Call for Expression of Interest to welcome a MSCA postdoctoral fellow – AMMoSD – Integrating Active Muscle Properties in Finite Element Models for Prosthetic Socket Design

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Call for Expression of Interest to welcome a MSCA postdoctoral fellow – AMMoSD – Integrating Active Muscle Properties in Finite Element Models for Prosthetic Socket Design

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Project title: Integrating Active Muscle Properties in Finite Element Models for Prosthetic Socket DesignResearch laboratory: Centre Inria de l’Université de RennesCall for expression of interest description:The is a highly prestigious renowned EU-funded scheme. It offers talented scientists a unique chance to set up 2-year research and training projects with the support of a supervising team. Besides providing an attractive grant, it represents a major opportunity to boost the career of promising researchers.
Research laboratories in Brittany are thus looking for excellent postdoctoral researchers with an international profile to write a persuasive proposal to apply for a Marie S. Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2025 (deadline of the EU call is set for 10th September 2025). The topic and research team presented below have been identified in this regard.Main Research Field: Information Science and Engineering (ENG)Research sub-field(s): Biomechanics, medical imagingKeywords: Prosthetic socket, MRI, Segmentation, Finite element analysis, Soft tissuesResearch project description:Context and state of the artThe prosthetic socket is a crucial component that interfaces between the prosthesis and the human body. Its design and fabrication present significant challenges, primarily due to the manual and iterative nature of the process (Paternò et al., 2024). Prosthetists must balance conflicting requirements: efficient mechanical force transmission and user comfort. Achieving this delicate balance is difficult, leading to a lack of repeatability and reproducibility in socket design, as well as high dissatisfaction rates among lower-limb amputees (Pezzin et al., 2004).Digital tools, such as 3D scanning and CAD platforms, are becoming increasingly common in prosthetics and orthotics. These tools provide relevant information regarding residual limb volume and rectification magnitude but lack important data on soft tissue health. From a biomechanical perspective, mechanical quantities such as superficial and internal soft tissue stresses and strains could serve as potential biomarkers to guide prosthetists during socket rectifications. Numerical methods like finite element modelling can simulate the interaction between soft tissues and the socket during motion, estimating stresses and strains. However, current finite element models are not widely used in clinics due to unvalidated simplifications in residual limb representation.Soft tissue models must account for complex mechanical behaviours, including non-linearity, hyperelasticity, and anisotropy. Muscles, in particular, exhibit both passive and active properties. Most studies focus only on the passive properties of muscles, neglecting the active properties that nonetheless cause significant soft tissue deformation and alter tissue response to external loads. Few attempts have been made to model the active properties of muscles in residual limbs. One approach separates the active and passive muscle properties, modelling passive muscles as soft tissue volumes and active muscles as 1D contractile strands. While simple to implement, this method does not accurately describe muscle lever arms nor local tissue deformation. Other studies have proposed modelling muscles as composite materials with activable fibres, providing a more accurate macro-scale description of muscle architecture. However, the ability of this approach to reproduce residual kinematics has not been evaluated (Ramasamy et al., 2018).ObjectiveThe goal of this project is to validate active models of the residual limbs of lower-limb amputated individuals using experimental data. By leveraging finite element analyses, we aim to improve the computation of soft tissue stresses and strains during motion.ApproachWe hypothesise that accounting for both the passive and active properties of muscles as a composite material will improve the computation of residual limb stresses and strains during motion. To achieve this, the post-doctoral fellow will undertake several key tasks: constructing an MRI database of residual limbs, segmenting residual limb MRI data to reconstruct the main soft tissues, developing finite element models of the residual limb that incorporate active fibre properties, and designing an experimental validation protocol. This protocol will include MRI imaging and motion capture. Validation will be performed to assess the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed modelling approach with motion capture, EMG measurement, and pressure measurements.References

• Paternò, L., Truppa, L., Ibrahimi, M., Rosini, E., Gruppioni, E., Ricotti, L., & Menciassi, A. (2024). Quantitative analysis of interface pressures in transfemoral prosthetic sockets. Prosthetics & Orthotics International, 48(2), 176-183.
• Pezzin, L. E., Dillingham, T. R., Mackenzie, E. J., Ephraim, P., & Rossbach, P. (2004). Use and satisfaction with prosthetic limb devices and related services. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 85(5), 723-729.
• Ramasamy, E., Avci, O., Dorow, B., Chong, S.-Y., Gizzi, L., Steidle, G., Schick, F., & Röhrle, O. (2018). An Efficient Modelling-Simulation-Analysis Workflow to Investigate Stump-Socket Interaction Using Patient-Specific, Three-Dimensional, Continuum-Mechanical, Finite Element Residual Limb Models. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 6, 126.

