Wearables and Biosensors in Out-of-Hospital Differential Diagnosis of Obesity and Hypertension (SDC16)

This PhD project is embedded in Work Package 1 of the ENDOTRAIN network and aims to investigate how endocrine rhythms are affected in patients with obesity and hypertension using real-world, continuous data streams. 
The project will: 

• Leverage dynamic hormone profiling (e.g., U-RHYTHM) and biosensors for ambulatory assessment in obese and hypertensive individuals. 
• Conduct structured clinical phenotyping including endocrine diagnostics for conditions like primary aldosteronism (PA) and mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS). 
• Integrate wearable-derived physiological data (e.g., activity, heart rate, temperature) with endocrine test outcomes to identify diagnostic patterns. 
• Implement pilot trials with biosensor prototypes from partner institutions (e.g., ETH Zurich, Leitwert). 
• Contribute to multimodal datasets feeding into the broader development of digital diagnostic tools in endocrinology. 

Participants will collaborate closely with other Doctoral Candidates (DC1–DC6) within WP1 and engage in secondments to technical and clinical partners within the consortium. 

Research Fields 

Endocrinology, Digital Health, Medical Sensors, Systems Physiology, Internal Medicine 

Secondments 

• ETH Zurich (CH): Integration and validation of wearable biosensors 
• Leitwert AG (CH): Data synchronization and real-time physiological monitoring 

University Hospital Zurich (USZ), in collaboration with the University of Zurich (UZH), offers a leading environment in clinical and translational endocrinology. The PhD candidate will be based at the Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition and benefit from access to state-of-the-art biobanking, wearable technologies, hormone analytics, and extensive international collaborations. 

The candidate should work full-time on the project and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.

The student will be enrolled in the structured PhD programme of the Life Science Zurich Graduate School: 
👉 https://www.lifescience-graduateschool.uzh.ch 
 
Participation in the interdisciplinary training of the ENDOTRAIN network is mandatory, including workshops, retreats, transferable skills courses, and cohort-wide meetings across Europe. 

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with: 

• A Master’s degree (MSc or equivalent) in Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Physiology, Bioengineering, or a related field 
• Strong interest in translational endocrinology and digital health technologies 
• Basic programming or data science skills (R, Python) and interest in wearable data analysis are an asset 
• Excellent command of written and spoken English 
• Good communication skills and capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration 
   

Applicants must fulfil eligibility criteria for Swiss-based PhD positions and be willing to participate in training activities across Europe. 

• Competitive salary according to Swiss National Science Foundation regulations 
• Full social security coverage in Switzerland 
• Travel and secondment budget included 
• Opportunities for international networking, industry exposure, and career development 

Applications will be run through the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) and University of Zurich (UZH) own recruitment site. 

Call is now closed.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to Prof. Felix Beuschlein: felix.beuschlein@usz.ch