There is a clear need for sustainable methods to combat agricultural pests. Copper salts are widely used in regular and organic agriculture. In citriculture, copper is extensively used to combat the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri, which causes Asiatic Citrus Canker (ACC). ACC is endemic in all major orange producing regions in the world, except Europe. This project is aimed at the development of a bio-based, sustainable technology for the protection of citrus trees, as an alternative to copper.

We have assembled an interdisciplinary consortium consisting of chemists, microbiologists, plant pathologists, life cycle assessment experts and societal partners that represent citrus growers and the pesticide production industries. Prior collaborations of various consortium partners have resulted in the discovery of a set of bio-based antimicrobial compounds that kill Xanthomonas, and in the development of novel microgel delivery technology for these compounds that allows retention of compounds on citrus plants and controlled release. Together with industrial partners, the antimicrobials will be evaluated for use via regular delivery methods, and via microgels – which requires optimization of the microgel technology for loading and delivery, followed by upscaling of production. The developed products will be tested in green house settings, and the most successful compounds will be tested in the field by our societal partner from the citrus industry. Throughout the process, the impact of the production of these formulations as well as their impact on the soil will be monitored and a life cycle assessment will be performed to compare the new product with copper in terms of efficiency, environmental impact, and cost. Combined, these results are expected to provide a solid business case for the application of this sustainable technology, that through the societal partners can be adopted by both the producing industries as well as the end-users, the citrus growers.

The candidate will be responsible for the synthesis, modification and characterization of polysaccharide-based microgels. In addition, the candidate will optimize the loading of microgels with antibacterial molecules and investigate the release of payload. The candidate will collaborate with researchers at universities in Brazil and Netherlands as well as industrial partners.

The post-doc will be appointed at Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) of Maastricht University (UM), which is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). You will work in the group of Professor Andrij Pich, which focusses on the synthesis and design of functional soft polymer materials from programmed biobased building blocks. You will operate from the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen (Nl), where the labs are located.

• holds a PhD degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related fields;
• has skills in polymer synthesis, characterization and characterization. Experience with polysaccharides is a pro;
• has a strong interest to investigate structure-property relationships of polysaccharide-based microgels in different applications;
• aims at helping to create ready-to-market products from the insights gained during the post-doc study – in balance with profound scientific publishing in peer review journals;
• is open for upscaling of novel products or processes to support application tests by industrial partners;
• likes to interact with academic and industrial partners;
• is willing to teach for example lab skill sessions in polymer related courses;
• is result driven, inventive, creative, counts with potential impact, works ‘accountable’ and works with ownership; 
• masters scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

The full-time position is offered for 24 months.

The salary will be set in Postdoc salary scale 11 of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities (between € 3.974 and € 5.439 gross per month (on a full-time basis) depending on level of experience). On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 22,000 students and about 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. 
For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl

Faculty of Science and Engineering

• The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) is home to several outstanding departments and institutions covering education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as the liberal arts and sciences.

AMIBM

• The Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) is a department of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) at Maastricht University, located on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen. AMIBM is a European cross-border research institute established by Maastricht University and RWTH Aachen University (Germany), focusing on developing advanced biobased materials. The mission of AMIBM is “ground-breaking conversion of biomass to biobased materials and into product applications”. AMIBM promotes excellent multidisciplinary research in the field of biobased materials, by training Ph.D. students with the multiple skills needed to be future leaders in the field, and creating the research breakthroughs that will enable the utilization of sustainable and renewable materials for advanced materials applications. The multidisciplinary team draws together scientists with expertise in molecular and applied biotechnology, organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, polymer physics, polymer engineering, biomedical materials, and sustainability assessment.
• AMIBM is embedded in a lively, entrepreneurial, and creative working environment at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen (the Netherlands), one of the largest chemical and materials communities in Europe.
• More information: www.amibm.org.

Research group Sustainability of Chemicals and Materials.

• The mission of the research team is to provide suitable instruments and sustainability impact assessments to guide the transition from a fossil-based and linear economy to a biobased and circular economy.
• We are a young and growing international team of sustainability experts focusing on environmental impact assessment in connection with economic and social impacts.