Are you interested in a career in academia? Would you like to learn more about how liquids dry in confinement? Are you curious about how particles and/or living cells affect that drying behavior? We at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) have the job for you! We are looking for a postdoc interested in investigating the evaporation of multicomponent liquids in confined systems.
What are you going to do?
The experimental system will comprise of a suspension of particles (axisymmetric/non-axisymmetric, passive/active, flexible/rigid, monodisperse/polydisperse) in a multicomponent dispersing liquid. You will use state-of-the-art imaging techniques such as confocal microscopy and particle tracking velocimetry. The work will be complemented by theoretical and/or numerical modeling. A part of your work is also affiliated with an academic-industrial collaboration and provides the opportunity to study interesting, complex physics, and solve real world problems.
Evaporation in a multiphase multicomponent system is ubiquitous in several biological and industrial processes and leads to a multitude of interesting phenomena such as segregation and phase separation. When confined (e.g., in a capillary), such systems exhibit even richer physics such as stratification, clogging, compaction, and crystallization. The properties of the liquids present in the evaporating multicomponent liquid mixture play a critical role in determining the overall evaporation dynamics, which can be further complicated by the presence of salts, surfactants, particles (passive and active), polymers, fibers, and motile cells. However, there are still several unanswered/open questions concerning the precise dynamics of the evaporation in confined multiphase multicomponent systems.
Your duties and responsibilities include:
- to design and perform experiments on evaporation of confined multicomponent liquids;
- to discuss and disseminate results among peers, the scientific community, and the broader society in general;
- to collaborate with colleagues having complementary expertise;
- to supervise bachelor, master, and PhD students;
- to play an active role in writing personal grants (Veni, MSCA IF, Humboldt) and/or collaborative grants.
The research is embedded within the chair Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter group, and member of the Physics of Soft Matter team, which is led by Asst. Prof. Uddalok Sen.
Your qualities
You possess:
- a successfully completed PhD (or equivalent) degree in (applied) physics, molecular life sciences, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, applied mathematics, or in a closely related discipline;
- experimental experience, fundamental knowledge of fluid dynamics, and experience in image and data analysis are required;
- you have strong communication skills, including fluency in spoken and written (scientific and non-scientific) English;
- you have strong analytical capabilities;
- you are proactive in coming up with innovative solutions to experimental challenges.
In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center Wageningen in’to Language
You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So if you do not yet have the track-record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply.
You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter group, and member of the Physics of Soft Matter team, which is led by Asst. Prof. Uddalok Sen.
We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
- working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
- the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
- there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
- a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
- excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €2960,- and €4670,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 32 hours a week can be discussed. Initially, we offer you a one-year contract, which will then be extended to an open-ended contract if there is mutual enthusiasm. Of course, we would be happy to discuss this with you if you have any questions.
Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.
Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the “30% rule”, certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.
Do you want more information?
For more information about this position, please contact Uddalok Sen, Assistant Professor, by e-mail: uddalok.sen@wur.nl.
For more information about the procedure, please contact Rutger Voorrips, Recruiter via e-mail: rutger.voorrips@wur.nl.
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including April 2nd, 2023. Don’t wait with your application till the deadline. As soon as we have suitable candidates we’ll start the interviewing process and could close the application period before the indicated deadline.
Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.
We are
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
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We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.