Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 31,000 students. We employ over 5,000 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.
DiversityWe are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.
The Faculty of ScienceWorking at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.
EnvironmentThe Dulin lab is hosted by VU Amsterdam (
https://daviddulinlab.com/), one of the best universities in the Netherlands, located in the vibrant and international city of Amsterdam. Our team is an inclusive and diverse group of scientists, welcoming excellent students from all backgrounds. We are embedded within the
Physics of Living System Section of the Physics and Astronomy Department at VU. Together with several other biophysics lab, we form a world-class environment in biophysics, specifically in single-molecule biophysics. The Dulin lab is internationally renown for investigating protein-RNA interactions, such as viral replication machinery of viruses, using single molecule biophysics techniques, with several breakthrough studies on SARS-CoV-2 genome replication and antiviral drugs evaluation (Bera et al., Cell Reports 2021; Seifert et al., eLife 2021). The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic and international team of biophysicists and biochemists ready to tackle highly challenging problems related to viral and cellular RNA synthesis and regulation. They will have access to a large variety of cutting-edge assays in single-molecule force and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques (e.g. magnetic and optical tweezers, TIRF microscope…), and a molecular biology facility to perform their research. They will also benefit from the support of an experienced staff in molecular biology, biochemistry and data analysis, and international expert in coronavirus biology and theoretical biophysics. They will have the opportunity to learn from the best scientists in the field, publish in high-impact journals and present their work at international conferences.