PhD Position Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Lipid Nanoparticle Formation and Purification

Will you lower the costs and improve the stability of nanomedicine?

SPARC (Scalable Personalized Nanotherapeutics for Cancer Treatment) is an ambitious research program dedicated to making advanced cancer therapies more effective and accessible, particularly for patients with hard-to-treat “cold tumors.” By developing personalized nanomedicines, SPARC aims to improve patient survival through innovations such as tumor-on-a-chip platforms that reduce reliance on animal testing, and novel manufacturing technologies that enhance therapeutic efficacy and product stability.

As part of this program, TU Delft is seeking a highly motivated PhD student with an interest in cross-disciplinary research to join a shared position between the Complex Fluid Processing group (Prof. Johan Padding) in the Process & Energy department and the Precision Therapeutics group (Dr. Alina Rwei) in the Chemical Engineering department. The position will formally be at Complex Fluid Processing.

The project is embedded in a strong academic-industrial network and offers close collaboration with leading pharmaceutical partners, including Merck KGaA and Johnson & Johnson. As part of the project, the candidate will spend time at partner facilities, gaining valuable industry experience and exposure.

Job description

In this project you will investigate, through molecular modelling, the mechanisms that are relevant for the formation and purification of lipid-based drug delivery nanoparticles (LNPs). The goal is to reduce the significant and expensive losses that typically occur during the manufacturing process of nanomedicine.

For the formation part, you will investigate the formation and stability of LNPs in water-ethanol mixtures under the influence of different flow fields. For the purification part, you will investigate different mechanistic causes of membrane fouling, focusing on how membrane properties (charge, pore size, hydrophilicity) affect interaction with small LNPs and non-encapsulated components (lipids, solvent, mRNA strands). Both investigations will make use of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations that balance material specificity with achievable time scales.

The project also involves close interaction with other research teams within the SPARC consortium, for example membrane fouling correlations will be implemented in CFD simulations of tangential flow filtration systems, and the mechanical properties of the lipid nanoparticles will be correlated to their biological performance.

Job requirements

You are a recent graduate looking to use your modelling skills and curiosity to improve the production of nanomedicine. With your pioneering mindset and communicative nature, you thrive in a complex multi-disciplinary team consisting of universities, knowledge institutes and companies and you are not overwhelmed by the ambitious nature of the project.

You also have:

• An MSc or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Nanotechnology or a related field
• An analytical mindset with ability to work across computational and experimental domains
• Excellent communication skills in English, and want to work in a multidisciplinary team
• Proven experience with molecular dynamics simulations and transport phenomena
• Experience with pharmaceutical downstream processes is a plus

Working at TU Delft

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means joining an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract includes an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming performance requirements are met.

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.

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