PhD student (f/m/d) in the field of chemistry/biochemistry

About us

The DWI – Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials is a federal and state funded research institute of the Leibniz Association based on the Melaten Campus of RWTH Aachen University. International young and experienced scientists from various disciplines develop interactive materials based on the principles of nature. It is a location at which people with different talents, experiences and skills work together, in order to learn from one another and generate new knowledge and new methods to create a better quality of life in our world.
DWI offers you a wide range of possibilities to develop further both professionally and personally in an interdisciplinary setting.

Position

DWI invites applications for a position as

PhD student (f/m/d) in the field of chemistry/biochemistry

We are looking for a motivated and team-oriented PhD student starting as soon as possible in the research group of Dr. Laura Heinen.

Do you want to shape the next generation of sustainable and biocompatible smart soft polymer materials? Do you want to be part of a stimulating and supportive research environment and receive high-level training throughout your doctoral studies?

We offer a position in a tandem project of the DFG-funded graduate school Adaptive Soft Matter Through Programming Colloidal Gels with Biological Building Blocks (EMERGE; https://www.emerge.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/btvvkb/lidx/1) to develop compartmentalized polysaccharide microgels with programmed degradation for multi-step drug release.

Degradability is an essential property of sustainable polymer materials, especially for agricultural or biomedical applications. The degradation process is tightly connected to important material functions like chemical stability, mechanical strength, the hierarchical architecture and the release of active ingredients. Polysaccharides can be considered as alternatives to synthetic polymers to design microgel particles with programmed enzymatic degradation and high biocompatibility. However, to advance such microgels to superior self-immolative and on-demand drug-release carriers there is a need to embed further functionalities e.g. internally programmed, sustained or temporally administered release of multiple or incompatible drugs.
The Heinen lab pursues an interdisciplinary research approach combining expertise from systems chemistry, synthetic biology and soft matter science to engineer active and life-like soft materials with hierarchical length and time scales.

The DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials is equipped with state-of-the art infrastructure to allow top-notch interdisciplinary research at one place and is closely intertwined with RWTH Aachen University.

Your tasks

You will be part of the DFG-funded graduate school Adaptive Soft Matter Through Programming Colloidal Gels with Biological Building Blocks (EMERGE). In project B1 - Programmable drug-release from multicompartment microgel drug carrier systems - your task will be to introduce self-instructed and programmed degradation into microgels by stepwise activation of internal sub-compartments. You will synthesize biodegradable and compartmentalized microgels and establish enzymatic assays to release active ingredients and control the degradation of the microgels. You will apply various microscopy techniques and spectroscopic assays to analyze in detail the morphology of the microgel particles and the release profiles during degradation.

The successful applicant must be accepted as a Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.) candidate at RWTH Aachen University.

Your profile

• You have quickly and very successfully completed your Master studies at a university in the field of e.g., chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, or comparable study programs
• You are routined in working in a research (wet) lab environment and are highly motivated to develop yourself into an accomplished and independent researcher personality. Ideally, you have already gained previous experience in basic polymer synthesis and/or biochemical enzymatic assays and reaction kinetics. You are creative, curious and team-oriented. You are communicative, open-minded and persistent. You have an accurate and independent work method and you love challenges.
• You are fluent in written and spoken English. You intend to obtain a doctorate (Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. Nat.)) on a challenging interdisciplinary topic.

DWI offers

• Strong supervision and many collaborations with other research groups
• Highly interdisciplinary environment
• Exciting and challenging tasks with access to internal and external networks, training opportunities, and conferences
• Individual development plans, mentoring programs, and support from experienced specialists
• Open, team-oriented work atmosphere in an international environment
• 30 days of annual leave
• Company pension plan (VBL)
• Flexible, family-friendly working conditions
• Good transportation connection with parking facilities
• Restaurants and cafeterias in close proximity
• Central location near the city center

You can expect a highly motivated team of friendly and skilled colleagues, as well as a dynamic, international environment where everyone can contribute their strengths and skills.

DWI supports the applicant to gain further qualifications. We offer our employees a broad spectrum of career opportunities in an attractive working professional environment (https://www.dwi.rwthaachen.de/seite/institutskultur). DWI supports equal opportunities; an overview on the measures can be found here: https://www.dwi.rwth-aachen.de/en/page/equal-opportunity-and-diversity.

The DWI supports you in furthering your professional development. We offer our employees a welcoming work environment; see https://www.dwi.rwth-aachen.de/en/page/organisational-culture.

We at the DWI - Leibniz Institute value diversity and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of gender, disability, nationality or ethnic and social background.

How to apply

Please apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. As soon as the position is filled, the job application will be closed.

The position is available immediately. Compensation is based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement for State Employees (TV-L) and falls under pay grade E 13.

If you are interested and you are open to new professional challenges, we would be delighted to receive an application from you. If you have any questions about the job advertisement, please contact heinen@dwi.rwth-aachen.de.

Please upload your complete application documents (curriculum vitae, copies of transcripts of records, list of references, letter of motivation) under "Apply for this job".

By submitting an application, you consent to your data being processed electronically.

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