About the project:

This project aims to take the concept of receptor recruitment from biology and use it as a design criterium for self-assembling building blocks into well-defined molecular and nanoscale architectures. Intrinsically weak and dynamic interactions are essential in achieving self-assembly and recruitment. Exquisite control over stoichiometry and structure of the assemblies is achieved by harnessing ground-breaking developments in the understanding of the underlying multivalent interactions. These breakthrough insights will be used to tackle challenges with the identification, sensing and isolation of biological particles, such as viruses and extracellular vesicles, through the development of platforms with nanoscale dimensions and molecular functionalities. As such, this project takes inspiration from nature, by borrowing recruitment as a concept to build self-assembled materials, and to contribute to a better understanding of living systems using new detection and isolation tools, with application prospects for biomedical platforms and smart materials.

PhD student positions are foreseen on these topics: Design and assembly of well-defined structures based on receptor recruitment; Fixation of recruiting self-assembling systems; Engineering of signaling functions in recruiting systems; Device platforms to count and isolate biological particles. The positions are part of the ERC Advanced project “Receptor Recruitment as an Organizational Principle for Self-Assembling Matter, RECRUIT”.

• You are an ambitious candidate with a Master’s Degree in chemistry (with emphasis on physical-organic and supramolecular chemistry), chemical engineering, materials science, or nanoscience/technology.
• You have experience with physical organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and/or surface chemistry.
• You are curious, motivated and creative, and you like to communicate about your results in presentations and written reports and papers.
• You are fluent in English and able to collaborate intensively with internal and external parties in regular meetings and work visits.

• A full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year.
• Access to novel research facilities, including top-tier NanoLab.
• Professional and personal development program within Graduate School Twente.
• Excellent mentorship and a stimulating international research environment.
• Salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU); monthly salary is € 2.770 in the first year, increasing yearly to € 3.539 in the fourth year.
• There are excellent benefits, including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment.
• Free access to sports facilities on campus.

The group of Prof. Jurriaan Huskens (website: https://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/mnf/) is part of the Department of Molecules & Materials, of the Molecules Centre, of the research institutes MESA+ Institute and TechMed Centre, and of the Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Twente. The group hosts and has access to state of the art chemical, surface-chemical, surface analytical and nanotech facilities.