PhD student: Single-molecule biophysics of ribosome cooperation

Work Activities
Summary - In this project, you will perform innovative (bio)physics experiments to elucidate the dynamic action of individual ribosomes. The key methodologies are optical tweezers, single-molecule fluorescence, as well as selective ribosome profiling – an exciting new RNA sequencing method. Working in the Tans biophysics lab @ AMOLF Amsterdam, you will visualize the real-time translation activity of ribosomes, how multiple ribosomes work together, detect the folding of individual polypeptide chains, and show how chaperones guide this process. You will work in an international team, with other groups specialized in ribosome profiling and cryo-EM techniques. The aim is to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the correct and erroneous production of new proteins.

Questions - According to textbooks, ribosomes work individually to produce proteins. However, recent insights from our lab and others show multiple ribosomes cooperate as they translate mRNA. This cooperation may well be essential to produce multi-protein complexes faithfully. In our group, we aim to elucidate the highly diverse and broad implications. Questions we are interested in include: Do ribosomes synchronize their translation activity in real-time, like a sequence of cars in traffic? Are mRNA secondary structures and/or direct interactions between ribosomes involved? How do the two (or more) protein chains synthesized by these multiple ribosomes fold together to form protein complexes? How many ribosomes cooperate together? Can we see cooperation between ribosomes that translate different RNA messages? Given the novelty of these fundamental questions in this rapidly expanding field, you will have a unique chance to address them first.

Approach - You will directly follow the unknown dynamics of ribosome translation, protein folding and assembly, and chaperone guidance. This is enabled using optical tweezers combined with single-molecule fluorescence, which detect changes in individual molecules at nanometer and millisecond resolution. In collaboration with our partners, you will also use selective ribosome profiling – an RNA sequencing method that provides high-level data across the genome an in-vivo. This first look may reveal a host of unexpected phenomena. You will develop new experimental schemes, Use cutting-edge single-molecule fluorescence and manipulation methods, Adapt existing biochemical protocols, Analyze the complex temporal data, formulation of new models, And explain your findings in high-level scientific papers.

International team - You will be part of a collaboration with leading groups at Heidelberg University and the ETH in Zurich, which use novel sequencing and cryo-EM methods. By working within this motivated group of young scientists, you will obtain a unique training, understanding and skill set in this expanding field. By integrating these approaches, you will provide insights of unprecedented detail, spanning from the cellular to the atomic level, from in vivo to in vitro, from genome-wide patterns to molecular mechanisms, and from bacteria to human cells.

Image left show ribosome (blue, orange) that synthesized protein chain (yellow) by translating the RNA message (red). Image right shows dynamic ribosome interactions.

Qualifications
We have a number of positions available (PhD and PD). We are looking for outstanding experimental physicists or chemists with an interest in single-molecule techniques, ambition to make breakthrough findings, programming skills to handle complex data, and who thrive in a diverse, collaborative, and supportive environment. Excellent verbal and written English skills are essential. You meet the requirements for an MSc-degree to ensure eligibility for a Dutch PhD examination.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Our group - We form a lively and close-knit research group of about 10 PhD students and postdocs, which work together in small teams on various projects in a highly supportive and social atmosphere that extends to the other research groups at the AMOLF institute, which is housed in a modern building in the east of Amsterdam. The Tans group at the AMOLF institute Amsterdam has been at the forefront of studying chaperone-guided protein folding using optical tweezers. This technique allows one to mechanically manipulate individual proteins, and hence follow the movements and folding steps as they fold. We have shown striking sequences of molecular events that underlie chaperone functions, which are invisible with other methods.

https://www.sandertanslab.nl

https://amolf.nl/research-groups/biophysics

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.781 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at Delft University of Technology.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• Funding is available to attend regularly international conferences.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
https://www.sandertanslab.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. Hence, we will only consider your application if it contains your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Postdoc: Revealing ribosomes using single-molecule and RNA sequencing

Work Activities
Summary - In this project, you will perform innovative (bio)physics experiments to elucidate the dynamic action of individual ribosomes - specifically their interactions within polysomes. The key methodologies are optical tweezers, single-molecule fluorescence, as well as selective ribosome profiling – an exciting new RNA sequencing method. Working in the Tans biophysics lab @ AMOLF Amsterdam, you will visualize the real-time translation activity of ribosomes, how multiple ribosomes work together, detect the folding of individual polypeptide chains, and show how chaperones guide this process. You will work in an international team, with other groups specialized in ribosome profiling and cryo-EM techniques. The aim is to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the correct and erroneous production of new proteins.

