"PhD position in Evaporation-driven self-assembly at fluid-fluid interfaces"

Job Description

Are you a highly motivated, curious researcher who is fascinated by the fundamental principles underlying evaporation of confined liquids and self-assembly at interfaces? Are you enthusiastic about interdisciplinary research at the intersection of hydrodynamics and soft matter physics? Are you excited about using a multifaceted approach combining advanced microscopy techniques, microfluidics, colloidal synthesis, and mathematical modelling? Then you could be the ideal PhD candidate for this position.

Self-assembled structures of colloidal particles and/or polymers at a liquid-air interface can be spontaneously generated when a multiphase multicomponent liquid volume in confinement (e.g. in a droplet or in a capillary) is driven out of equilibrium through evaporation. Such structures are ubiquitous in several biological and industrial processes and leads to a multitude of interesting phenomena characterized by their rich physics, such as phase separation, stratification, compaction, and crystallization. The intricate and multiscale coupling between the evaporation-driven hydrodynamics and physicochemical interactions between the dispersed phases (e.g. solvents, particles, salts, polymers) is key for determining the final morphology of the self-assembled interfacial structure. However, precise and quantitative characterization of such self-assembly dynamics has thus far proven to be a challenge due to the large separation of length- and time-scales of the underlying physical processes.

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled candidate for a PhD position who will experimentally investigate the fundamental mechanisms dictating evaporation-driven interfacial self-assembly in confined multiphase multicomponent liquids. By controlled experiments using high-resolution microscopic techniques, and by establishing a theoretical framework that captures the essential self-assembly dynamics, this research aims to advance the state-of-the-art in self-assembly dynamics, leading to an improved understanding of one of the most essential processes in soft matter science.

You will work here: The research is embedded within the Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter chair group. You will be directly supervised by Dr. ir. Uddalok Sen (Physics of Soft Matter lab). You will be part of a small and highly interdisciplinary team. The project offers opportunities for local and international collaboration, guaranteeing a dynamic working environment. A part of the project is also affiliated with an academic-industrial collaboration and provides the opportunity to study interesting, complex physics, and solve real world problems.

Requirements

The ideal candidate has the following qualities: a successfully completed MSc (or equivalent) degree in (applied) physics, molecular life sciences, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or in a closely related discipline; a strong and proven affinity with experimental techniques and mathematical modeling; fundamental understanding of fluid mechanics and soft matter physics; good quantitative skills and strong analytical capabilities; proven experience with experimental image and data analysis; proven experience with mathematical/computational modeling of experimental observations; experience with colloidal synthesis; proven experience with optical and fluorescence microscopy techniques; excellent (spoken and written) communication skills in English; proactive in coming up with innovative solutions to experimental and modeling challenges. For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level.

Conditions of Employment

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include: partially paid parental leave; working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance; there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee; a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%; excellent pension scheme. In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team. The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- in the fourth year according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.