We are looking for two highly motivated PhD students who will join the NWO-Vici project: 'Functional materials for high resolution 3D bioprinting in kidney engineering (3D-Shrink)'. 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, as the PhD-students in the 3D-Shrink project, you will develop an innovative biomaterials approach to reach the required resolution.

Your project will involve the synthesis of novel polymers for hydrogel preparation, that under certain conditions can shrink. You will investigate the parameters that affect the shrinking extent, and importantly you will evaluate the 3D printability and cell-compatibility of your biomaterials. Finally, you will be involved in testing the applicability of these biomaterials for a highly complex tissue: the kidney.

We are looking for ambitious candidates with:

• a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in chemistry, pharmacy, drug innovation, biofabrication or a similar programme;
• a strong background in at least one but preferably two of the following areas: organic/polymer chemistry, biomaterials and biofabrication;
• 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 ranging from €2,395 to €3,061 in scale P;
• benefits including 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 (cao).

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 yourself 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.

You will work in the group of Professor Tina Vermonden in the Pharmaceutics Division. The Pharmaceutics division is one of 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 consists of scientists from all over the world who 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 6 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 that work together to 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 familiar atmosphere and the can-do attitude of our people. This fundamental connection attracts Researchers, Professors and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the university and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.