Plants have evolved elaborate feedback mechanisms to protect themselves from excess sunlight, which involve rearrangement and structural dynamics of light-harvesting proteins in the photosynthetic membrane. The candidate will employ advanced time-resolved infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy to assess in vivo protein structural dynamics in photosynthetic membranes, and thereby solve an important puzzle in our understanding of photoprotection in photosynthesis. This project is part of the recent consortium grant Nanoscale Regulators of Photosynthesis, with research partners at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wageningen University and Research, Leiden University and Groningen University.

Your duties

• Establish the experimental conditions to perform in vivo infrared spectroscopy on photosynthetic membranes
• Operate a state-of-the-art frequency-comb quantum cascade laser (QCL) infrared spectrometer
• Integrate a PAM fluorometer in the QCL infrared setup
• Perform time-resolved fluorescence experiments in vivo and data analysis
• Prepare photosynthetic membrane samples for experimentation
• Write and defend a doctoral thesis on the basis of your own experimental work

• PhD in Physics, Physical Chemistry or related disciplines
• knowledge of and experience with optical spectroscopy
• interest in working in a multidisciplinary environment
• excellent command of English

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts between €4,036 and €4,640,= depending on experience, based on full-time employment.
The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.
The appointment will be for 2 years.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus,
• discount on (and occasionally exclusive access to) theater performances and courses at the Griffioen Cultural Center,
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge,
• discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance);
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

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.

Diversity
We 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 Science
Working 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.
About the project
The project will be conducted in the Biophysics of Photosynthesis group at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The group offers a very multidisciplinary environment in which biologists, chemists and physicists work in close collaboration and state-of-the-art facilities for molecular biology, biochemistry, plant physiology and spectroscopy.