Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) | Biomolecular Phase Transitions from Microfluidics to Processes

Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) | Biomolecular Phase Transitions from Microfluidics to Processes

Scientist Magdeburg Structural and Cell Biology Chemistry Complex Systems Job Offer from October 08, 2026

Are you an experimentalist fascinated by how proteins and peptides condense, aggregate and crystallize? Join the newly established research group Phase Transition Engineering (Dr. Leif-Thore Deck) at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg, Germany. The position is to be filled as soon as possible and is limited to three years.

About the group

We study how solids and other condensed phases form from fluids, from nucleation and crystal growth to protein aggregation and phase separation. We then turn this understanding into better processes. Our approach combines theory and modeling, droplet microfluidics and process-scale experiments, with a focus on biomolecules such as peptides and proteins.

The project

Proteins, peptides, and other biomolecules undergo a wide variety of phase transitions: they demix into liquid condensates, form amorphous aggregates or amyloid fibrils, or crystallize. These transitions govern the formation of functional and pathological assemblies in living cells. They also determine how biopharmaceuticals can be purified and formulated. Yet quantitative data on their thermodynamics and kinetics remain scarce. Classical bulk experiments are slow and consume prohibitively large amounts of material.

In this project, you will use droplet microfluidics to study biomolecular phase transitions with high throughput and minimal sample consumption. Splitting a sample into thousands of nanoliter droplets makes it possible to resolve stochastic phenomena such as nucleation, to efficiently map phase diagrams and to measure kinetics with excellent statistics. You will complement these measurements with bulk assays at larger scales. Together with the theory and modeling efforts in the group, you will contribute to fundamental advancements in our understanding of biomolecular phase transitions and their role in industrial processes. Within this framework, you will have the freedom to develop your own research questions.

As one of the first members of the group, you will play a key role in setting up the experimental lab, including a liter-scale precipitation platform that complements the microfluidic experiments at the process scale. You will also have opportunities to mentor PhD students, in particular regarding the development of experimental platforms and methodologies.

Your tasks

• Help establish the group's microfluidics and biomolecular lab
• Design and carry out microfluidic and bulk experiments on phase separation, aggregation and crystallization of proteins and peptides
• Contribute to the development of a liter-scale precipitation platform, bridging the scales from droplets to processes
• Quantify thermodynamics and kinetics, such as phase diagrams and nucleation and growth rates, and interpret them together with theory and modeling
• Mentor PhD and Master's students
• Publish in leading journals, present at international conferences and contribute to grant proposals

Your profile

• PhD in chemical or bioengineering, biophysics, physical chemistry, biochemistry, physics, or a related discipline
• Hands-on experience with microfluidics (e.g., device fabrication, droplet generation) and fluorescence microscopy
• Experience in handling and characterizing biomolecules such as proteins or peptides
• A quantitative mindset and interest in linking experiments with theory
• A strong publication record relative to career stage
• Team spirit, good communication skills and very good knowledge of English; basic proficiency in German would be a plus
• Experience with liquid–liquid phase separation, protein aggregation or crystallization, image analysis and programming (e.g., Python), or supervising students is a plus.

We offer

• The opportunity to develop your own research questions within the group's research program, with mentoring towards an independent career, including support with fellowship and grant
  applications
• The opportunity to help build up the lab of a young group
• The infrastructure and resources of a Max Planck Institute
• An interdisciplinary, international team and a network with leading universities and industrial partners
• Funding for international conferences, plus career development and training programs of the Max Planck Society
• A three-year contract and salary according to TVöD (Bund), E13, 100 %
• We also welcome candidates interested in applying for postdoctoral fellowships (e.g. MSCA, Humboldt) to join the group.

The Max Planck Society is committed to equal opportunities, gender equality and diversity. What matters to us are your qualifications, professional strengths and attitude. We therefore welcome applications from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, cultural or social background, disability, religion, age, lifestyle, ideology, or sexual identity.

One of the Max Planck Society's primary goals is to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented. We are therefore particularly interested in applications from qualified women and would like to encourage them to apply. The Max Planck Society is also committed to employing more severely disabled people. Severely disabled people and those with an equivalent status will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified. We therefore explicitly encourage applications from severely disabled people.

We will be assessing applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Please register via our online application portal and upload your complete application documents (letter of motivation, CV, certificates, reference letters).

Contact person for further information:

Dr. Leif-Thore Deck