Supervisor(s):The Postdoctoral Fellow will be supervised by Nolwenn Fougeron and Hélène Pillet.Nolwenn Fougeron is a research fellow at the Inria – Centre de l’Université de Rennes. Specialising in biomechanics, soft tissues, finite element methods, and medical devices, she worked on the modelling of the interaction between the prosthetic sockets and residual limb of transfermoral lower limb amputees. ( )

• Fougeron, N., Bonnet, X., Panhelleux, B., Rose, J. L., Rohan, P. Y., & Pillet, H. (2022). Effect of the ischial support on muscle force estimation during transfemoral walking. Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 10-1097.
• Fougeron, N., Bonnet, X., Panhelleux, B., Rose, J. L., Rohan, P. Y., & Pillet, H. (2020). Prediction of muscle forces in residual limb during walking: comparison of transfemoral and Gritti-Stokes amputations. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 23(sup1), S107-S109.

Hélène Pillet is a professor at the Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpak, a laboratory of the Arts et Métiers. She is coresponsible of the team “Sport, Mobility and Disability” since 2019. Her work centers on quantitative movement analysis and musculoskeletal modelling to better understand human locomotion, both under normal and pathological conditions, and to optimise rehabilitation and assistive-device design. ( )

• Matray, M., Bonnet, X., Rohan, P. Y., Calistri, L., & Pillet, H. (2025). Evaluating interface pressure in a lower-limb prosthetic socket: Comparison of FEM and experimental measurements on a roll-over simulator. Journal of Biomechanics, 180, 112513.
• Simonetti, E., Villa, C., Bascou, J., Vannozzi, G., Bergamini, E., & Pillet, H. (2020). Gait event detection using inertial measurement units in people with transfemoral amputation: A comparative study. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 58, 461-470.
• Macron, A., Pillet, H., Doridam, J., Rivals, I., Sadeghinia, M. J., Verney, A., & Rohan, P. Y. (2020). Is a simplified Finite Element model of the gluteus region able to capture the mechanical response of the internal soft tissues under compression?. Clinical Biomechanics, 71, 92-100.

Hélène Pillet is a professor at the Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpak, a laboratory of the Arts et Métiers. She is coresponsible of the team “Sport, Mobility and Disability” since 2019. Her work centers on quantitative movement analysis and musculoskeletal modelling to better understand human locomotion, both under normal and pathological conditions, and to optimise rehabilitation and assistive-device design. ( )

• Matray, M., Bonnet, X., Rohan, P. Y., Calistri, L., & Pillet, H. (2025). Evaluating interface pressure in a lower-limb prosthetic socket: Comparison of FEM and experimental measurements on a roll-over simulator. Journal of Biomechanics, 180, 112513.
• Simonetti, E., Villa, C., Bascou, J., Vannozzi, G., Bergamini, E., & Pillet, H. (2020). Gait event detection using inertial measurement units in people with transfemoral amputation: A comparative study. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 58, 461-470.

Macron, A., Pillet, H., Doridam, J., Rivals, I., Sadeghinia, M. J., Verney, A., & Rohan, P. Y. (2020). Is a simplified Finite Element model of the gluteus region able to capture the mechanical response of the internal soft tissues under compression?. Clinical Biomechanics, 71, 92-100.Department/ Research:is a joint project-team from Inria and the Universities of Rennes (including Université de Rennes, École normale supérieure de Rennes) and Rennes 2, studying human-system biomechanical interaction. The project-team integrates the eponymous team of the IRISA UMR6074 and relies on the eponymous team of the M2S EA7470 research unit.The ComBO project team aim to develop biomechanical models and numerical methods for analysing and simulating human-system interaction in field, with a large application spectrum to sports, ergonomics and clinics. We define ourselves as digital biomechanicians, which is a unique skill within Inria, while having strong connections with the fields of robotics and virtual reality.Location: Centre Inria de l’Université de Rennes, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes, FranceSuggestion for interdisciplinary / intersectoral secondments and placements:Secondments will be discussed with the candidates.Skills Requirements:

• Biomechanics
• Medical imaging segmentation
• Finite element analysis (Abaqus, Ansys, FEBio, or other)
• Motion capture, electromyography, ergometers
• Programming (Python, or Matlab)
• English (written and spoken)

Eligibility criteria for applicants:Academic qualification: By the MSCA-PF call deadline (10 September 2025), applicants must be in possession of a doctoral degree, defined as a successfully defended doctoral thesis, even if the doctoral degree has yet to be awarded.Research experience: Applicants must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date applicants were in possession of a doctoral degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave), will not be taken into account.Nationality & Mobility rules: Applicants can be of any nationality but must not have resided more than 12 months in France in the 36 months immediately prior to the MSCA-PF call deadline (10 September 2025).Application processWe encourage all motivated and eligible postdoctoral researchers to send their expressions of interest through the EU Survey application form ( ) , before 31st May 2025. Your application shall include:

• a CV detailing: (i) for each position you had, the exact dates and location (country) and (ii) a list of accepted publications;

a cover letter including a research outline (up to 2 pages) identifying the research synergies with the project supervisor(s) and proposed research topics described above.Estimated timetableDeadline for sending an expression of interest : 31st May 2025Selection of the applicant : June 2025 at the latestWriting the MSCA-PF proposal with the support of the above-mentioned supervisor(s) : June – September 2025MSCA-PF 2025 call deadline: 10 September 2025Publication of the MSCA-PF evaluation results: February 2026Start of the MSCA-PF project (if funded): May 2026 (at the earliest)Share this page

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Fri, 02 May 2025 03:58:45 GMT

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