You will investigate the mechanics of active polymer-like matter using a hierarchical approach, progressing from individual active filaments to interacting pairs and finally to dense, entangled collectives. Your work will directly contribute to answering how activity, flexibility, and interactions generate novel mechanical properties far from equilibrium.

In practice, you will:

• Design and perform precision experiments to measure forces and deformations in living Tubifex tubifex worms, using micro-mechanical manipulation and high-resolution imaging.
• Quantify single-worm mechanics, pairwise interaction forces, and collective resistance in entangled aggregates.
• Develop and run coarse-grained simulations of active polymers, closely calibrated to experimental data, to disentangle passive elasticity from active force generation.
• Combine experimental and numerical results to build a coherent physical picture of force transmission and emergence in active polymer systems.
• Analyze and interpret data using tools from soft matter physics, statistical mechanics, and non-equilibrium physics.
• Present your results at group meetings, national and international conferences, and publish them in leading peer-reviewed journals.

You will be encouraged to take intellectual ownership of your project, propose new ideas and directions, and shape the research as it develops. Throughout the PhD, you will be supported through regular supervision, training opportunities, and close interaction with researchers across the Institute of Physics.

You are curious about physical mechanisms behind complex, non-equilibrium systems and enjoy working at the interface of experiments and theory. When research becomes challenging or results are unexpected, you stay engaged, organized, and motivated to understand what is happening. You like working both independently and as part of a collaborative research team, and you are comfortable discussing ideas and results with others.

Your experience and profile:

• You hold (or are about to obtain) a Master’s degree in Physics or a closely related field.
• You are interested in soft matter physics, active matter, statistical mechanics, or non-equilibrium systems.
• You enjoy quantitative analysis and are motivated to learn advanced experimental and/or computational techniques.
• You communicate clearly in English, both orally and in writing, and are willing to further develop your scientific communication skills.
• You take responsibility for your research tasks and follow through on experiments, simulations, and data analysis.
• Experience in supporting tasks and the willingness to take the responsibility for administrative tasks, such as organisation and coordination of university education, outreach and research;
• You are a motivational teacher, with an encouraging teaching style.

A plus: It is considered an advantage if you have prior experience with one or more of the following: numerical simulations (e.g. molecular dynamics or Brownian dynamics), experimental work in soft or biological matter, image or data analysis, or interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics and biology.

We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week ranges between € 3,059 to € 3,881 (Scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD candidate is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants.

The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This employment should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.