PhD Position Structural Biology of a Minimal Divisome

Do you want to understand how life works on the molecular scale? Help us study the structure and mechanism of membrane deforming proteins to build a minimal molecular machinery for cell division.

Job description 

Functional synthetic cells need to be able to symmetrically divide. To do so, the membrane that forms the cell boundary needs to undergo a major deformation that eventually leads to scission into two daughter cells. 

We seek a PhD candidate to investigate unconventional dynamin-like proteins (DLPs) as minimal divisomes for synthetic cell division. This project is part of the EVOLF (https://evolf.life) consortium, in which we work together with 31 research groups to study if and how we can create living cells from lifeless molecules. 

The project involves structural and mechanistic studies of DLP-mediated membrane fission and fusion using cryo-EM/ET, molecular dynamics simulations, and synthetic liposome models. You will explore novel DLP groups identified from metagenome analysis for their ability to mediate reverse topology fission, perform time-resolved structural analyses to unravel their mechanism by cryo-EM/ET imaging, employ protein design to improve their efficacy, and develop a GTP regeneration system to fuel a self-sustained synthetic division machinery. Together, your results will not only shed light on fundamental questions in membrane remodelling but also form the basis to esbtalishing a minimal cell division machinery in synthetic cells. The project will be conducted jointly with leading collaborators, including the laboratories of Cees Dekker, Bert Poolman, Thijs Ettema and Siewert-Jan Marrink. Ideal candidates will have expertise in molecular biology, biophysics, or structural biology and a strong affinity for working on challenging mechanistic questions in structural biology and biophysics.

Your home base will be the Jakobi Lab (https://cryoem.tudelft.nl) at TU Delft | Kavli Institute of Nanoscience. We are a multidisciplinary and internationally diverse team of scientists with backgrounds ranging from cell/molecular biology and biochemistry to (bio)physics. Our drive is to push boundaries in our aim to visualise molecular processes at the highest possible resolution. As part of the Department of Bionanoscience and the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, we enjoy access to state-of-the-art infrastructure for biochemistry, molecular imaging, cryoEM/ET and high-performance computing. We are also committed to world-class education, to which you will contribute, coaching undergraduate and graduate students. Fostering a friendly, non-hierarchical, and collaborative atmosphere, we support each other by exchanging ideas and knowledge in the pursuit of our ambitious goals. And you will get all the support and training you need for your personal and professional growth.

Job requirements

We seek an outstanding biochemist or biophysicist with a strong affinity for research at the interface of physics and biology and with relevant research experience in fields such as membrane and protein biochemistry, structural biology or molecular biophysics. We are looking for a candidate with a high level of intellectual creativity, genuine interest in fundamental research, who enjoys collaborations and easily communicates with scientists from different disciplines.

• You hold an MSc in biochemistry, biophysics, nanobiology or another relevant subject.
• You thrive on conducting pioneering research and pushing scientific boundaries in a multidisciplinary and highly collaborative environment.
• You have a strong interest, or experience in molecular imaging of biological systems. 
• You have experience, or a keen interest in cryo-EM/ET imaging.
• You harness your communication skills to effectively collaborate with people from different cultural and scientific backgrounds. 
• You have a very good command of English because you will be working in an international environment in which English is the working language. 

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) 

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. 

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration. 

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Applied Sciences 

With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers. 

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. 

Conditions of employment 
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. 

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.  

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network. 

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Arjen Jakobi, via a.jakobi@tudelft.nl clearly stating the vacany number in the subject line.     

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 20 January 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Your detailed CV.
• A motivation letter that briefly describes why you apply for this position, your research interests, and your fit to the group.
• Names and email addresses of at least 2 references.

You can address your application to Arjen Jakobi.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Applying for an exemption for specific research and educational areas is an obligatory part of the selection procedure for this vacancy. This exemption must be obtained from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) before an employment contract is agreed upon. Click here for more information.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services