Postdoc in protein materials design

Are you an experienced researcher with a PhD interested in continuing your pursuit of scientific questions in a diverse, ambitious, and competitive environment? Are you someone with the desire to improve your mentorship skills, develop your own research ideas, establish new collaborations, and pursue new funding opportunities? We have a vacancy for a postdoc in protein materials design, with possibility to work part-time. Will you join our team?

What will you be doing?
We, the Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter Laboratory (PCC), have an open postdoctoral position available in the research domain of protein materials design. Your role will be to strengthen and establish promising collaborative research lines in PCC and at Wageningen University and Research (WUR). You will be part of a team of experienced and ambitious postdocs striving for scientific excellence within the stated science domain. Simultaneously, you will develop your own research vision and ideas, and talent in supervision and establishing new collaborations. This position offers extensive scientific freedom to pursue your own interests and obtain preliminary data as you are expected to pursue your own funding opportunities. You are expected to apply for your own funding (e.g NWO talent program Veni). You will be provided with coaching and mentorship in grant writing.
You will be offered the ability to work closely together with existing PhD candidates within PCC, and with academic groups outside of WUR in order to develop your own leadership and mentorship abilities.
PCC is a group of likeminded scientists interested in phenomena where creative chemistry is essential, complex physics is a rule rather than an exception and biology comes to life. See the introductory video below about PCC, who we are and what we do:

We understand that you are triggered and want to apply immediately. Please read the 'Do you want to apply' section below for more guidance.

Within WUR-PCC, the subgroup of Associate Professor Renko de Vries focuses on designing soft materials composed of biopolymers. An important research line is the use of computationally designed proteins to assemble structures at solid-liquid interfaces. Examples include the design of ice-binding proteins with applications in cryopreservation and the design of self-assembling antifouling coatings for inorganic, metal and plastic surfaces with for protein-based biosensor construction. The post-doc will be expected to participate in the research on either ice-binding and cryopreservation or the research on anti-fouling coatings and protein-based biosensor construction. Next to this, the post-doc can develop her or his own research line which should involve at least to some extent, computational designed proteins.

Requirements:

Besides your willingness to learn, mentor PhD students, presentation skills and ambition:

• you have a PhD in a relevant field for PCC. Postdoc experience is a bonus;
• you have the ambition to pursue an academic scientific career;
• you have the ability and ambition to establish new international collaborations within and between research groups at WUR;
• Prior experience in computational protein design, handling, expressing and purifying proteins is a bonus but not a strict requirement

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C2. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center Wageningen in'to Language

Salary Benefits:

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €2960 and €4670 for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 24 hours or more can be discussed. Initially, we offer you a one-year contract, which will then be extended to an open-ended contract if there is mutual enthusiasm. Of course, we would be happy to discuss this with you if you have any questions.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

38 hours per week

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