PhD Position in Battery-Free Wireless Implantable Bioelectronics

We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position at the intersection of wireless systems, organic electronics, and neurotechnology.

Project Goal

Develop a wireless, battery-free, implantable analog interface using organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) to sense neuromodulators like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine. The readout will be performed via radio-frequency backscattering, enabling minimally invasive, real-time brain chemical monitoring in freely moving animals.

Your Mission

You will co-develop a new class of OECT-based battery-free implantable devices that combine:

• Wireless analog communication based on backscatter-modulation architecture.
• Co-design of front-end electronics and miniature RF antennas for chronic implantation.

You will prototype and characterize the wireless link (power + sensing), design and optimize sensor-resonator coupling, and participate in in vitro/ex vivo testing.

Supervision & Environment

• Denys Nikolayev (IETR Rennes): expert in wireless bioelectronics and wave control in tissues
• Simon Hemour (IMS Bordeaux): expert in RF energy harvesting and sensing

Additional collaborations with Nako Nakatsuka’s group (Neuro-X, EPFL), Damien Thuau (IMS), and Clémentine Bosch-Bouju (Neurocampus, Bordeaux).

You will work in an interdisciplinary team spanning neuroscience, RF engineering, and organic electronics, and benefit from international exchanges and top-tier research facilities (e.g., IETR’s M²ARS platform, IMS’ Organic electronics & Nanotech platforms, and EPFL’s NeuroTech labs).

Profile Sought

We welcome motivated candidates with a strong background in:

• RF circuits / analog electronics
• Electromagnetics / antenna design
• Wireless sensing / bioelectronics
• Prior exposure to implantable devices or organic electronics is a plus but not mandatory.

The CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) is France’s leading public research institution, renowned for advancing knowledge across a wide range of disciplines. With access to exceptional infrastructure, public and private funding, and world-wide collaborations, the CNRS provides an ideal environment for impactful research. Its community includes outstanding scientists, including Nobel laureates, who contribute to projects shaping the future of science and technology. Joining the CNRS means becoming part of a global network of excellence, where innovation thrives.

Skills/Qualifications

• M.Sc. (or equivalent) degree. In accordance with the European Union’s funding rules for doctoral networks, applicants must NOT yet have a PhD
• RF circuits / analog electronics
• Electromagnetics / antenna design
• Wireless sensing / bioelectronics
• Prior exposure to implantable devices or organic electronics is a plus but not mandatory.