Our EVOLF community is growing. We are continuously on the lookout for PhD students and postdocs to join us on our scientific journey.
Career development and diversity
EVOLF will train ~90 PhD students and postdocs in cross-disciplinary skills and ethical research. We provide specialized training in synthetic-cell research, RRI, IP, and entrepreneurship, and offer an International Exchange Program for lab visits. Our inclusive recruitment and supportive environment ensure talent retention, with a diversity coordinator managing inclusion efforts and family-friendly international meetings.
Come join one of the following projects:
Please note; if you apply for multiple positions; please inform us by mentioning this in your cover letters.
Value based design strategies
Supervisor: Lotte Asveld, TU Delft
PhD position
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The development of a synthetic cell will produce groundbreaking knowledge on our understanding of life, which may lead to promising new applications, but may also give rise to novel risks. Therefore this knowledge should be produced in a responsible way. This project aims to align the development of the synthetic cell with relevant societal values, such as safety and accountability. The prospective candidate will develop an approach to integrate social and ethical considerations into design choices made in the laboratory, thereby opening novel avenues for responsible, fundamental research.
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Developing an acoustofluidic platform for automated sorting of synthetic cells
Supervisor: Sabina Caneva, TU Delft
PhD position
Guidelines for Responsible Research and Innovation
Supervisor: Lotte Asveld, TU Delft
Postdoc position
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The development of a synthetic cell is expected to lead to unprecedented insights in living organisms and potential revolutionary applications. This calls for careful societal consideration and responsible governance. Novel risks may emerge, both social and physical. Who will benefit from this new knowledge? How to agree on the responsible use of this knowledge on a global scale? This project aims to develop an unique and tailored framework for responsible innovation of the synthetic cell, while also addressing the challenge of designing global governance mechanisms.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Build, scramble and evolve synthetic, minimal genome-encoded modules in E. coli
Supervisor: Nico Claassens , WUR
PhD position
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A bottom-up minimal synthetic cell requires genome-encoded minimal modules for key functions in the cells. In this project we will develop a system to scramble and evolve more minimal synthetic modules in E. coli. We will develop and test this system for smaller and large synthetic modules to support key functionalities for a cell.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Integrating GTP Homeostasis and GTP Consumption Modules for Energy Stability in Synthetic Cells
Supervisor: Liedewij Laan, TU Delft
Postdoc position
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We are seeking an experimental post-doc to join a synthetic biology project focused on integrating GTP homeostasis with Cdc42 regulation. The successful candidate will work with the Poolman Lab (GTP production) and the Laan Lab (Cdc42 regulation). In close collaboration with various experts, you will investigate how to stably integrate metabolic energy producing and energy consuming modules in a synthetic cell, using DNA technology, microfluidics, imaging and network modelling. Experience in experimental biophysics and an appreciation of modeling are desirable; excitement about multidisciplinary team work is essential.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Energy metabolism and micrometer-size vesicles
Supervisor: Bert Poolman, RUG
Postdoc position
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We aim to produce ATP, the general energy currency of the cell, in bacteria-size vesicles to meet metabolic rates required for growth of synthetic cells with doubling times of 1 day or faster. We will couple ATP production to the generation of electrochemical ion gradients (the other energy currency of living systems) and establish pH homeostasis
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Metabolic complexity in the synthetic cell
Supervisor: Dirk Slotboom, RUG
PhD position
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To equip synthetic cells with multiple metabolic pathways, innovative reconstitution and organization methods are needed. In this project, we will explore protein scaffolds, membrane-bound and membrane-less compartments, rational and AI-based engineering to obtain efficient fluxes through multiple pathways in the same synthetic cell. This is an essential step in the integration of metabolic networks for an autonomously functional cell. The candidate will have a strong background in either enzymology or biochemistry.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Synthetic in vesiculo glycolysis for ATP, NADH and amino acid provision
Supervisor: Matthias Heineman, RUG
Postdoc/ PhD position are invited to apply
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To equip synthetic cells with ATP, NADH and amino acids, we aim to establish a synthetic, bottom-up built glycolysis in vesicles. The aim of this project is to in vitro assemble – in a stepwise manner – a functional glycolytic pathway and to optimize it. To this end, high-end mass spectrometric analyses will be used as well as a mathematical model of glycolysis earlier developed in the group. The candidate will need to have a strong background in either enzymology or biochemistry or both.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Finding the molecular interactions that coordinate membrane synthesis with cell growth
Supervisor: Greg Bokinsky, TU Delft
Postdoc position
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How do bacteria avoid breaking open their membranes when they grow? Can we engineer synthetic cells that can balance growth with membrane synthesis? We seek an enthusiastic postdoc who will use structural biology and superresolution microscopy to identify the molecular interactions that regulate the speed at which bacteria build their membranes. The findings will guide the design of a membrane synthesis pathway capable of coordinating phospholipid synthesis with volume expansion within a synthetic cell.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Membrane protein insertion in the synthetic cell
Supervisor: Dirk Slotboom, RUG
Postdoc position
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To equip synthetic cells with membrane-associated processes (such as solute transport), a membrane protein insertion machinery is needed, compatible with the in vitro reconstituted systems that we will engineer. The candidate will identify a minimal insertion machinery and optimize it for efficient insertion of functional transporters using biochemical and biophysical assays. The objective is to obtain functional metabolic routes with all components encoded in a synthetic genome. The candidate will have a strong background in either enzymology or biochemistry
