PhD Student: High-Throughput Protein Mechanics & ML

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich; Basel; Vor Ort; CHF 60.000 - 90.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Enrollment in D-BSSE Doctoral program

Access to lab facilities (AFM, yeast,-

Funding to attend international confs.

Interdisciplinary training environment

Zusammenfassung

ETH Zurich’s Nash Lab invites applications for a Doctoral Student position to study high-throughput analysis of protein-protein interactions under mechanical force. You will integrate protein engineering, single-molecule biophysics, and machine learning to build predictive models and open resources for the community.

The role offers hands‑on training across experimental design to data analysis, close collaboration with Beerenwinkel group, and a pathway through the D-BSSE Doctoral program in

Qualifikationen

• Master's degree in bioengineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, or a related field.
• Strong quantitative background and genuine interest in protein engineering, mechanobiology, and/or high-throughput experimental methods.
• Hands‑on experience with molecular biology and protein expression techniques; prior exposure to yeast display, directed evolution, or single-molecule biophysics (e.g., AFM) is an advantage but not required.
• Comfort with, or willingness to learn, computational analysis of large sequencing datasets (Python or equivalent); experience with machine learning is a plus.
• Independent, careful experimental work combined with the ability to collaborate across two research groups and two institutions.
• Willingness to contribute to bachelor level teaching / chemistry practicals.
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Eligibility for enrollment in the D-BSSE Doctoral program in Basel

Aufgaben

• Establish and validate a quantitative, high-throughput assay for measuring the mechanical stability of a protein-protein interaction relevant to blood clotting
• Cross-validate high-throughput assay results against AFM measurements
• Design and construct DNA variant libraries and display them on yeast
• Apply next-generation DNA sequencing to quantify phenotypes
• Develop computational pipelines to convert sequencing data into quantitative fitness values
• Collaborate with a computational biology group at D-BSSE to develop and benchmark machine learning models
• Prepare data and manuscripts for publication and present results at lab meetings and conferences
• Enroll in and complete the requirements of the D-BSSE Doctoral program in Basel
• Contribute to undergraduate teaching and practical supervision at the University of Basel

Kenntnisse

Protein engineering

Mechanobiology

High-throughput screening

Python

Ausbildung

Master's degree in bioengineering / related field

Tools

Yeast display

AFM

DNA sequencing

Machine learning

Jobbeschreibung

ETH Zurich’s Nash Lab invites applications for a Doctoral Student position to study high-throughput analysis of protein-protein interactions under mechanical force. You will integrate protein engineering, single-molecule biophysics, and machine learning to build predictive models and open resources for the community.

The role offers hands‑on training across experimental design to data analysis, close collaboration with Beerenwinkel group, and a pathway through the D-BSSE Doctoral program in