PhD Candidate in Cell-Matrix Interactions in Dynamic Hydrogels - Baandomein

Maastricht University; Maastricht; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12-month contract

Salary range €3,204–€4,051

Holiday allowance 8%

Year-end bonus 8.3%

29 vacation days

Extra days off

Pension ABP

Fitness schemes

Sports facilities

Inspiring work environment

Job summary

Maastricht University invites applications for a fully funded 4-year PhD position focusing on cell–matrix interactions in dynamic hydrogels. The project sits in the BioMatt group as part of MERLN’s IBE department, blending chemistry, polymer design, and cell biology to engineer living materials that cells can actively modify.

The candidate will design supramolecular hydrogels, study cell responses in 2D/3D, and pursue mechanobiology questions with cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications

• MSc (or equivalent) in Biomaterials, Polymer Chemistry, Tissue Engineering, Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture or biomaterials design including polymer functionalization and soft matter characterization.
• Experience studying cells with biomaterials, hydrogels, extracellular-matrix models, or engineered microenvironments.
• Strong interest in mechanobiology and relating cell behavior to material properties.
• Ability to document experiments clearly, analyze data, troubleshoot protocols, and communicate across disciplines.
• Experience with extracellular-matrix deposition or engineered living materials is a plus.
• Excellent command of scientific English (CEFR C1).

Responsibilities

• Design and create supramolecular hydrogels with controlled biofunctionalization.
• Establish 2D and 3D cell culture workflows in hydrogels.
• Investigate how stiffness, stress relaxation, network architecture affect cell behavior.
• Study presentation and accessibility of ligands on cells.
• Examine cell–matrix remodeling and material changes over time.
• Collaborate with team to evaluate engineered cells in hydrogel environments.
• Contribute to experimental design, data analysis, publications, and supervision of students.

Skills

experimental planning

cell biology

mechanobiology

documentation

english proficiency

Education

MSc in Biomaterials/Polymer Chemistry/Tissue Engineering/Cell Biology

Job description

Join us in developing cell-instructive and adaptive supramolecular biomaterials. In this PhD project, you will investigate how the molecular organization, mechanics, dynamics, and presentation of biological signals within hydrogels influence cell behavior. You will then help extend these principles toward living materials in which engineered cells actively modify their surrounding matrix.

PhD Candidate in Cell-Matrix Interactions in Dynamic Hydrogels

Discover how dynamic supramolecular matrices instruct cells and how cells can, in turn, reshape and improve the material around them

• Our goal: To establish predictive relationships between supramolecular hydrogel design and cell response, and to use these insights to create adaptive materials with two-way communication between cells and their matrix.
• Your colleagues: You will join the BioMatt group of Dr. Matthew Baker (https://merlninstitute.com/discover-merln/departments-and-groups/research-groups/biomatt-polymeric-biomaterials). The BioMatt group is part of MERLN’s Department of Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), which develops biomaterials that actively interact with and guide biological systems. Within this environment, BioMatt combines molecular and polymer design with cell biology and tissue engineering to create dynamic materials for biomedical applications.

Working at MERLN means joining an international network of researchers from approximately 25 nationalities and a collaborative community spanning biomaterials, chemistry, mechanobiology, tissue engineering, biofabrication, microbiology, and cell biology. You will work in newly renovated laboratories with access to state-of-the-art facilities and close scientific support from colleagues across the SupraValent team.

What you do

This position leads the cell-matrix interaction and mechanobiology line within the ERC Consolidator project SupraValent. You will use both design and use established hydrogel platforms and processing workflows from the team to determine how material properties are sensed by cells and how cells feed back on their environment. You will:

• Design and create supramolecular hydrogels with control over biofunctionalization via peptide cues
• Establish robust 2D and 3D cell‑culture workflows in supramolecular and dynamically reinforced hydrogels.
• Determine how stiffness, stress relaxation, network architecture, and dynamic covalent reinforcement influence cell adhesion, morphology, mechanotransduction, phenotype, and matrix production.
• Investigate how the molecular‑scale presentation and accessibility of cell‑adhesive or other bioactive ligands affect cellular responses, including cases where bulk material properties are closely matched.
• Study reciprocal cell-matrix interactions, including cell‑mediated remodeling, deposition of extracellular matrix, and changes in hydrogel structure or mechanics over time.
• Work closely with team members to evaluate engineered cells within hydrogel environments and determine whether their activity can controllably build, reinforce, functionalize, or remodel the material.
• Contribute to experimental design, data analysis, publications, conference presentations, and supervision of students within the multidisciplinary BioMatt team.

