Doctoral Student in Environmental Bioengineering

ETH Zürich is seeking a dynamic and motivated doctoral student with an engineering background to join the Environmental Microfluidics Group. This primarily experimental PhD project explores how bacterial chemotaxis enhances plasmid conjugation and the spread of antibiotic resistance across various chemical hotspots and fluid flows. Working under the supervision of Prof. Roman Stocker, the candidate will design custom instrumentation, conduct interdisciplinary experiments combining engineering and microbiology, and analyze complex imaging data. The position offers a collaborative, international research environment funded by an SNSF grant in partnership with the University of Warsaw.

• Design, build, and characterize custom instrumentation integrating chemotaxis assays with controlled shear systems using 3D printing and mechanical design.
• Perform chemotaxis and conjugation experiments involving bacterial donors, recipients, and various chemoattractants.
• Acquire and analyze fluorescence microscopy images and track bacteria and chemical plumes in shear flow using quantitative pipelines.
• Evaluate clinically relevant and freshwater bacterial strains to determine the environmental potential for chemotaxis-driven resistance spread.
• Contribute empirical data and measurements to mathematical models simulating plasmid dissemination.