of PhD programme.

• Preliminary questions concerning study opportunities can be answered on condition that the applicant will submit professional curriculum vitae, i.e. basic information about his/her practice, qualifications, scientific interest and activities including a publication activity summary. It is recommended to contact the head of the Subject-Area Board of PhD programme or appropriate Supervisor first.
  
• Admission process – dissertation topics for PhD study for the following academic year are announced at the beginning of January, together with the deadline for submitting applications till April 30 at the latest. Specific information about conditions of admission and topics of dissertation theses in particular study program, including a list of required documents, are presented on the official board of the Faculty (in the section of “Applicants”). 
  
• There is no tuition fee for the doctoral study in the English language. There is a scholarship for all full-time students.
  
• Students are encouraged to learn basic Czech necessary for communication with patients at clinical departments and for living in the Czech Republic.

The compulsory courses vary depending on the accreditation of the doctoral study program. The specification of the study obligations for each study programme can be found HERE.

ABC of Scientific Work and Publications
date: will be specified
place: seminar room of Biomedical Center, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Václav Liška, Ph.D.

Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Agents
date: will be specified
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň, department of microbiology
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Hrabák, Ph.D.

DNA/RNA Sequencing Technology and Bioinformatics     
date: will be specified
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň, department of microbiology
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Hrabák, Ph.D.

Modern Procedures in Clinical Microbiology
date: will be specified
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň, department of microbiology
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Hrabák, Ph.D.

Pharmacogenomics of Cancer Diseases and Oncogenomics
date: 10 December 2026, 10 a.m.
place: Biomedical Center (seminar room), alej Svobody 76, Plzeň
guarantor: RNDr. Mgr. Radka Václavíková, Ph.D.

Health Informatics
individual sessions, students should contact the course guarantor for an appointment
place: Center of Scientific Information (Medical Library), Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň
guarantor: PhDr. Dana Zdeňková, email: dana.zdenkova@lfp.cuni.cz, phone: 377 593 141

Technology Transfer Manager – Junior
date: 1 January – 31 March 2027
online in Moodle – https://moodle.lfp.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=169 
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Milan Štengl, Ph.D.
technical support: Ing. Milan Dvořák (milan.dvorak@lfp.cuni.cz)

Medical Statistics
date: will be specified
online in MS Teams
guarantor: doc. RNDr. Ladislav Pecen, CSc.

Selected Chapters from Molecular Pathology and Translation Medicine
date: summer semester 2026/27
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň(room U3.4)
guarantor: doc. MUDr. Marie Ludvíková, Ph.D.

Cell Lines in Oncology Treatment Research
date: summer semester 2026/27
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň, UNIMEC 2, 3rd floor, department of biology
guarantor: prof. RNDr. Martin Pešta, Ph.D.

Computer Technology
date of the initial seminar:  individual meeting with the guarantor
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň, UniMec, 4th floor, computer room
aplication Moodle – https://lms.lfp.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=319 
guarantor: Mgr. Martin Navrátil

Anesthesia in Animal Experiment
date: July 2027
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň
guarantor: prof. MUDr. Jan Beneš, Ph.D.

Introduction to Tissue Engineering
date: July 2027
place: Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, alej Svobody 76, Plzeň
guarantor: RNDr. Vladimíra Moulisová, Ph.D.

Having fulfilled all the study requirements, a doctoral student applies for the defense his or her dissertation.

Study requirements mean: completion of the compulsory courses, examinations, internships, state doctoral examination, fulfilment of the required publications, attendance at conferences, etc. (fulfilment of all requirements stated in the individual study plan).

Process of submission of dissertation:
1. Student uploads the dissertation and Czech and English abstracts into the student information system (SIS) in the format PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-2u.

2. After uploading the thesis in the SIS the content similarity detection protocols are generated (it might take a few days). The supervisor should comment on the result of the similarity protocols in the supervisor’s report. If the similarity is not higher than 10%, the student may print out the dissertation (3 copies) and the extended abstract (number of copies depend on the study programme – information to be requested at the Department of Science and Research).

3. Delivery of the documents to the Department of Science and Research
Student will bring the printed dissertations, extended abstracts and the Application for dissertation defence including all attachments (CV, list of publications, copies of 3 papers, report of the supervisor, report of the head of the supervising entity, similarity detection protocoles – only initial pages).

List of publications
– Doctoral student will submit a list of publications in which he or she is the main author or co-author.
– First publications in journals with IF will be listed and than publications in peer-reviewed journals
– Lectures and abstracts from conferences should not be included in the list of publications

Form and layout of dissertation thesis, extended abstract, dissertation defence

The classical form of dissertation consists of the following parts:

1. initial page (cover) – layout according to the specimen (see the attachment below),
2. statement of originality of the dissertation thesis – author’s declaration (see the attachment below),
3. literary introduction and overview of the given topic,
4. setting of goals of the dissertation thesis, including the definition of hypotheses ,
5. description of used experimental methods, including statistical methods,
6. overview of achieved, properly documented and adequately statistically evaluated own results,
7. discussion of methodic procedures and results, including comparison with literature,
8. conclusions and evaluation of goals and hypotheses of the dissertation,
9. summary (in Czech and English)
10. numbered bibliography

Dissertation based on monothematicaly focused 4 publications must be written in the classical form (Introduction, goals of the dissertation, including hypotheses, briefly used methodology, results, overall discussion of individual publications, summary and conclusion). The commented dissertation thesis should also include schemes and pictures documenting major findings of the work. Published articles form part of the dissertation. 

The number of pages of a classical dissertation should be 60-80 without bibliography and attachments. A dissertation based on publications should count minimum 30-40 pages without bibliography and attachments.

The committee appoints two reviewers. Only associate professor, professor or a person with the title Ph.D., CSc., DrSc., Dr. can be appointed a reviewer. A supervisor, a person who took part in the dissertation process or who was the co-author of some part of student’s work cannot be a reviewer. One of the reviewers is from another faculty.

Defence of the dissertation

The dissertation defence is public. It takes place usually not later than 3 months after the delivery of the reviewers’ reports on the dissertation.

The committee decides on the assessment of the dissertation defence in closed session which follows immediately the defence itselt. The assessment grades are: “pass” and “fail”. The committee decides by the majority of the members’ votes. In case of equality of votes, the vote of the Chair prevails.

The student is publically informed by the Chair of the committee on the result of the assessment of the dissertation defence immediately after the closed session of the committee. In case of unsuccessful defence the committee determines whether the dissertation shall be revised. The defence of the dissertation can be repeated once, 6 months after the regular date of the defence at the earliest.

Extended abstract:

The purpose of the extended abstract is to provide the members of the committee of the dissertation defence with an overview of the student’s research activities and it must contain a goal of the thesis, methodology, main results, summary and list of publications of the author. The department of Science and Research of the Dean’s office distributes the texts to the members of the committee and the reviewers.

The extended abstract is written in the language of the student’s study programme. Recommended length of the extended abstract is 20-30 numbered pages. Format A5, spacing 1 – 1,5. The extended abstract must be bound. Hard or other plastic cover is not required.

The draft of the extended abstract is submitted by the student in 3 copies together with the application for the dissertation defence. The remaining 10-20 copies (the number depends on the study programme) will be delivered by the student after the announcement of the date and place of the dissertation defence which is stated in the extended abstract on the page 2. The department of Science and Research distributes the extended abstract to all members of the committee for the dissertation defence and to the reviewers.

Citations:

Citations can be generated at: http://www.citace.com/