The project will initially use well‑defined cells and previously created materials and will develop toward novel materials designs with engineered living‑material concepts in collaboration. Specific cell types and biological questions will be selected according to the strongest mechanistic opportunities and collaborations.

Are you ready to connect molecular material design with cell function? Then we would love to meet you.

Scientific background

Cells respond not only to the chemical composition and stiffness of their extracellular matrix, but also to its viscoelasticity, molecular organization, ligand presentation, and capacity to change over time. These variables are difficult to control independently in conventional hydrogels. SupraValent combines reversible benzene‑1,3,5‑tricarboxamide (BTA) self‑assembly with covalent and dynamic‑covalent modification to create materials whose mechanics, dynamics, and functionality can be adjusted after assembly. The project has established a growing molecular toolbox and hydrogel platforms with tunable stress relaxation, self‑healing, reinforcement, and processing behavior.

The next challenge is to determine how to make these material features more biologically meaningful. This PhD project will move beyond simple viability testing to resolve how cells sense local and bulk properties, how these cues influence mechanotransduction and matrix production, and how cellular activity changes the material over time. In the later phase, the candidate will work towards a central SupraValent concept: living cells that do more than survive within a hydrogel, instead actively contributing to its construction, reinforcement, or functional adaptation.

This fully funded 4‑year PhD position offers training at the interface of supramolecular and polymer chemistry, mechanobiology, cell biology, and biomaterials, while remaining embedded in a highly collaborative research environment.

We are interested in the combination of experience, motivation, and perspective you would bring. The ideal candidate is a careful and curious experimental scientist who wants to understand cell‑material interactions on a molecular scale. You are comfortable 1) working with cells, interested in quantitative analysis, or 2) molecularly designing and characterizing soft polymer materials. In the project you should be excited to learn both as part of the PhD trajectory.

Furthermore, you bring:

• An MSc (or equivalent) in Biomaterials, Polymer Chemistry, Tissue Engineering, Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, or a closely related field. Candidates with an equivalent research qualification from an educational system without a separate Master’s degree are also encouraged to apply; eligibility will be assessed individually
• Substantial hands‑on experience with either mammalian cell culture or biomaterials design acquired through an MSc thesis, extended research project, or relevant research position, including (cell culture) aseptic technique, experimental planning, and reliable maintenance of cell‑based assays or (biomaterials) polymer functionalization, soft matter characterization, hydrogel formation.
• Experience studying cells in contact with biomaterials, hydrogels, extracellular‑matrix models, or other engineered microenvironments. Direct experience with 3D cell culture or cell encapsulation is highly desirable.
• Interest in mechanobiology and in relating cell behavior to material properties such as stiffness, stress relaxation, ligand presentation, or remodeling. Prior rheology or mechanical‑characterization experience is helpful but not required.
• The ability to document experiments clearly, analyze data critically, troubleshoot protocols, and communicate across disciplinary boundaries.
• Experience with extracellular‑matrix deposition, cell‑mediated remodeling, engineered cells, microbial culture, or engineered living materials is considered an advantage, but is not required.
• Excellent command of scientific English (minimum CEFR level C1), as English is the working language of the group.

Availability to start the position on short notice is highly desirable; however, the start date remains flexible for highly qualified applicants.

What we offer

At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:

• A 12‑month contract (1,0 FTE) with the prospect of a 3 year extension based on mutual satisfaction.
• A gross monthly salary between € 3.204 and € 4.051 (based on full‑time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year‑end bonus.
• 29 vacation days (based on full‑time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours.
• Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.
• A close‑knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.
• A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.
• An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.

The selection process consists of two interviews: one conducted online and one on‑site. During the on‑site interview, candidates will be asked to give a presentation, followed by individual meetings with team members.

For more information about the scientific content of the position, contact Dr. Matthew Baker via [e-mail].

At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

The vacancy is open to internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.