We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral scientist who will join the NWO-Vici project: Functional materials for high-resolution 3D bioprinting in kidney engineering (3D-Shrink). This project is part of the group of Professor Tina Vermonden in the Pharmaceutics Division.

In the 3D-Shrink Vici-project, the aim is to develop new functional biomaterials for high-resolution 3D bioprinting. Currently, hydrogel-based biomaterials are 3D-printed into structures to mimic tissue and organ organization for tissue engineering applications. They are ideal materials for regenerative medicine purposes due to their high water content and similar characteristics to the native extracellular matrix.

Importantly, the function of artificial tissues is directed by the shape of cell containing constructs. A major challenge in hydrogel bioprinting is reaching dimensions small enough to resemble complex and tubular shapes present in humans. Resolution enhancement in bioprinting is challenged by the presence of living cells that can handle only a certain amount of stress and pressure during fabrication. Therefore, instead of a machine approach, the 3D-Shrink project will develop an innovative biomaterials approach to reach the required resolution. The postdoc will closely collaborate with 2 PhD students and focus on kidney engineering and bioprinting aspects.

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following qualifications:

• a PhD degree (or equivalent) in Regenerative Medicine, Biofabrication or a similar research area;
• a strong background in at least one but preferentially two of the following areas: Biomaterials, Biofabrication, Cell culture or Kidney Engineering;
• a strong interest in regenerative medicine applications especially focused on kidney engineering;
• excellent communicative skills in English, both in writing and speech.

• a position for 4 years;
• a full-time gross salary, depending on previous qualifications and work experience, that ranges between €2.846 and €4.490 per month (scale 10 Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. For example, there are agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we like to encourage you to continue to grow.

More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found here.

The Pharmaceutics division is one of the five divisions within the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and is an internationally renowned top-research group in the field of drug delivery. The core activity of the department is the design and pre-clinical testing of tailor-made drug delivery systems for site-specific, time- and/or rate-controlled delivery of small molecular weight drugs, therapeutic proteins, nucleic acids (including DNA and siRNA), and antigens for therapy and prevention of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, inflammation and infectious diseases. The Pharmaceutics team consist of scientists from all over the world that like to work in a multidisciplinary environment in which fundamental research and applied sciences are interconnected. In this project, you will also collaborate with researchers from Regenerative Medicine Utrecht.

At the Faculty of Science there are six departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes which together focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our informal atmosphere and the can-do mentality of our people. This lively and inspiring academic environment attracts professors, researchers and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.