Radboud University Nijmegen
Job description
On water reactions refer to the remarkable phenomenon of substantial rate accelerations when insoluble reactants are stirred in aqueous suspension. The surface of water itself has been shown to act as a catalyst in such reactions, but the full potential of this effect is currently not known. You will use extremely monodisperse droplets formed at kHz rates in fluidic devices, to control and precisely define the water surface and water-oil interface. Droplet size and frequency as well as the nature of the interface can all be varied systematically. The progress of chemical reactions can then be studied using NMR or HPLC. You will identify a number of chemical reactions that will be influenced by on water conditions and quantify the rate acceleration. These studies will, for the first time, provide a methodical analysis of the on water effect and will lay the foundation for the establishment of on water conditions as a tool in organic chemistry.
Requirements
University Graduate
You must have a Masters degree in Molecular Sciences, Chemistry, or related discipline, organic chemistry research experience, and a strong motivation to conduct scientific research. Preferably you should have a background in the field of synthetic organic chemistry or some experience in working with microfluidics.
Organization
Radboud University Nijmegen Faculty of Science
Strategically located in Europe, Radboud University Nijmegen is one of the leading academic communities in the Netherlands. A place with a personal touch, where top-flight education and research take place on a beautiful green campus in modern buildings with state-of-art facilities.
The goal of the IMM is to provide world-leading research and training of students in the area of functional molecules and materials. The emphasis is on understanding and harnessing of complexity to design materials with new functionalities. The IMM has a multidisciplinary character and encompasses theoretical and experimental groups with both physics and chemistry backgrounds. The infrastructure and expertise available enables groundbreaking research in all areas of materials science. For further information on the IMM see: www.ru.nl/imm The central theme in the research of the new group led by Prof. Huck (Faculty of Science, Institute of Molecules and Materials) is the use of microdroplet in microfluidics as a research tool in chemistry and biology. The main concept is to carry out experiments in small water droplets, separated from each other by a continuous oil phase, within a microfluidic channel. Combining the attributes of compartmentalisation of reactions into microdroplets with the rapid advances occurring in microfluidics offers the prospect of a completely new approach to the chemical and biological sciences. Research in microdroplets is highly interdisciplinary. It requires an extensive cooperation between different disciplines such as physical organic chemistry, chemical biology, materials science and engineering (soft-lithographic techniques, hydrodynamics).
Conditions of employment
Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2,612
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract:
Maximum hours per week: 40
Additional conditions of employment:
You will be appointed as a PhD student for a period of four years. Your performance will be evaluated after 18 months. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years.
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Prof. Wilhelm Huck
Telephone number: +44 1223 331797
E-mail address: wtsh2atcam.ac.uk
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links.
* About the organization
* About the department
* About the function
* Radboud University Nijmegen
Application
You can apply for this job before 18-11-2009 by sending your application to:
Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica
RU Nijmegen, FNWI, P&O, mrs. A. Schroder
P.O. Box 9010
6500 GL Nijmegen, NL
E-mail address: pzatscience.ru.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancy number 62.46.09.
