PhD student Nonlinear molecular spectroscopy of elastic water

Organisation/Company AMOLF Research Field Chemistry » Molecular chemistry Chemistry » Physical chemistry Physics » Optics Physics » Statistical physics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 10 Aug 2026 - 13:01 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 40.0 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Hydrogels form a special class of form-stable, elastic materials that consist of a (polymer) network and a large amount of water. In this project you will use advanced nonlinear spectroscopic techniques to study biological hydrogels and supramolecular hydrogels. Biological hydrogels have a network formed by protein-polysaccharide chains, and typically contain 90-99% water. These hydrogels are ubiquitous in nature and perform important biological functions.

Supramolecular hydrogels contain relatively small molecular components that reversibly assemble via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions into fibrils or bundels. Supramolecular hydrogels can already be form-stable and elastic while containing an astonishingly large amount >99.9% of water. As a result of the non-covalent nature of these interactions, supramolecular hydrogels are highly responsive to external stimuli like changes in temperature, pH, and exposure to light, thus allowing an easy control of their visco-elastic properties.

For some supramolecular hydrogels, a small change in temperature already suffices to switch the state of the system between a liquid aqueous solution and a form-stable elastic hydrogel.

In this project you will study the molecular-scale structure and dynamics of water and polymer networks of biological and supramolecular hydrogels, using femtosecond two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and polarization-resolved femtosecond infrared spectroscopy. The obtained information will clarify how the macroscopic viscoelastic and responsive properties of hydrogels are determined by the structure and dynamics of the polymer network and the water molecules of the hydrogel.

A Masters degree in Physics or Physical Chemistry. Experience with femtosecond lasers and/or nonlinear spectroscopy is a bonus.

The group Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Prof. dr. Huib J. Bakker studies the molecular-scale structural dynamics of complex liquids like water and aqueous solutions, and solids (e.g. ice and metal-organic-frameworks). This research is carried out with advanced (nonlinear) spectroscopic techniques including femtosecond two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, vibrational surface sum-frequency generation, and GHz-THz dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. http://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). AMOLF is one of the research institutes of NWO-I, and initiates and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, with the goal to create new functional materials.

The institute works in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 160 researchers and 90 support employees..nl

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as a full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment with the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I), for the duration of four years
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at the University of Amsterdam.
• Several courses are offered, specifically developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists incoming foreign PhD-students with housing and visa applications, and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

For further information about the position, please contact Huib Bakker: h.bakker and .

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