Postdoctoral researcher position titled “Engineering of Novel Antimicrobial Phagocytic Vesicles” at the Quasi-Living Materials Research Group

Introduction to the vacant position:

The Quasi-Living Materials Research Group is looking for an outstanding polymer chemist to join as a postdoctoral researcher. The contract will be within the framework of the Project PhagoSynCell (ERC Consolidator Grant), in which our ambition is to create synthetic cells capable of performing a rudimentary form of artificial phagocytosis, and to use them as a new class of antimicrobials against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, one of the biggest challenges of contemporary medicine. This is fundamental, curiosity-driven research at the frontier of polymer chemistry and soft matter. We are looking for an independent scientist who will take ownership of a research question and drive it forward, not for someone to execute a predefined plan.

The research project: “Engineering of Novel Antimicrobial Phagocytic Vesicles
In the context of the ERC PhagoSynCell we are developing vesicles capable of capturing,



engulfing and killing bacteria. These vesicles are built from supramolecular amphiphilic comb polymers (iCPs, 10.1002/advs.202200617 and 10.1002/advs.202411497) that self-assemble in water into vesicles, termed combisomes. This postdoctoral project sits at the interface between polymer synthesis and soft matter. You will take the lead on its most demanding synthetic and mechanistic questions: the design and synthesis of novel iCPs, and a quantitative understanding of how their topology, architecture and composition govern self-assembly, membrane mechanics and the engulfment of bacteria. The objectives are to: (1) increase combisome stability in biological media, (2) maximize engulfment of pathogens in biological media, and (3) unravel the underlying molecular design rules.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Design and synthesize libraries of comb polymers (covalent and supramolecular) using

📌 Postdoctoral Researcher (Barcelona)
🏢 Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
📍 Barcelona