Postdoctoral Fellowship (08) at University of Groningen, Netherlands

Evolution is an all-purpose problem solver, which researchers mimic in the laboratory to engineer tailor-made (bio)molecules that aid us in combating diseases and in realizing a sustainable economy. While effective, such directed evolution campaigns are not only laborious and time-consuming but also cover only a miniscule fraction of the unimaginably large sequence space available. As a result, means to guide evolutionary trajectories along a biomolecule’s fitness landscape are sought-after, as they could greatly accelerate evolutionary searches.

Within the framework of the recently funded ML-GUIDE project, we aim to make directed evolution guidable and, ultimately, predictable by machine learning. In your role, you will be leading next-generation and third-generation sequencing campaigns to expedite the design of high-affinity binders that engage with therapeutic targets or efficient (bio)catalysts for synthetic applications. Your contributions in data generation and valorization will be crucial to establish accelerated Design-Build-Test-Learn cycles to continuously improve models via active learning and guide evolutionary trajectories toward promising but otherwise inaccessible sequence spaces.

A 3-year postdoc position is open in the Advanced Production Engineering (APE) research group at the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG), Faculty of Science and Engineering. The appointment will focus on the development of sustainable ZnAlMg-X alloy coatings for green steel applications.

ZnAlMg alloys coated steel belong to the most important materials for automotive components, building components, domestic appliances and electrical goods. Besides the improved corrosion resistance, however, these coating alloys generally suffer from a reduced formability and cracking resistance as compared to GI galvanized steel. Furthermore, it is unclear at this moment how these types of coatings will perform in application to the green steel. This project is aimed investigating the impact of using green steel as a substrate and at the same time improving the performance of this type of coatings on corrosion and cracking resistance, applicability and removability for recycling.

A 3-year postdoc position is available in the field of physical vapor deposition and chemical vapor deposition at the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Groningen.

This project aims to develop eco-friendly electrical steel coatings that utilize sustainable materials and processes for enhanced properties and recyclability.

A full-time postdoctoral position is open in the Advanced Production Engineering (APE) research group at the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG), Faculty of Science and Engineering. The appointment will focus on advancing sustainable manufacturing through circular and hybrid material solutions.

In materials engineering, plastics and metals present complementary strengths and challenges. Metals offer strength, conductivity, and wear resistance while polymers enable complex geometries and lightweight designs. Combining these classes raises issues around recyclability, interfacial adhesion, and mismatched thermal expansion that can induce stresses and affect lifetime performance.

We invite a motivated researcher to develop new methods for integrating circular and multi-material concepts into contemporary production. The project emphasizes analysis and design of multi-material systems including plastics and metals. It will establish an integrated digital framework where materials research and testing provide the validated basis for Digital Twins and AI-driven decision support. The successful candidate will have access to advanced laboratories, simulation platforms, and a multidisciplinary research environment.

A 2-year postdoctoral position in polymer synthesis is available at the University of Groningen within the Horizon Europe Pathfinder project SUSHI-PACK (Sustainable High-Performance Packaging from Seaweed and Regenerated Used Cooking Oils) in the research group of Prof. Patrizio Raffa.

SUSHI-PACK brings together leading academic and industrial partners across Europe to develop next-generation sustainable packaging materials from renewable resources. Within this project, the successful candidate will contribute to the design, synthesis, and characterization of innovative bio-based polymers and polymer networks derived from regenerated waste oils and seaweed-based feedstocks for use in smart packaging applications.

Within the Center for Groningen Language and Culture (CGTC) we are looking for a postdoctoral researcher (0.8 FTE, 25 months) on speech technology for Low Saxon varieties. The goal of this postdoctoral position is to investigate how low-resource speech technology can be developed and improved, specifically focusing on the various Dutch Low Saxon varieties. Consequently, this position will entail doing high-quality research into how low-resource varieties can benefit optimally from the most recent language and speech technology advancements and/or developing new approaches for this purpose. The position also entails helping (to supervise) PhD students with the development and improvement of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems or text-to-speech (TTS) systems, as well as making these available for public use. The implemented technology will be made publicly available and may also be used in the MOI Grunnen | Drenthe project (www.wijzijnmoi.nl). In this project, learning material and an integrative approach is developed for teaching primary school children the regional language. Additional tasks for the successful applicant may involve helping to collect acoustic or textual data for these varieties (e.g., using custom online interfaces, or using our state-of-the-art mobile laboratory SPRAAKLAB), and attempting to acquire external research funding benefiting both the project and personal development. You will also collaborate with several PhDs and a postdoc working specifically on the MOI Grunnen | Drenthe project. You will become a member of both the GroNLP group and Speech Lab Groningen and as such, willingness to help with public engagement activities is also desirable. 

Do you want to play a crucial role in developing new applications for the next generation of computer technology? At CogniGron, a globally recognized research center of the University of Groningen, we are looking for two Research Leads Demonstrator Program to join our team.

As a Research Lead in the Demonstrator Program, you will be closely involved in the development and execution of innovative demonstrator programs within CogniGron. These programs connect concrete real-world challenges from industry with CogniGron’s fundamental research on Neuromorphic computing. You will lead the interaction with the stakeholders, set up the research projects in a co-design process and take a leading role in delivering concrete demonstrators (prototypes, proofs of concept) that showcase how the new technology can be applied in practice.