Job details Print page

The objective of the project is to develop an analytical platform to encapsulate bacterial cells into droplets using microfluidics, incubate them and detect growth without optical labeling. In the envisioned protocol, the sample culture of cells will be serially diluted and each dilution split and mixed with multiple concentrations of antibiotic to screen inoculum density and antibiotic concentration with digital droplet assays. The assays at high and low inoculum density will allow us to count the fraction of populated droplets that produced dense colonies of bacteria. These counts will allow us to measure the single-cell Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (scMIC) level and the inoculum effect (IE) while the low-density screens will uncover the phenotypic heteroresistance, p(scMIC). The method will offer a wealth of information for research on the response of cells and bacterial colonies to antibiotics, and hopefully will guide more effective treatments regimens.

• Designing and implementing microbiological experiments on developed microfluidic platforms
• Determination of the heterogeneity and hetero-resistance of the phenotype of  growing bacterial population exposed to antibiotics using genetic techniques
• Quantitative determination of the inoculum effect
• Data analysis, writing reports and scientific publications
• Cooperation with researchers, including communication with English-speaking colleagues

Benefits:

• We offer 4500 PLN per month scholarship financed by the NSC MAESTRO 10 Project No. 2018/30/A/ST4/00036. The position is for the period of 32 months (with the possibility to extend to 36 months if the project is prolonged by NCN).

Career development benefits:

• Work in the outstanding scientific institution in the dynamic research group with members representing diverse interests and qualifications – see details on the website:  http://ichf.pong.pl/en
• Pursuing PhD degree
• Participation in international conferences and Erasmus+ projects

For additional job details: Contact microfluidics@ichf.edu.pl

• MSc diploma in microbiology, bioengineering, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, bioinformatics, electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, or similar
• Creativity and enthusiasm measured by the quality and number of projects, study record, internships, authorship in peer-reviewed publications and patents in which the Candidate participated and contributed.
• Analytical thinking and critical problem solving skills.
• Excellent communication, organization and time management skills
• Fluent in spoken and written English
• Flexibility and ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural research team
• Direct experience with microfluidics as well as microbiological and molecular biology techniques is an asset

• The best applicants will be invited for an interview (online). The interview for „Warszawska Szkoła Doktorska Nauk Ścisłych i BioMedycznych” (Warsaw Doctoral School “Warsaw-4-PhD”) will most likely be carried out at the very beginning of February 2021.
• The scholarship will be awarded in accordance with the NCN regulations: „Regulamin przyznawania stypendiów naukowych w projektach badawczych finansowanych ze środków narodowego centrum nauki" https://ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2019/uchwala25_2019-zal1.pdf and in accordance with the Employment policy of the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS (http://ichf.edu.pl/employment_policy.pdf )
• The Commission will take into account the following criteria:

1.  competences of candidates for specific tasks in a research project,
2. previous scientific achievements of candidates,
3. awards and distinctions of the candidate resulting from the conducted research.

• The commission will evaluate applications on a point scale.
• The results of the competition are made public.
• The competition will be settled after the Doctoral School recruitment results are published.
• Scheduled date of starting work within the Project: February-March 2021.