Questions - According to textbooks, ribosomes work individually to produce proteins. However, recent insights from our lab and others show multiple ribosomes cooperate as they translate mRNA. This cooperation within larger ‘polysomes’ may well be essential to produce multi-protein complexes faithfully. In our group, we aim to elucidate the highly diverse and broad implications. Questions we are interested in include: Do ribosomes synchronize their translation activity in real-time, like a sequence of cars in traffic? Are mRNA secondary structures and/or direct interactions between ribosomes involved? How do the two (or more) protein chains synthesized by these multiple ribosomes fold together to form protein complexes? How many ribosomes cooperate together? Can we see cooperation between ribosomes that translate different RNA messages? Given the novelty of these fundamental questions in this rapidly expanding field, you will have a unique chance to address them first.

Approach - You will directly follow the unknown dynamics of ribosome translation, protein folding and assembly, and chaperone guidance. This is enabled using optical tweezers combined with single-molecule fluorescence, which detect changes in individual molecules at nanometer and millisecond resolution. In collaboration with our partners, you will also use selective ribosome profiling – an RNA sequencing method that provides high-level data across the genome an in-vivo. This first look may reveal a host of unexpected phenomena. You will develop new experimental schemes, Use cutting-edge single-molecule fluorescence and manipulation methods, Adapt existing biochemical protocols, Analyze the complex temporal data, formulation of new models, And explain your findings in high-level scientific papers.

International team - You will be part of a collaboration with leading groups at Heidelberg University and the ETH in Zurich, which use novel sequencing and cryo-EM methods. By working within this motivated group of young scientists, you will obtain a unique training, understanding and skill set in this expanding field. By integrating these approaches, you will provide insights of unprecedented detail, spanning from the cellular to the atomic level, from in vivo to in vitro, from genome-wide patterns to molecular mechanisms, and from bacteria to human cells.

Image left show ribosome (blue, orange) that synthesized protein chain (yellow) by translating the RNA message (red). Image right shows dynamic ribosome interactions.

Qualifications
We have a number of positions available (PhD and PD). We are looking for outstanding experimental physicists or chemists with an interest in single-molecule techniques, ambition to make breakthrough findings, programming skills to handle complex data, and who thrive in a diverse, collaborative, and supportive environment. Excellent verbal and written English skills are essential.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Our group - We form a lively and close-knit research group of about 10 PhD students and postdocs, which work together in small teams on various projects in a highly supportive and social atmosphere that extends to the other research groups at the AMOLF institute, which is housed in a modern building in the east of Amsterdam. The Tans group at the AMOLF institute Amsterdam has been at the forefront of studying chaperone-guided protein folding using optical tweezers. This technique allows one to mechanically manipulate individual proteins, and hence follow the movements and folding steps as they fold. We have shown striking sequences of molecular events that underlie chaperone functions, which are invisible with other methods.

https://www.sandertanslab.nl

https://amolf.nl/research-groups/biophysics

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• Funding is available to attend regularly international conferences.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign researcher with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
https://www.sandertanslab.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. Hence, we will only consider your application if it contains your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Postdoc: Inverse design of broadband multi-parameter nanophotonic sensors

Work Activities
The Photonic Forces group at AMOLF is looking for a motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher to join an ambitious interdisciplinary project on next-generation optical sensing technologies. In this project, you will develop novel theoretical and numerical methods for the inverse design of nanophotonic structures enabling broadband, multiparameter sensing in fiber-based systems.

The project is a collaboration between AMOLF, TU Eindhoven, and industrial partners, aiming to establish a new paradigm for nanophotonic fiber sensing. Modern industry increasingly relies on real-time monitoring of various quantities, such as pressure, temperature, and acceleration. While optical sensors have great advantages, they are challenged by high cost and the difficulty to distinguish various physical quantities. We address these challenges by developing broadband nanophotonic sensors that disentangle multiple physical parameters from complex optical spectra. This approach raises fundamental questions on how information about parameters is optimally encoded and retrieved from light. In particular, it requires understanding how multimode photonic systems respond to mechanical and thermal perturbations, what sets the ultimate precision limits of such measurements, and how nanophotonic structures can be designed to approach these limits.

