12 PhD positions within the CLIMB Doctoral Network

Organisation/Company: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

Department: Institute for Complex Systems

Research Field: Chemistry, Physics, Biophysics, Technology

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions

Country: Italy

Application Deadline: 1 Jun 2025 - 00:00 (Europe/Rome)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie

Offer Description

CLIMB brings together leading research laboratories with expertise spanning chemistry, physics, biology, and computational sciences. The project focuses on studying the complex interplay between lipid composition, structural properties, and membrane-driven interactions, with the aim of developing advanced lipid-based materials for a variety of applications. Key research themes include:

• Understanding the role of lipid compositional complexity in membrane properties and functions.
• Developing lipid nanomaterials for use in mRNA delivery systems, bio-sensors, and sustainable formulations.
• Physicochemical characterization of aggregates formed by novel lipid mixtures, including natural extracts and polymer/peptoid coatings.

Doctoral Candidates will benefit from a rich, multidisciplinary training environment, with opportunities to collaborate with both small and large industrial partners, contributing to cutting-edge research with real-world applications.

PhD positions can be filled during 2025. Selected candidates will engage in multidisciplinary research, participate in international secondments across academic and industrial settings, and contribute to high-impact publications and conferences.

Please note that this advertisement contains 12 individual positions. For each of them, individual calls will be managed by the recruiting institution.

Available PhD projects

Host: Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
PhD School: Physics at Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Supervisor: Yuri GERELLI
Academic Supervisor: Francesco SCIORTINO
Project focus: preparation and characterisation of complex lipid membranes at interfaces using advanced (scattering, QCM-D) techniques.
Contact: yuri.gerelli@cnr.it

Host: Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
PhD School: Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at Johannes Gutenberg University
Supervisor: Peter LANGGUTH
Project focus: Development and characterisation of novel lipid-based formulations for RNA delivery.
Contact: langguth@uni-mainz.de

Project 3: Advanced models for the quantitative interpretation of membranes reflectivity data

Host: Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
PhD School: Physics at the University of Strasbourg
Supervisor: Fabrice THALMANN
Project focus: combine atomistic-, coarse-grained and mesoscale simulations for elaborating a fine interpretation of lipid membrane reflectivity data.
Contact: fabrice.thalmann@ics-cnrs.unistra.fr

Project 4: Decipher sequence determinants for IDPs and their interaction with lipids

Host: Lund University, Lund, Sweden
PhD School: Chemistry at Lund University
Supervisor: Marie SKEPÖ
Project focus: determine the role of amino acid motifs on the interaction of intrinsically disordered peptides with lipid membranes.
Contact: marie.skepo@compchem.lu.se

Project 5: Hybrid synthetic/biogenic non-lamellar lipid films

Host: Chemistry Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
PhD School: Chemistry at University of Florence
Supervisor: Costanza MONTIS
Project focus: produce and characterise lamellar and non-lamellar lipid systems.
Contact: costanza.montis@unifi.it

Project 6: Custom-Designed Asymmetric Unilamellar Vesicles Mimicking Plasma Membranes

Host: Graz University, Graz, Austria
PhD School: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Graz University
Supervisor: Georg PABST
Project focus: Produce and characterise lipid vesicles with asymmetric bilayers.
Contact: georg.pabst@uni-graz.at

Project 7: Controlling Molecular Transport and Cargo Delivery across Lipid Membranes

Host: Oslo University, Oslo, Norway
PhD School: Group for Soft Matter & Scattering Methods at Oslo University
Supervisor: Reidar LUND
Project focus: Characterisation of mechanisms for lipid transport across membranes.
Contact: reidar.lund@kjemi.uio.no

Project 8: Bio-membranes at air/water interfaces: structure, transport and uptake mechanisms

Host: Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
PhD School: Physics at Technical University Darmstadt
Supervisor: Emanuel SCHNECK
Project focus: characterisation of lipid membranes immobilised at liquid interfaces.
Contact: emanuel.schneck@pkm.tu-darmstadt.de

Project 9: Complex biomembranes from micro-organisms

Host: Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
PhD School: Molecular Biology at Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
Supervisor: Krishna BATCHU
Project focus: Development and validation of analytical tools to produce deuterated lipid molecules.
Contact: batchu@ill.fr

Project 10: Mapping the interactions of a drug with its nanocarrier

Host: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
PhD School: Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Technion
Supervisor: Dganit DANINO
Project focus: evaluation of the interaction between lipid-based drug vectors and enzyme therapeutics.
Contact: dganitd@bfe.technion.ac.il

Project 11: Methods for determination of quality control size-related parameters in nanoparticle systems

Host: Postnova Analytics GmbH, Landsberg am Lech, Germany
PhD School: Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Supervisor: Florian MEIER
Project focus: development of quantitative methods for the characterisation of formulations for RNA delivery.
Contact: florian.meier@postnova.com

Project 12: Development of Laser Transmission Spectroscopy method for lipid nanovectors

Host: Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
PhD School: Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Supervisor: Simona SENNATO
Project focus: characterisation of lipid-based systems in solution via light scattering methods.
Contact: simona.sennato@cnr.it

Where to apply

E-mail: yuri.gerelli@cnr.it

Requirements

Research Fields: Physics, Chemistry, Technology

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Languages: ENGLISH Level: Good

Additional Information

• Salary: Doctoral candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations.
• Multidisciplinary Training: Doctoral candidates will receive comprehensive training in lipid science, advanced experimental methods, and computational modelling.
• International Secondments: Each doctoral candidate will undertake international secondments.
• Personalized Career Development Plans: Each candidate will receive personalized mentoring and career development plans tailored to their research goals.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants profile: Applicants must have a university degree (master or comparable) in relevant disciplines.

Applicants must have a strong interest in conducting collaborative research.

Specific Eligibility Criteria of MSCA-DN Programme:

• Doctoral Candidates must not yet been awarded a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment.
• Doctoral Candidates must have not resided or carried out main activity in the country of the host beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date.
• Doctoral Candidates must be able to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English.

Selection process

Call for applications will be posted individually for each advertised position, starting from February 2025.

How to Apply: For detailed information on the application and selection procedures for specific positions, please contact the main supervisor for each position listed below.

For more information about the CLIMB project, please contact the project Coordinator (yuri.gerelli@cnr.it).