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Advancing (mechano)sensing in synthetic cells through optimization of ion channels incorporation and activity in lipid bilayers
Supervisor: Marie- Eve Aubin- Tam, TU Delft
PhD position
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Would you like to monitor the activity of single mechanosensitive membrane channels being inserted into artificial cell membranes? This will be the focus of a PhD project that will use new microfluidics tools combined with cell-free protein synthesis. A microfluidics system with freestanding lipid bilayers will enable the electrical monitoring of ion channels while a mechanical load is directly applied. The knowledge generated by this project will contribute to making synthetic cells which are responsive to the environment.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Phospholipid membranes for synthetic cells: reconstituting fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis from soluble nutrients
Supervisor: Greg Bokinsky, TU Delft
PhD position
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Can we make phospholipid membranes for synthetic cells? We seek an enthusiastic PhD candidate who will reconstitute bacterial fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis using in vitro transcription/translation. The student will combine metabolic modelling with in vitro gene expression to build a pathway that will convert simple nutrients into phospholipid membranes for synthetic cells. The student will capitalize upon our unique LCMS-based analytical tools to ensure success. Prior training in synthetic biology and/or metabolic modelling is highly desirable.
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Developing a smart, high-resolution 3D microscopy platform to evolve synthetic cells
Supervisor: Kristin Grußmayer, TU Delft
PhD position
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Smart, high-resolution microscopy platforms play a key role in information-efficient high-throughput imaging to enable biological discovery. This project will focus on developing strategies for fast, quantitative, 3D multimodal imaging combined with real-time machine learning for identification and tracking of synthetic cell phenotypes. Coupled with microfluidics for controlled transport and sorting of cells, this platform will provide the central technology to evolve synthetic cell modules. Interested in advanced microscopy and AI-based image analysis? Curious about interdisciplinary, bottom-up biophysics research? We are looking for you!
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Developing an AI model for optimizing transcription and translation in the PURE system
Supervisor: Wilhelm Huck, Radboud University Nijmegen
PhD position
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Synthetic cells will run on a synthetic genome, requiring control over gene expression levels across the genome. In this project we will fully map the relationship between DNA sequence and protein levels and train AI models to predict gene expression levels in synthetic cells.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Developing an AI model for optimizing transcription and translation in the PURE system
Supervisor: Wilhelm Huck, Radboud University Nijmegen
Posdoc position
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Deep learning methods to express gene expression levels in synthetic cells will greatly accelerate the design of functional synthetic genomes. In this project, transfer learning and transformer-based models fine-tuned on experimental data will be used to crack the hidden code in DNA that controls expression levels for individual genes.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Active learning route to autonomous division
Supervisor: Wilhelm Huck, Radboud University Nijmegen
PhD position
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The construction of synthetic cells is a challenging task. In this project, we aim to establish an experimental platform that could ‘evolve’ the complexity of functions present in a synthetic cell. You will combine formation of liposomes functionalized with cell division machinery, with high throughput characterization and active learning cycles, to select for conditions yielding self-dividing synthetic cells.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Cytosolic protein translation mechanisms and bottlenecks
Supervisor: Sander Tans, AMOLF & TU Delft
PhD position
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Breakthrough findings suggests ribosomes exploit yet-unknown dynamics and cooperativity to generate the highly complex proteins we know. To understand and optimize the underlying biophysics you will use cutting-edge sequencing and fluorescence-based methods. We are looking for an enthusiastic biophysicist or biochemist with a talent for quantitative and conceptual approaches.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Membrane protein biogenesis mechanisms
Supervisor: Sander Tans, AMOLF & TU Delft
Postdoc position
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Breakthrough findings suggests ribosomes exploit yet-unknown dynamics and cooperativity to generate the highly complex membrane proteins we know. To understand and optimize the underlying biophysics you will use cutting-edge sequencing and fluorescence-based methods. We are looking for an enthusiastic biophysicist or biochemist with a talent for quantitative and conceptual approaches.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Equipping synthetic cells with adhesion receptors for surface attachment and mechanosensing
Supervisor: Gijsje Koenderink, TU Delft
Postdoc position
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A fundamental trait of living cells is their ability to sense and respond to their environment. You will make synthetic cells mechanically aware by engineering adhesion receptors for surface adhesion and mechanosensing. We seek an enthusiastic bioengineer, biophysicist or biochemist with affinity for mechanobiology, biochemistry and membrane biophysics.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Optimization of gene regulatory and sensing modules for synthetic cells
Supervisor: Marianne Bauer, TU Delft
PhD position
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Are you interested in how to optimize gene regulation for a synthetic cells? Are you interested in stochastic processes and statistical physics clustering approaches that you can apply to synthetic cells? In this project you will use and develop theoretical approaches that can help our collaborators predict what sequences, promoters and modules lead to optimized gene expression.
