PhD student position in Engineering Biomimetic Cell Model Systems

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering promotes research and education for sustainable development, for improved health and quality of life. Our research ranges from natural science and bioscience, applied chemistry and biotechnology to chemical engineering. Our educational programs are characterized by technological solutions for improving people’s everyday life, and are continuously developed for meeting and promoting societal and industrial development.

We have approximately 400 employees, divided into five research divisions and one administrative unit. We are situated at campus Johanneberg.

Our department is characterized by stimulation of world leading research, in an environment where people develop and create new knowledge.
Information about the project

The main goal of this project is to engineer and build innovative biomimetic cell model systems to study directed cell migration and in-cell transport in response to chemical cues. A novel model system will be used to observe details of cell transport phenomena in response to stimulating biochemical agent. The cell transport processes include controlling the growth of membrane-bound actin filaments, sorting of lipids and proteins according to the membrane curvature, formation of lipid domains and membrane nanotubular protrusions, as well as reorganization of nanotubular networks in response to local changes of chemical microenvironment.

Cell migration and in-cell transport play key roles in organ development, spreading of cancer cells, and immune system response to infection. Despite extensive research on the subject, some core aspects remain poorly understood and are in need of comprehensive quantitative explanation. Better understanding of cell migration and in-cell transport phenomena will be a breakthrough in dealing with cancer metastasis, chronic inflammatory diseases, and in developing new drugs for these disorders.

Experimental study will be carried in collaboration with a group of theoreticians in order to allow for quantifying the role of individual cell components in the observed transport phenomena.

Major responsibilities

Your major responsibilities as PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing, both in Swedish and in English. The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 20 per cent of working hours.

Position summary

Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Qualifications

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in Swedish and English. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Application procedure

The application should be marked with Ref 20130185 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically via Chalmers webpage.

Application deadline: February 20, 2014

For questions, please contact:

Assistant Professor, Tatsiana Lobovkina, Chemical and Biological Engineering, tatsiana@chalmers.se, +46 31-772 6113






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