Postdoctoral position Hybrid and De Novo-Designed Nanopores for Single-Molecule Protein Sensing

About this position

At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university.

The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) provides teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines, from physics and biology to artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and pharmacy. In close collaboration with partners from industry, healthcare, and society, we contribute to the urgent challenges of our time, such as energy, sustainability, digitization, and medical technology. Our community is open and informal, with more than 7,000 students, 1,000 PhD students, and 1,400 staff members from all over the world.

If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Science and Engineering, visit rug.nl/fse .

What are you going to do?

This postdoctoral position is part of a multidisciplinary consortium project bringing together three partners at the forefront of nanopore science: the Vorobieva lab at the VUB-VIB Center for Structural Biology (Brussels), a pioneer in the de novo computational design of membrane proteins and nanopores from physical principles; the group of Prof. Giovanni Maglia at the University of Groningen, a world leader in biological nanopore engineering and single-molecule protein/peptide analysis; and imec (Leuven), a global leader in solid-state nanopore fabrication and hybrid nanopore-electronic integration.

Together, the consortium aims to combine de novo protein design, biological nanopore sensing and solid-state nanofabrication into a new generation of hybrid nanopore sensors for single-molecule protein and peptide analysis.

• Engineer and characterise biological nanopores for the detection, identification and analysis of proteins and peptides, building on the Maglia lab's nanopore sensing and electro-osmotic sequencing platforms.
• Collaborate with VUB-VIB to test, validate and adapt de novo-designed protein nanopores for functional single-molecule sensing applications.
• Collaborate with imec on the integration of biological/de novo nanopores with solid-state platforms towards scalable, hybrid nanopore devices.
• Design and perform single-molecule experiments (electrical recordings, possibly combined with optical/fluorescence readouts) to characterise pore behaviour and sensing performance.
• Contribute to project management and valorisation activities alongside the consortium partners, including reporting to the funding body and engagement with industrial stakeholders.
• Publish and present your findings in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences, and contribute to supervising PhD students and junior lab members.