As a postdoc, you will develop theoretical models and inverse design strategies for optomechanical nanophotonic transducers. You will investigate how to engineer their spectral response for multiparameter sensing, guided by fundamental bounds on estimation precision, and implement advanced computational design methods to realize optimal structures. Your work will directly connect fundamental concepts in nanophotonics and measurement theory to the development of new sensing technologies, in close collaboration with experimental researchers and industrial partners.

Our group offers an open and collaborative environment in which we focus on hands-on learning and personal growth of all group members. We are looking for excited and talented candidates, who are eager to develop new skills and engage new challenges in close collaboration with colleagues.

Please send your application at the latest by May 28, 2026.

Qualifications
We seek an excellent candidate with a background in physics or engineering, with relevant experience in nanophotonic theory and/or novel automated design approaches. You need to have a doctoral degree, or have met all the requirements and will receive the doctoral degree shortly. The successful candidate has a collaborative spirit, and will liaise with collaborators. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse workplace, and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

Work environment
The Photonic Forces team led by prof. Ewold Verhagen studies light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, in devices ranging from photonic crystals and metamaterials to high-quality optical resonators. We investigate the fundamental physics associated with such interactions, which are enhanced through optical field confinement in tailored nanophotonic systems, as well as the applications they allow. In particular, we study new ways to measure and control both light and motion down to the fundamental limits governed by physical laws and symmetries. Theory and experiment go hand in hand in many projects in the group. Within the group as well as among the different groups at AMOLF, we have a strong focus on stimulating development of junior researchers in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at AMOLF and beyond. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where passion and enjoyment of science can shine. For more information, see www.optomechanics.nl.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at AMOLF is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of 1.5 years
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.552 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Ewold Verhagen: verhagen@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below, at the latest by May 28, 2026.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Postdoctoral Researcher: How do physical learning systems learn?

Work Activities
We are seeking an excellent and motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team at AMOLF, working on fundamental questions on physical self-learning systems as part of the NWO ENW‑M1 project “How do physical learning systems learn?”. The research position is intended to start in September 2026.

Physical learning is an emerging paradigm in which materials adapt their behavior through local physical rules, without digital computation. Despite rapid experimental progress, it remains poorly understood how such systems learn and what signatures learning leaves in their physical structure and energy landscape. This project aims to build the theoretical foundations of physical learning, uncovering the modes of learning available to linear and nonlinear systems, their expressiveness and capacity, and the physical imprints of learned tasks.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to developing this theoretical framework, with a strong focus on analytical modeling, computational methods, and the interpretation of learning signals embedded in physical structures. Recent advances in our group, including new methods for detecting learning signals in linear networks that reveal aspects of the tasks they have learned, provide a powerful conceptual starting point.

The scope of possible topics includes:

• Developing theoretical tools to characterize learning modes in linear and nonlinear physical networks.
• Understanding how learning reshapes physical energy landscapes.
• Identifying physical signatures of learned tasks.
• Exploring expressiveness, capacity, and continual learning in physical systems.

This position is theoretical and computational in nature, with opportunities for collaboration with experimental groups working on physical learning in electronics, mechanics, and living flow networks (Physarum Polycephalum).

For more information about our work, see:

[1] Stern, Hexner, Rocks and Liu, Supervised learning in physical networks: From machine learning to learning machines, PRX 11, 021045 (2021)

[2] Stern and Murugan, Learning without neurons in physical systems, Ann Rev Cond Matt Phys 14, 417 (2023)

[3] Stern, Liu and Balasubramanian, Physical effects of learning, PRE 109, 024311 (2024).

[4] Stern, Guzman, Martins, Liu and Balasubramanian, Physical networks become what they learn, PRL 134, 147402 (2025).

Qualifications
We seek candidates with:

• A PhD in physics, applied mathematics, materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Strong interest in learning, adaptation, and dynamical systems in physical contexts
• Experience with analytical and\or computational modeling.
• Proficiency in numerical methods and coding (Python, JAX, MATLAB, or related tools).
• Good communication skills in English.
• Experience with complex systems, energy landscapes, physical memory, machine learning, or soft/active matter is advantageous but not required.
• We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and strongly encourage curiosity-driven thinkers.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

The Learning Machines group at AMOLF, led by Menachem (Nachi) Stern, focuses on the development of fundamental understanding and theories regarding learning, from a physical perspective, under real world constraints.

