Assistant Professor in the field of Membrane Biophysics and/or Biomembrane Technology (1.0 FTE)

The strategic alliance between Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Utrecht University (UU) and UMC Utrecht (UMCU) has awarded a grant for a 4-year multidisciplinary research programme in the field of plasma medicine. This involves the generation and application of non-thermal plasmas to deliver a 'cocktail' of reactive chemical species, electric charges, electric fields and UV radiation to the target of interest. The research team will combine expertise in Physics, Chemistry, Cell Biology and Medicine to gain an in-depth understanding of non-thermal plasmas and how they affect cells and tissue. The final aim is to develop and improve applications of non-thermal plasmas to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and cancer.

The 4-year programme will be jointly carried out by research groups from TU/e, UU and UMCU with a newly appointed researcher in each of the institutions. Within this joint programme you will focus on the effects of non-thermal plasmas on membranes and membrane properties, using dedicated model membrane systems to obtain an in-depth mechanistic understanding of these effects. In addition, in close collaboration with your coworkers from TU/e, UU and UMCU, you will investigate how the effects of plasmas on membranes can be modulated, how they can be related to bactericidal properties of plasmas and whether conditions can be found at which plasmas effectively kill bacteria without harming human cells.