PhD and postdoc positions in single molecule measurement : Zurich, Switzerland

My lab at the University of Zurich is located in the Dept. of Chemistry and affiliated with Dept. of Physics, and has recently developed the ability to trap molecular-scale entities in solution e.g., biological macromolecules such as proteins and DNA, without the use of external forces (Nature, 2010; Nature Nanotechnology, 2012). Our "field-free" trap now enables us to study and measure the physical properties of macromolecules such as their electrical charge, size and 3D conformation with unprecedented precision, in real time.

We are currently expanding our activities and are looking for bright, highly motivated PhD and postdoctoral researchers with a strong background in physics, biophysics, or physical chemistry, and a keen interest in experimental work to join us in studying exciting new problems in this emerging area of single molecule measurement. Our experimental approach involves optical imaging and spectroscopy, and nanofabrication. We also work on the theory and simulation side of our measurements, which entails Brownian Dynamics simulations and numerical mean-field electrostatics calculations.