Cells are crowded with biomolecules, which could affect protein behavior through macromolecular crowding. Crowding depends on stress and cell type and, therefore, its consequences will vary. This makes it pertinent to determine intracellular crowding in different (disease) states and identify its potentially toxic consequences.

Your job
As PhD candidate in this project, you will aim to develop better tools to measure crowding and its consequences. We are experts in sensor development, providing you with an ideal springboard and environment. Your sensors will be used in collaborations, thus finding immediate application. To understand the observations in living cells, you will make artificial cells using microfluidics. Here, you can build on our previous work on making artificial cells with high crowding, but you can also use your own creativity. You will do a detailed analysis of your probes in artificial cells with fluorescence microscopy techniques such as FRET-FLIM to better understand how crowding and its consequences correlate.

This PhD position may be the right fit for you, if you recognize yourself in several or all of the following:

• You have a Master’s degree in biochemistry, protein engineering, biophysics, biomedical engineering, or related sciences.
• You are open to learning new skills and techniques, such as advanced fluorescence microscopy, biophysical measurements, and microfluidics.
• You are creative, pragmatic, and comfortable with different research disciplines.
• You have a collaborative nature and ability to work in a team on a project.

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this total period
• a working week of 36 to 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,872 and €3,670 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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This research will be executed in the Boersma group at the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research at Utrecht University. The Boersma lab hosts the required facilities for biochemistry and microfluidics. There is full access to state-of-the-art microscopy facilities at the Utrecht Biology Imaging Center. Lab facilities, knowledge, offices, and social life are shared daily with the cellular protein chemistry section that studies protein misfolding and protein homeostasis. The Boersma group aims to understand the role of intracellular density by using sensors in artificial and living cells. The lab has been very successful in FRET sensor development for macromolecular crowding (Nature Methods 2015), ionic strength (ACS Chem Biol 2017), and protein self-assembly (Cell Rep Met 2022) and its applications in cells (eLife 2020) and artificial cells (Adv Sci 2022).