Our group members work closely together with extensive support from AMOLF resources in all aspects of design, realization, and interpretation of computational models of physical learning systems. We have a strong focus on stimulating development of personnel in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at our institutes and beyond. Moreover, we work closely together with international groups and companies.

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.552 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact

Dr. Menachem Stern
E-mail: stern@amolf.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD: High-Harmonic Generation and spectroscopy of Liquids and Few-layer solids

Work Activities
This fully funded PhD position lies at the interface of fundamental physics and advanced spectroscopy. The research focuses on developing and applying high-harmonic generation (HHG) techniques to study ultrafast dynamics in liquids and few-layer solids. You will design and build beamlines for HHG sources, perform experiments using state-of-the-art ultrafast laser systems, develop spectroscopic and interferometric methods, and analyze large datasets to uncover the mechanisms governing light emission and structural dynamics at femtosecond to attosecond timescales.

You will join the new Short Wavelength Light Sources for EUV Metrology group in the Metrology Department at ARCNL, working in a collaborative environment alongside other PhD students and postdocs. You will contribute to publications in leading journals and present your results at international conferences.

Background:
The Short Wavelength Light Sources for EUV Metrology group explores how liquid-phase high-harmonic generation (HHG) and ultrafast spectroscopy can be harnessed to create designable coherent EUV and soft X-ray sources. Traditionally, HHG-based EUV sources are generated in gases, which can reach high photon energies (~500 eV) but suffer from low brilliance due to the dilute nature of the medium. In contrast, HHG from crystalline solids offers higher flux but is limited to lower photon energies (~10–50 eV) and has a low damage threshold, restricting operation to low intensities.

This group, led by Dr. Angana Mondal, focuses on novel materials such as liquids and 2D solids to overcome the limitations of traditional HHG sources. Dr. Mondal’s research spans liquid HHG, attosecond science, and ultrafast light–matter interactions. Her work established the fundamental principles of HHG in liquids, including scaling laws such as cutoff independence from laser wavelength and pulse duration [Mondal et al., Nature Physics 19, 1813–1820 (2023); Optics Express 31, 34348 (2023)], and recently demonstrated multi-plateau HHG driven by off-site recombination [Mondal et al., Nature Photonics (2025)]. By leveraging the intermediate properties of condensed, disordered systems, the group aims to design to design sources that combine the best features of both approaches.

Project Goal:
To develop designable coherent sources of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or soft X-rays via high-harmonic generation from liquids and confined solids. The aim is to uncover the underlying ultrafast mechanisms of light–matter interaction, and to develop new control strategies—geometry, composition, field parameters, and phase-retrieval techniques—for tailored EUV/soft X-ray emission. The long-term vision is to implement these sources in imaging and metrology for semiconductor materials and interfaces, combining ultrafast temporal resolution with nanoscale spatial sensitivity.

Qualifications
Mandatory:
Applicants must hold, or be nearing completion of, a Master’s degree in Physics, Physical Chemistry, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline, in accordance with Dutch university requirements for enrollment in a PhD program. Candidates should demonstrate a strong interest in nonlinear optics, materials science, and chemistry, coupled with excellent critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills. Proficiency in both written and spoken English is required. While prior experience with femtosecond lasers is not a prerequisite, it will be considered a distinct advantage.

Preferred:
Additional skills that will be considered an asset include familiarity with programming and large data handling for data analysis (Python, MATLAB), experience with vacuum systems and EUV/X-ray instrumentation, and knowledge of high-harmonic generation or laser-matter interaction.

Work environment
ARCNL performs fundamental research, focusing on the physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. While the academic setting and research style are geared towards establishing scientific excellence, the topics in ARCNL’s research program are intimately connected with the interests of the industrial partner ASML. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 100 persons of which 65 are ambitious (young) researchers from all over the globe. www.arcnl.nl

Working conditions
The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 3.115 per month and a range of employment benefits. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. ARCNL assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact:

Dr. Angana Mondal (Head of Short-Wavelength Light Sources for EUV Metrology group)

Email: a.mondal@arcnl.nl

Tel.: 020-8517100

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.