Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Description
The budding field of Physical Virology develops at the interface of Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Medicine and this research field has seen a tremendous growth in recent years. In our labs we focus on several sub-fields of Physical Virology, in particular we study the structural and mechanical properties of viral particles, their stability and the process of (dis)assembly (see for instance Nature Physics (2010) 6:733; Nano Letters (2011) 11:4865; PNAS (2012) 109:2342). The student will study assembly, stability and structure of viruses and the interactions of viruses with their genome. This will be done using various biophysical techniques, notably Atomic Force Microscopy, Optical Tweezers and Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy techniques. The PhD position is embedded in the Physics of Living Systems section under the joint supervision of Prof. Gijs Wuite and Dr. Wouter Roos and the research will be performed in collaboration with Prof. Heck from Universiteit Utrecht who will provide Mass Spectrometry data to complement our picture of viral assembly. The Physics of Living Systems (PLS) section at the Physics department of the Vrije Universiteit is a lively and vibrant section consisting of the groups of three professors, one associate professors and one assistant professor. The PLS section is internationally renowned for their experimental and theoretical biophysics research on a variety of topics ranging from molecular to systems length scales. In particular there is long standing expertise on viral systems and on nanoscale imaging and manipulation techniques. The section is part of the Institute of Lasers, Life and Biophotonics (LaserLaB) Amsterdam and is equipped with unique microscopy instrumentation and excellent facilities for biophysical research on the molecule to cell scale. The section is involved in many (inter)national collaborations and has a strong international atmosphere.
Requirements
The candidate is expected to be a talented, ambitious and highly motivated student with a MSc in Physics, Biology, Chemistry or a related subject. Essential is a strong interest in interdisciplinary, experimental research and a drive for solving biophysical questions.
More information and applications
When fulfilling a PhD position at the FOM foundation, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employee status and can participate in all the employee benefits FOM offers. You will get a contract for 4 years. Your salary will be up to a maximum of 2,636 euro gross per month.The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.33%. You are supposed to have a thesis finished at the end of your four year term with FOM. A training programme is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for the additional education and supervising that you specifically need. This plan also defines which teaching activities you will be responsible (up to a maximum of 10% of your time). The conditions of employment of the FOM-foundation are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres (Cao-Onderzoekinstellingen), more exclusive information is available at this website under Personeelsinformatie (in Dutch) or under Personnel (in English). General information about working at FOM can be found in the English part of this website under Personnel. The 'FOM job interview code' applies to this position. Please use the online form for applications.
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