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Construction and optimization of synthetic chromosomes for self-expression of PURE
Supervisor: Pascale Daran- Lapujade, TU Delft
PhD position
Biochemical coupling of DNA segregation to DNA replication (and cell division)
Supervisor: Marileen Dogterom, TU Delft
PhD position
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Are you interested in building a cell-cycle module to couple DNA replication to active DNA segregation in synthetic cells? In this collaborative project you will work on establishing biochemical “cell-cycle” control in a cell-free system where all modules necessary for DNA segregation, replication initiation and cell-cycle control are co-expressed. Optimizing the different parameters in the systems will be performed using microfluidic, imaging-based screening and AI techniques.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Developing a microfluidics platform for lab-on-a-chip evolution of synthetic cells
Supervisor: Cees Dekker, TU Delft
PhD position
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In this project we will use the excellent microfabrication facilities of the Kavli Nanolab to develop the central integrated microfluidics circuitry for lab evolution in EVOLF. We will develop a lab-on-a-chip platform that integrates OLA production of liposomes, trap arrays, local light/heating modules, and selection and sorting routines Guided by machine learning, we will perform directed evolution experiments where we optimize the synthetic genome that encodes for a biological function such as shape manipulation. We search an applicant with experience in microfluidics and a vision for conceptual novel research.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Temporal coordination of DNA segregation with DNA replication (and cell division)
Supervisor: Marileen Dogterom, TU Delft
Postdoc position
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Are you interested in building a minimal active DNA-segregation system for synthetic cells? In this collaborative project you will work on building a module based on bacterial cytoskeletal polymers that can be co-expressed in a cell-free system together with a minimal module for DNA replication and develop a strategy for light-based “cell-cycle” control over these two processes in microfluidic devices.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Two-component signaling and sensing module for synthetic cells
Supervisor: Kristina Ganzinger, AMOLF
PhD position
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One hallmark of life as we know it is the ability of cells and organisms to sense and adjust to their environment. You will give synthetic cells the ability to sense small molecules and temperature and react to their sensation by changing gene expression. We look for an enthusiastic biophysicist or biochemist with affinity for cell signaling, protein biochemistry/cell-free expression and membrane biophysics.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Craspase as a controller of transcription regulation
Supervisor: Stan Brouns, TU Delft
PhD position
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The timing of processes in cells is critical for the successful cell proliferation. In this project we aim to develop a method based on Craspase (CRISPR-caspase, an RNA-activated protease) to control the activity of synthetic cell proteins. The method is based on a specific protease which can cleave and thereby activate specific proteins involved in transcription regulation, in response to the presence of a specific RNA molecule.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Direct communication of synthetic cells by triggered adhesion causing inter-cell pores
Supervisor: Kristina Ganzinger, AMOLF
PhD position
Controlling cell-cell communication with cell adhesion molecules
Supervisor: Dimphna Meijer, TU Delft
PhD position
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Join us in unraveling the complexities of cell-cell interactions by developing a universal system for inserting cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) into giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). You will work with biological CAM domains, particularly from synaptic CAM families, to design and optimize modular CAMs, refining their interactions with high-resolution cryo-EM/ET imaging, and exploring their roles in transmembrane signaling. The ultimate goal is to engineer novel communication models for synthetic cell communities, contributing to cutting-edge research in molecular engineering, cell-cell communication and signaling.
