We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join the group, funded by our new NWO WINC grant. See the application site of the university for now.
The Solid-state NMR group of Prof Patrick van der Wel at the University of Groningen is looking for a postdoctoral researcher with experience in magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy and/or dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). The multiyear postdoctoral position is funded by the Dutch national funding organization NWO, via a national consortium grant that establishes a new ssNMR/DNP facility in Groningen. The postdoc will join the Solid-state NMR group supervised by Prof. Patrick van der Wel, and make use of the group’s dedicated solid-state NMR equipment, instrumentation at the new facility, and world-class resources via our membership of the national uNMR-NL consortium.
The postdoc will contribute to work on DNP-enhanced MAS NMR, MAS NMR of soft (bio)materials, and in-situ illuminated MAS NMR on light-sensitive or light-responsive samples. The ideal candidate would bring experience with DNP-enhanced MAS NMR and an interest in advanced MAS NMR methods and instrumentation. A particular short-term focus will be on in-situ illumination during MAS NMR to probe photochemical processes and light-sensitive samples/materials, following up on our recent publications on this topic [1,2]. Another focus is the methods to probe (dynamic) surfaces of nanomaterials and biological samples leveraging both MAS NMR and DNP methods.
Relevant recent papers:
[1] Lasorsa et al. (2025) Probing Photochemically-Induced Dynamic Transitions by Magic-Angle-Spinning NMR Combined with in-Situ Irradiation. J. Mater. Chem. A 2025, in press. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TA06364G.
[2] Parlato et al. (2024) Photocontrol of the β-Hairpin Polypeptide Structure through an Optimized Azobenzene-Based Amino Acid Analogue. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146 (3), 2062–2071. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c11155.
[3] Rampratap et al. (2024) Resolving Atomic-Level Dynamics and Interactions of High-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronic Acid by Multidimensional Solid-State NMR. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16 (33), 43317–43328. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c08428.
[4] Parlato et al (2025). Probing How Anti‐huntingtin Antibodies Bind the Fibrillar Fuzzy Coat Using Solid‐State NMR. Chemistry A European J 2025, 31, e01676. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202501676.
The Solid-state NMR group is embedded in the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, which has an interdisciplinary profile bridging chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science. Using dedicated solid-state NMR instrumentation we study both biological and materials-related samples. The position is part of a national consortium, and thus offers the opportunity and requirement for the postdoc to collaborate closely with consortium partners, from Groningen and the Netherlands. Locally, there is a particularly close interaction with the nanomaterials group of Prof. L. Protesescu from the Zernike Institute. The Protesescu group has strong expertise in nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, in particular also using advanced solid-state NMR and DNP.
The successful candidate for this position will have the following qualifications/qualities:
• A PhD degree in Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Materials Science, Spectroscopy, or a related discipline – with an expected focus on solid-state NMR and/or DNP.
• Advanced knowledge of solid-state NMR spectroscopy and/or dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), in terms of experimentation and/or instrumentation.
• Knowledge of method- and/or instrumentation development is an advantage. Suitable prior expertise with these techniques may be in diverse application areas, including biological and/or materials related topics.
• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English; knowledge of Dutch an asset
• Very good communication skills, to function as an excellent team player in this collaborative effort
• Enthusiasm and initiative to perform creative research in an interdisciplinary setting.
Interested?
You can apply for this position until Dec 15th 23:59h 2025 Dutch local time. To apply, you need to submit an application via the university website page, which also offers additional details regarding the application procedure, required documents, and the position itself.
For questions or other information you can also contact Patrick van der Wel via p.c.a.van.der.wel@rug.nl