PhD Candidate in Environmental Bioengineering & Microfluidics

ETH Zurich; Zürich; On-site; CHF 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ETH Zurich invites applications for a Doctoral Student in Environmental Bioengineering in Zurich. The project investigates plasmid spread via bacterial conjugation under environmental conditions, with integration of chemotaxis assays and controlled shear systems.

You will design instrumentation, run experiments, and contribute to data analysis and modeling, working in an interdisciplinary team led by Prof. Roman Stocker.

Qualifications

• Practical experience in prototyping and manufacturing, e.g., CAD, 3D printing, machining.
• Experience with control systems and instrumentation (motor control, sensors, microcontrollers, automation or data‑acquisition code).
• Willingness to work in a microbiology lab with bacterial cultures and flow cytometry.
• Familiarity with microscopy, image analysis, fluid mechanics or microfluidics is beneficial.
• Fluency in English (oral and written); ability to collaborate in an interdisciplinary, international team.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and characterize new instrumentation to couple existing chemotaxis assays to controlled shear systems.
• Run chemotaxis and conjugation experiments with bacterial donors and recipients of plasmids and a range of chemoattractants.
• Image and track fluorescently labeled bacteria and chemical plumes in shear flow, and analyze the data with quantitative pipelines.
• Test clinically relevant bacteria and freshwater bacteria to assess chemotaxis-driven spread of resistance.
• Contribute data to mathematical models of plasmid spread.

Skills

Fluent English

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Analytical mindset

Tools

CAD

3D printing

Machining

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

Job description

ETH Zurich invites applications for a Doctoral Student in Environmental Bioengineering in Zurich. The project investigates plasmid spread via bacterial conjugation under environmental conditions, with integration of chemotaxis assays and controlled shear systems.

You will design instrumentation, run experiments, and contribute to data analysis and modeling, working in an interdisciplinary team led by Prof. Roman Stocker.