Overview
APPLICATION DEADLINE
10/06/2025 21:00 – Europe/Brussels
OFFER STARTING DATE
15/09/2025
Where to send your application:
COMPANY: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS, v. v. i., Dolejškova 3, Cz18223, Prague 8, Czech Republic
E-MAIL: jan.sykora@jh-inst.cas.cz and recruitment@jh-inst.cas.cz and include the following text in the subject line of your email: SC2025_12.
The position is a part of the Innovative Training Network (ITN) « WATER – Doctoral Network on Interfacial Water in Membrane Transport ». The network is devoted to the investigation of water transport and water organization in the vicinity of biomembranes and membrane proteins. It is funded under Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01-01). The successful applicant will focus on characterizing the organization of the interfacial water at various biologically relevant systems using time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and advanced techniques of fluorescence microscopy.
In the framework of the ITN project, Ph.D. student will undergo 2 secondments at Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria studying protein-lipid interactions and membrane transport.
Finances
The applicant will be funded from the EU project for 36 months. Monthly salary will be approximately €1900 after deduction of taxes and social security, including a monthly mobility allowance and – if applicable – a family allowance which will be paid in addition.
Additional information
Women are encouraged to apply. The recruitment committee gives preference to female candidates if they are equally qualified as male candidates.
Benefits:
– 25 days paid leave of absence (holidays) per year
– Financial allowance for lunches
– 3 days of paid sick-leave in addition to the statutory insurance per year
– 5 days of personal leave per year
The expected starting date is September 15th, 2025.
Required Qualifications
1. Applicants must, at the date of recruitment by WATER, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience measured from the date when the researcher obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctorate) of their research careers
2. They should not have been awarded a doctoral degree.
3. Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting institution (i.e. the Czech Republic) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. This excludes short stays such as holidays or compulsory national service.
4. We look for students with exceptional academic performance holding or very close to completing their Master degree in Biophysics, Biochemistry or closely related subjects,
5. Knowledge of the English language is essential.
Additional Qualifications
Advanced methods of fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. Basic preparation skills of the model bilayer systems and protein labelling. Biochemical labelling, chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy, time resolved anisotropy and circular dichroism spectroscopy, single molecule microscopy
1. Knowledge of fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy techniques (time resolved spectroscopy, wide field and/or confocal microscopy, single molecule microscopy)
2. Experience in handling fluorescent molecules.
3. Publications in international journals/attendance of international conferences in the following fields: biophysics, fluorescence spectroscopy
4. Protein purification and membrane reconstitution
5. Ability to use programming languages for data acquisition and processing
6. Soft skills: presentation skill, team working ability
REQUIRED LANGUAGES
ENGLISH: Good
For all the above, knowledge is proven by master thesis, certificates, publications, or equivalent documentation. Skills should be acknowledged in reference letters and demonstrated during the interview. During the interview each applicant presents his/her master thesis (5 minutes) and a scientific paper from an area unrelated to his/her specialization (chosen by the interviewers, approximately 5 minutes). The presentations will be followed by the discussion on the topics related to WATER project (approximately 10 minutes).
By submitting your CV, you consent to the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry processing and storing your personal data in our HR database solely for recruitment purposes. Additionally, you confirm that the information provided is accurate and truthful.
