A PhD position is available at CIC biomaGUNE, in San Sebastián (Spain), to work on bottom-up nanofabrication of nanoparticles and microfluidic stem cell models. The selected candidate will be assigned to the Bionanoplasmonics Laboratory, under the joint supervision of Dr. Gail A. Vinnacombe-Willson and Prof. Luis Liz-Marzán.
CIC biomaGUNE, located in the Science and Technology Park of Gipuzkoa (Donostia-San Sebastián), is a leading research center in the area of bionanomaterials, synthetic bioengineering and molecular imaging and counts with more than 180 people from 33 countries. The activity of CIC biomaGUNE is conducted by a team of 12 international and dynamic research groups, supported by flexible and efficient management teams and a unique research infrastructure including the Molecular Imaging Facility, one of the biggest preclinical imaging research infrastructures in Europe.
This position is part of a project funded by the “la Caixa” Foundation Postdoctoral Junior Leader Fellowship developing the in situ synthesis of plasmonic, magnetic, and piezoelectric nanomaterials in microfluidic in vitro stem cell models. In vitro models incorporating 3D and flow components can be used to simulate the environments in real tissues. However, tools are needed for non-invasively monitoring and manipulating cell behavior in vitro with relevant spatiotemporal resolution. The goal of this project is to exploit inorganic nanomaterials for influencing neural stem cell differentiation and monitoring their local microenvironments over time. We expect that in situ growth approaches for nanoparticles with diverse functions will create new opportunities for engineering versatile models for the central nervous system.
Informal requests for additional information can be sent to Luis Liz-Marzan at llizmarzan@cicbiomagune.es