Open positions

Interested in nanoscience research? Please remember to check this page where we regularly post job offers for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scientists at the Adolphe Merkle Institute. Chemistry, materials science, analytics, physics, and biophysics are all at the core of our scientific projects. We offer a uniquely stimulating interdisciplinary research environment, state-of-the-art laboratories, excellent working conditions, competitive salaries, and outstanding career prospects. Our alumni regularly take up attractive positions in academia, public research organizations, and industry around the world.

  • PostDoc – Legume seed proteins

    The Food Science & Technology group at the Adolphe Merkle Institute (Prof. Hanjo Limbach) invites applications for a Postdoctoral position in the project “Legume Seed Proteins – Origin of Differences in Functionality.”

    Project Overview

    Ensuring food security for a growing global population in a sustainable manner requires the development of attractive and cost-efficient plant-based food products. Legume seeds—such as soy, pea, lentil, and lupine—are the primary sources of plant proteins used in these products.

    Despite their evolutionary conservation, storage proteins from legume seeds display remarkable differences in functionality, including solubility, emulsification, texture, and foam stability. This project aims to unravel the origins of these functional differences by investigating genetic diversity among species, expression levels under varying growth conditions, structural organization within seeds, and the impact of extraction and manufacturing processes.

    To achieve these goals, we will employ advanced fractionation technologies and a multi-scale analytical approach to probe different levels of structural organization. The project will integrate concepts from soft matter physics and utilize cutting-edge data analysis methods, including machine learning, to test our hypotheses.

    Candidate Profile

    Applicants must hold a PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Food Science, or Chemistry, and demonstrate a strong interest in interdisciplinary research within a dynamic international team. The ideal candidate will possess:

    • The ability to independently advance complex research projects as well as work collaboratively within a team
    • Excellent communication skills
    • Proficiency in English
    • Experience in the physico-chemical characterization of proteins or other biopolymers (strongly preferred)
    • Familiarity with food materials (an advantage, but not essential)
    • Above all, a keen curiosity and motivation to explore the complex and fascinating world of food materials and products

    Our Offer

    The Adolphe Merkle Institute provides attractive employment conditions and access to outstanding infrastructure in a state-of-the-art research facility.

    Application Process

    The position is available from August 2025. To apply, please send your CV, a motivation letter, and the contact details of at least two referees as a single PDF file via email to ami.applications@unifr.ch with the subject line: “PostDoc Legume Seed Proteins.”

  • PhD – Fluid Gel Microparticles

    The Chair of Food Science & Technology at the Adolphe Merkle Institute (Prof. Hanjo Limbach) invites applications for a PhD position in the project “Fluid Gel Microparticles – Swelling Behaviour and Microparticle Interactions.”

    Hydrocolloids have long played a crucial role in food products as texturizers and stabilizers. Well-known examples include xanthan gum in ketchup, pectin in jam, and gellan gum in plant-based beverages. A key property of these substances is their ability to form diverse physical gels.

    One particularly exciting area of current research focuses on so-called fluid gels. In these systems, the non-equilibrium sol-gel transition is induced under shear, producing micrometer-sized fluid gel particles. These particles form space-filling suspensions with properties reminiscent of granular materials and soft glasses. Notably, fluid gels exhibit extreme shear thinning: at rest, they behave like a gel, but when consumed, they feel almost as fluid as water.

    Project Objectives
    The primary aim of this PhD project is to investigate the swelling behavior and pairwise interactions of fluid gel particles. To achieve this, we will employ a range of advanced techniques, including rheology, atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical microscopy, and optical tweezers. As fluid gels are non-equilibrium systems, developing well-controlled processing conditions and experimental protocols will be essential. The project will also leverage concepts from polymer physics, requiring the application of theoretical models to interpret experimental data.

    Candidate Profile
    Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in Physics, Materials Science, Food Science, or Chemistry, and demonstrate a keen interest in interdisciplinary research within a dynamic international team. The ideal candidate will possess:

    • The ability to independently advance a complex research project, as well as collaborate effectively within a team
    • Excellent communication skills
    • Proficiency in English
    • Experience in polymer or colloid science (advantageous)
    • Background in food science and technology (a plus, but not essential)
    • Most importantly, a strong curiosity and motivation to explore the complex and fascinating world of food materials and products

    Our Offer
    The Adolphe Merkle Institute provides attractive employment conditions and access to outstanding infrastructure in a state-of-the-art research facility.

    Application Process
    The position is available from August 2025. To apply, please submit your CV, a motivation letter, and the contact details of at least two referees as a single PDF file via email to ami.applications@unifr.ch with the subject line: “PhD Fluid Gel Microparticles.”

  • Master’s Thesis – Ice Structuring Ingredients

    The Food Science & Technology group at the Adolphe Merkle Institute (Prof. Hanjo Limbach) invites applications for a Master’s thesis project in “Ice Structuring Ingredients.”

    Project Overview

    Structure formation through freezing is a fundamental process in the food industry, underpinning the production of ice cream, frozen fruits and vegetables, ready meals, and the freeze-drying of soluble powders such as coffee and milk. Nature, in turn, has evolved remarkable strategies to protect biological tissues from freezing damage—one of the most intriguing being the use of ice structuring proteins found in fish, insects, and plants.

