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The Centre’s main objective is to better understand bacterial growth and evolution in the natural environment of pathogenic bacteria: the interior of an animal cell and animal secretions. The members of the Centre will use experimental in vitro models of infections, computer simulations and mathematical theory to create data driven, quantitative models of bacterial growth and evolution in these environments. Research performed in the Centre will contribute towards the understanding of bacterial infections and the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal and human hosts.

While the focus of the Centre will be on basic research in simple in vitro models, the long-term goal is the creation of quantitative, predictive models of in vivo bacterial infections that could be applied to develop new antimicrobial therapies. To facilitate translation from the bench to the bedside, the Centre will develop collaborative projects with biological and biomedical researchers and with industrial partners. The Centre will closely collaborate with MPI for Evolutionary Biology in Plön and other research institutions in Germany, the UK and the US.

A detailed description of the project can be found at https://dioscuricentrebacteria.com/

The candidate will investigate how physical and chemical factors affect biofilm growth, its 3d structure, and population dynamics of new genetic variants. The project will involve (but not limited to) the following tasks:

1. develop in a microfluidics-based experimental model of biofilm growth
2. establish through the literature search and pilot experiments most promising research directions, e.g., biofilms growing on dynamically deforming surfaces, biofilms on micro-patterned surfaces, biofilms on surfaces treated with anti-adhesive coatings.
3. Conduct a detailed experimental study of the role of at least one of the factors mentioned above
4. Propose a mechanistic explanation of the observed phenomenon
5. Explore its significance for industry and medicine.

A stipend of 3640 PLN per month financed from the NCN DIOSCURI project No. 2019/02/H/NZ6/00003.

The successful candidate will benefit from working in an interdisciplinary team of scientists in the Dioscuri Centre. The candidate will learn modern methods of microfluidics-based bacterial cultures, optical imaging of biofilms, advanced methods of image processing and statistical data analysis. The candidate will be coached in drafting scientific publications and grant applications. The candidate will also be able to take advantage of all programs in the IPC PAS, including Young Scientists of IPC PAS competition and Mobility of Young Scientists of IPC PAS competition. Additionally, the institute provides an opportunity to participate in the ERASMUS+ programme.

1. A PhD student status at the start of the scholarship
2. Very good academic achievements as evidenced by past involvement in research projects, internships, peer-reviewed publications and patents.
3. Experience in microbiology, soft lithography, fabrication of PDMS-based microfluidics devices.
4. Basic knowledge of microscopic optical imaging techniques and image processing.
5. Experience with Micromanager and ImageJ.
6. Excellent communications, organization and time management skills.
7. Ability to work independently as well as in a group.
8. Analytical and problem-solving skills.
9. Fluent in spoken and written English.

Each application will be evaluated and assigned a numerical score based on the following criteria:

• the candidate’s research achievements, including publications in prestigious academic press / journals (50% of the final score)
• research-related achievements, scholarships, awards and research experience gained in Poland or abroad, research workshops and training courses, participation in research projects (20% of the final score)
• the candidate’s competence to carry out specific tasks in the research project (30% of the final score).