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Computational Microscopy of JCVI-Syn3a
Supervisor: Siewert- Jan, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
PhD position
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The ultimate microscope, directed at a cell, would reveal the dynamics of all the cell’s components with atomic resolution. In contrast to their real-world counterparts, computational microscopes are currently on the brink of meeting this challenge. The aim of this project is to simulate an existing minimal cell, JCVI-Syn3A, to provide fundamental insights into its dynamical organization (with a particular focus on the membrane envelope), lessons which can be applied to meeting our challenge of building synthetic cells bottom-up.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Multiscale modeling of cell division
Supervisor: Siewert- Jan, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
PhD position
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This project involves the development of a multiscale modeling assay of cell division, systematically probing the interplay between lipids and proteins driving the fission process. The computational work will be performed in close collaboration with experimentalist, aiming at the rational design of an efficient fission machinery for synthetic cells.
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The vacancy is currently being formally prepared by the host institute. Once available we will provide a link here by which you can enter the application process. Until that time you can contact the PI directly for more information.
Optimizing adhesion and mechanosensing in and between synthetic cells
Supervisor: Gijs Wuite, VU
PhD position
Conceptual understanding of life
Supervisor: Lotte Asveld, TU Delft
PhD position
Cell shape deformation and division driven by CDV proteins
Supervisor: Cees Dekker, TU Delft
PhD position
Optimize and evolve module co-functionality in E. coli
Supervisor: Nico Claassens , WUR
Postdoc position
Build and evolve a synthetic genome-encoded minimal metabolic network in E. coli
Supervisor: Nico Claassens , WUR
PhD position
Can macromolecule synthesis help drive vesicle deformation and division?
Supervisor: Timon Idema, TU Delft
PhD position
Smart mapping of module function and robustness to facilitate module integration
Supervisor: Liedewij Laan, TU Delft
PhD position
Building a robust negative feedback oscillator that temporally controls the growth and division cycle of the synthetic cell
Supervisor: Julia Kamenz, RUG
PhD position
Coupling sensing to intracellular organization for signal-induced polarization in synthetic cells
Supervisor: Liedewij Laan, TU Delft
PhD position
Lipid translocation and membrane growth
Supervisor: Bert Poolman, RUG
PhD position
Synthetic in vesiculo glycolysis for ATP, NADH and amino acid provision
Supervisor: Matthias Heineman, RUG
PhD position
Evolution of metabolic modules
Supervisor: Bert Poolman, RUG
PhD position
Establishing effective DNA replication in synthetic cells
Supervisor: Gijs Wuite, VU
Postdoc position
Structure and mechanism of minimal divisomes based on non-canonical Dynamin-like GTPases
Supervisor: Arjen Jakobi, TU Delft
PhD position
Establishing a cell shaper module for spatial control of synthetic cell division
Supervisor: Gijsje Koenderink, TU Delft
PhD position
Breaking through challenges in the construction of synthetic chrosomomes for synthetic cells
Supervisor: Pascale Daran- Lapujade, TU Delft
PhD position
Setting up a pipeline for mid-throughput, modular and flexible assembly of large DNA constructs and synthetic chromosomes.
Supervisor: Pascale Daran- Lapujade, TU Delft
Postdoc position
Optimizing transcription and translation in the PURE system using massively parallel transcriptomics and ribosome profiling
Supervisor: Alexander van Oudenaarden, Hubrecht Institute
PhD position
Computational analysis to reconstruct prokaryotic gene content evolution
Supervisor: Thijs Ettema, WUR
Postdoc position
Design, analysis and optimization of coding & non-coding sequences of genetic modules
Supervisor: John van der Oost, WUR
Postdoc postdoc
Optimizing and testing DNA design for the synthetic genome
Supervisor: Cees Dekker, TU Delft
Postdoc position
Cell shape deformation and division by RNA origami tiles
Supervisor: Cees Dekker, TU Delft
Postdoc position
Cell shape deformation and division by RNA origami tiles
Supervisor: Cees Dekker, TU Delft
Postdoc position
Active learning route to autonomous division
Supervisor: Wilhelm Huck, Radboud University Nijmegen
Postdoc postoc
Establishing a robust FtsZ-based divisome for synthetic cell constriction
Supervisor: Gijsje Koenderink, TU Delft
PhD position
Building a sensing module
Supervisor: Pieter Rein ten Wolde, NWO Institute AMOLF, Amsterdam
PhD position
Modelling the cell cycle
Supervisor: Pieter Rein ten Wolde, NWO Institute AMOLF, Amsterdam
Postdoc position
Design, testing and evolutionary optimization of a simple replication system
Supervisor: John van der Oost (MIB/WUR)
PhD position