    Despite decades of research, the molecular mechanisms governing the interaction between biomolecules and growing ice crystals remain poorly understood. In this Master’s project, you will explore these interactions using molecular dynamics simulations of small molecules at the ice-water interface. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with Prof. Christian Holm’s group at the Institute of Computer Physics, University of Stuttgart. As part of the project, you will have the opportunity to visit Stuttgart and receive hands-on training in simulation methods such as Gromacs and Espresso.

    Candidate Profile

    Applicants should hold a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Materials Science, Food Science, or Chemistry, and be eager to pursue interdisciplinary research within a dynamic international team. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

    • The ability to work independently and collaboratively on complex research projects
    • Excellent communication skills
    • Proficiency in English
    • Experience with computational methods and familiarity with at least one major programming or scripting language (e.g., C++ or Python) is advantageous

    Our Offer

    The Adolphe Merkle Institute provides an outstanding research environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure in a modern facility. (Note: Master’s students are typically not employed, but will benefit from access to all research resources and collaborative opportunities.)

    Application Process

    The Master’s thesis can begin as early as August 2025. To apply, please send your CV and a motivation letter as a single PDF file via email to ami.applications@unifr.ch with the subject line: “Master Thesis – Ice Structuring Ingredients.”

  • Summer Internship Opportunity

    We are seeking a highly-motivated student for a paid summer internship at the Adolphe Merkle Institute in Fribourg, Switzerland. This is a collaborative project with the Interprofession du Gruyère.

    Goal of the Project: Develop a new type of whey-based cheese label

    Duration: Between 1.5-2 months, depending on academic qualifications

    Start: As soon as possible

    Requirements:

    • BSc or MSc degree in one of the following fields (Food Science, Material Science, Chemistry, and related fields, or Physics). Candidates from engineering schools are also welcome to apply.
    • Swiss or European Union passport

    Tasks:  Lab work with food-safe materials, data analysis

    If you are interested, please send a CV to viola.vogler-neuling@unifr.ch together with a brief motivation letter (max. one page) describing your practical lab experience. The internship is paid, and accommodation is supplied by the Institute.

    Join us in the beautiful town of Fribourg and the region of Gruyère cheese for this unique opportunity!

  • Two PhD positions - interactions of micro- and nanoplastic particles with the human lung and intestine barriers

    The Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland invites applications for two PhD positions in the BioNanomaterials group which is co-chaired by Prof. B. Rothen-Rutishauser and Prof. A. Fink.

    The goal of a new SNSF-funded project investigating the interactions of micro- and nanoplastic particles with the human lung and intestine barriers is to study how relevant plastic materials interact with human barriers by mimicking uptake routes via the lung and intestine. Single-cell analysis will be followed by more complex 3D lung and intestine tissue models, including a comparison of static with dynamic systems.

    Applicants must have an MSc or equivalent degree in Cell Biology. Excellent skills in the domain of cell culture techniques, cell analysis, and experience with micro- and nanoplastic particle exposures are expected. Enthusiasm for top-quality research and good oral and written English communication skills are a must.

    We offer a uniquely stimulating interdisciplinary research environment at the interface of cell biology and bionanomaterials, state-of-the-art laboratories, excellent working conditions, a competitive salary in accordance with the Swiss National Science Foundation guidelines, and outstanding career prospects.

    Please send your complete documentation (including letter of motivation, CV, copies of pertinent certificates, and contact details of two references) to Prof. Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Ch. de Verdiers 4, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland, via Email to barbara.rothen@unifr.ch, by the end of June 2025.  Please state “PhD student BioNanomaterials” in your motivation letter and in the subject header!

  • Two PhD Positions - Soft Matter Physics Group
    The Adolphe Merkle Institute's Soft Matter Physics Group (Prof. Ullrich Steiner) invites applications for two PhD positions in the "Strong Localisation of Light through the Controlled Assembly of Amorphous Patchy Colloid Networks” project.

    In opaque materials, light is multiply scattered before emerging.  A long-standing interesting fundamental question arises: Is it possible to design a strongly scattering material from which light never emerges? While theoretically predicted and despite several experimental efforts, this effect has not yet been demonstrated.  Our approach follows the theoretical studies, which require an interplay of order and disorder in the arrangement of the scatterers within the material.  

    To this end, we will develop a system of colloidal building blocks that can be assembled into networks, allowing us to adjust the order-disorder interplay of the resulting network. These 3D networks are then replicated into high-refractive index materials (silicon or titania) and optically characterised to achieve strong light scattering. One of the PhD projects concerns the creation of the building blocks, i.e., the synthesis of the colloids and their assembly, while the second will work on replicating the networks as mentioned above.  Both students will also use molecular dynamics and optical simulations to predict promising network morphologies, guiding their experiments.

    Applicants must have a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Physics and wish to pursue interdisciplinary research in a fast-moving international team. The ability to advance a complex project independently and as part of a team, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in English are key requirements for this position. Experience in polymer or colloid science will be of advantage, and some knowledge of optics is desirable. 

    The Adolphe Merkle Institute offers attractive employment conditions and outstanding infrastructure in a new research facility.
    The position will be filled as soon as possible. Please send your CV, motivation letter, and contact information of at least two references as one PDF file via E‐mail to ami.applications@unifr.ch with the subject title “PhD Light Localisation”.