Living matter provides us with great inspiration to create systems that display life-like behaviour such as growth, differentiation, adaptation and signal transfer. In Nature, these processes are driven by chemical networks that enable instructive algorithms and thereby coordinate activities like the assembly of molecular building blocks into complex architectures. Introducing these capabilities in synthetic matter will open fundamentally new paths to self-regulating assemblies or even chemical computers that pick-up molecular information from a complex environment and translate this into programmed behaviour.
 
As a PhD candidate, you will work on the development of chemical systems that combine molecular self-assembly, chemical reactions and physicochemical phenomena such as diffusion, phase-separation and surface tension. By designing feedback mechanisms between these elements - e.g. a reaction induces the formation of self-assemblies, which in turn facilitate the transport of new reagents, etc. – algorithmic behaviour will emerge that processes chemical information via physicochemical reactions into responses such as complex shape transformations or chemical signal transduction.
 
This research combines experiments and simulations, and varies from molecular self-assembly to reaction networks, hydrogels, microfluidics, dedicated microscopy techniques and building dynamic models in programs such as Python or Matlab.

You will communicate your findings through publications in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences. You will also be involved in training and teaching BSc and MSc students.

• MSc degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline;
• affinity with physical chemistry is a strong pro;
• strong motivation and interest to work in an interdisciplinary research center in a highly collaborative environment;
• independent mind, good communication skills and team spirit;
• excellent skills in written and spoken English.

• employment: 0.8 - 1.0 FTE
• a maximum gross monthly salary of € 2,972 based on a 38-hour working week
• the gross starting salary amounts to €2,325 per month, and will increase to €2,972 in the fourth year
• in addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• duration of the contract: 4 years
• your performance will be evaluated after 18 months. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years
• you will be classified as a PhD Candidate (promovendus) in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO);
• you will be able to make use of our Dual Career Service where our Dual Career Officer will assist with family related support, such as child care, and help your partner prepare for the local labour market and with finding an occupation

Are you interested in our excellent employment conditions?

Faculty of Science
The Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM) is an interdisciplinary research institute in chemistry and physics at Radboud University. The IMM distinguishes itself from similar institutes by intense collaborations and interactions between chemists and physicists, and between experimentalists and theorists. PhD candidates from IMM succeed exceptionally well in the international job market. Almost all of our PhDs find a job within months of their graduation. Many of them continue their postdoctoral studies at top universities around the world, or join exciting start-up companies in the Netherlands or abroad, or find a position with a large multinational company. Many of the faculty members, PhD candidates, and undergraduates have an international background. English is the lingua franca at the IMM.
 
The Department of Physical-Organic Chemistry is part of Theme 2, Chemistry of Complex Systems, at the IMM. Our Life-like Materials group, led by Dr Peter Korevaar, is part of the Department of Physical-Organic Chemistry and works closely together with the Spruijt group and the Huck group. We share research facilities and hold joint research group meetings.
 
As a PhD candidate, you will be part of the Physical-Organic Chemistry group at Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands) and work with Dr Peter Korevaar.
 
Further information on Life-like Materials
Further information on Research Center for Functional Molecular Systems