PhD Student Molecular Imprinting within the Sensor Engineering Group of the Faculty of Science and...

Research within the Sensor Engineering research group of Maastricht University is focused on developing innovative sensor technologies for implementation in diverse fields ranging from medical diagnostics to food safety assessment. For this position we are looking for a motivated PhD student with a master degree and a solid background in bio-, organic, polymer or analytical chemistry. The candidate will work in a multicultural, interdisciplinary team consisting of engineers, chemists and biomedical scientists. The research group has developed extensive expertise in combining sensor technology with chemistry and biomedical engineering to acquire knowledge and streamline applications for use in real life settings. 

As a PhD student you will take care of your own research project in an independent manner, although supervision by experienced researchers is available within the group. You will read literature, develop a research plan, carry out experiments, process and interpret data and write scientific publications. If the pandemic allows it, you will participate in international conferences where you will present your work to the scientific community and represent the university, our research group and the project you are working on.

The PhD project is focused on the development of sensor platforms based on so-called surface imprinted polymers (SIPs). These thin polymeric layers are deposited onto sensor electrodes after which they are imprinted with macromolecular entities. In this way, the polymer forms a mold around the target (e.g. a bacterium) and upon removal of this biological or chemical entity, microcavities are created on the surface of the polymer film which are complementary to the imprinted targets in size, shape and the distribution of functional groups. These SIPs can then be implemented into a sensor as they will now selectively capture the target when they encounter it in for example a liquid sample. In the past, the SE department has successfully developed SIP-based sensors for bacteria, cancer cells and proteins and in this project the PhD student will investigate the possibility of imprinting various fungi and/or their spores.
The ultimate goal is to use the sensor in the food industry during the cultivation of crops. Cucumber growers for example, have indicated that fungal contamination of their crops is a major problem and that a sensor that is able to detect these fungi or their spores in air, would be of great value. Initially we will focus on catching these spores in air and transferring them to a liquid medium but in the later stages of the project, we will also investigate the possibility of creating a flow cell for gas phase measurements.