PhD Position Making Membranes for Synthetic Cells

Can we build metabolic pathways that convert nutrients into membranes for synthetic cells? 

 Job description

We seek a highly motivated individual to build membranes for synthetic organisms. Building life from nonliving components – whether assembled by a living organism, or within a test tube by a researcher – requires a membrane to contain the stuff that makes living cells alive. Cell membranes are assembled from metabolites by lipid synthesis pathways, which produce insoluble molecules from soluble precursors. Working in the model prokaryote E. coli, our group has extensively characterized metabolic regulation and adaptation of fatty acid biosynthesis pathways using mass spectrometry-based analytical tools that are unique to the field. The PhD will use cell-free expression systems to generate fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis pathways from synthetic gene circuits and apply our analytical tools to analyze and troubleshoot the assembled pathways. Our long-term goal is a designed pathway that can generate sufficient phospholipids from soluble substrates to enable growth of a synthetic cell.

This project is part of the EVOLF consortium, which seeks to create living cells from nonliving materials. EVOLF consists of 31 research labs tackling different aspects of this challenge in an integrated and collaborative manner. As this project progresses, we will seek to integrate our optimized phospholipid synthesis pathway with additional elements of living cells, such as cell division machinery and metabolite importers, to move closer to realizing artificial life. In the longer term, we will use evolution to improve the performance and integration of the synthetic components.

The PhD will join the Bokinsky Lab in the Bionanoscience Department at TU Delft. We have extensive experience in diverse fields, including (top-down) synthetic biology, genetic and metabolic engineering, live-cell microscopy, and mass spectrometry-based analysis of proteomes and metabolites in living cells.

Job requirements

Applicants should have (or be about to earn) a Masters degree in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, biophysics, microbiology, or a related field. Experience with metabolic modelling, liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry, the Python progamming language, or in vitro transcription/translation systems is highly desirable but not essential. Applicants must have excellent written an spoken English skills to ensure good communications and interactions, as well as to participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, read, comprehend, and write scientific articles, and complete a PhD thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

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.

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.