Are you fascinated by the capabilities on a unique ultra-high field microimaging system? Do you enjoy the challenge of fabricating and built dedicated setups with a clear application in mind? Would you like to work on an interdisciplinary project between mechanical engineering and Magnetic Resonance Imaging relevant to medical research?

Higher magnetic field strengths enable imaging at unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution and obtaining localised spectroscopic information from low metabolite concentrations. To fully benefit from these advantages, the detector/RF-coil needs to be tailored to the respective specimen and a full support system is needed to study cells and tissues under truly in vivo conditions.

In this postdoc project, you will develop a cellular MRI setup for ultra-high field. The initial work will focus on developing the radiofrequency coils. The ultimate goal is to integrate the sensitive detector with an "in vivo" setup for long-term high resolution MRI and localised spectroscopy measurements and adapt this setup for various biological specimens including single cells, organoids and biofilms.

You will be part of the Laboratory of BioNanoTechnology at Wageningen University working in close collaboration with the C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI at Leiden University Medical Center. The NMR spectrometers equipped with imaging gradients to be used in this project are part of the MAGNEtic Resonance FacilitY (14 T wide-bore) and the national uNMR-NL consortium based in Nijmegen (22 T) and Utrecht (28 T).

We are looking for a highly-motivated, enthusiastic and result-driven team player with:

• Responsibility for the progress and quality of projects;
• independent working skills;
• strong communication skills to work on an interdisciplinary project in close collaboration to the application;
• good-to-excellent communication skills in both spoken and written English .

Specific expertise profile

• PhD in microelectronics, MEMS, NMR spectroscopy or MRI;
• expertise in instrument design;
• experience in using different MRI sequences is considered an advantage.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Sabbatical leave, study leave, and paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer you temporary position for a period of 2 years with a gross salary per month based on your experience between € 2.790,-. and € 4.402,-. for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10).

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the Best University in the Netherlands for the 16th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With its roughly 30 branches, 6.500 employees and 12.500 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen's unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.
The chair group BioNanoTechnology is an active and internationally oriented group of researchers (1 full prof., 2 assistant prof., 1 ac. teacher, ~10 PhD students and 2 post-docs). Keywords that characterize our style of working are: freedom to explore own initiatives, working in a team (mutual coaching), open-door-communications. We offer expertise in inorganic and supramolecular chemistry, top-down and bottom-up nanotechnology, 3D printing and various forms of NMR spectroscopy, ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging and device fabrication. Our research aims at development of the scientific field as well as application in typical Wageningen themes such as food, plant and environmental sciences. We have well-equipped chemical laboratories, but also have 3D printers, (nano)NMR, (micro)MRI and EPR equipment, as well as technical support for custom-made equipment. We have access to the MAGNEtic research FacilitY (MAGNEFY) of the WUR, and of the Dutch NMR-initiative consortium together with Leiden, Nijmegen and Utrecht.

MAGNEFY operates as "Magnetic Resonance facility for (agro)food, life sciences, and biobased research" research" and is an integral part of the distributed uNMR-NL ROADMAP infrastructure. MAGNEFY houses five high-field NMR spectrometers up to 700 MHz, most relevant for this project are two wide bore 300 and 600 MHz spectrometers dedicated to development and application of advanced microimaging methods to assess dynamic processes in vivo or in situ.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: read the 5 reasons to come work at WUR.

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.