Do you have a background in fluid mechanics or soft matter? Are you independent, creative and eager to take initiatives? Do you enjoy working in an interdisciplinary research group and interacting with colleagues with diverse backgrounds? The Institute of Physics (IoP) is looking for an ambitious PhD student. Your research is part of the Soft Matter Group.

Join Us!
This PhD position is part of an ERC funded project entitled “Precision Rayleigh jet sprays”. This experimental project aims at understanding liquid spray formation and improving the control on the droplet size distribution using novel spraying techniques, with applications in, e.g., pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food processing. The project leader is Daniel Bonn. More information on the Soft Matter group activities can be found at https://iop.fnwi.uva.nl/scm/

This is what you will do
You will work in a team working on liquid sprays. You will combine recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the hydrodynamics of spray formation with novel methods for the nanofabrication of spray nozzles to achieve unprecedented control over the drop size distribution of the resulting spray cloud. External control parameters include the nozzle design, the liquid rheology and the electric charging of liquid droplets.

What we ask of you

• You have a master in physics or related field;
• You have good communication skills in oral and written English;
• You have a creative, curious and driven nature;
• You have strong initiative and good time management skills.

This is what we offer you
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 preferred starting date is as soon as possible. The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,901 to € 3,707 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile “PhD/Promovendus” is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable. This PhD 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.

You will work in this team
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) of the Faculty of Science combines the Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute (WZI), the Institute of Theoretical Physics (ITFA) and the Institute for High Energy Physics (IHEF) and is one of the large research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. The mission of IoP is to carry out excellent research in the field of experimental and theoretical physics, to provide inspiring teaching within the physics and other curricula and to transfer our knowledge of and enthusiasm for physics to society. The IoP has over 50 faculty and 180 researchers in total. The combination with the NWO Institutes at Amsterdam Science Park constitutes the largest physics hub in the Netherlands and is an international centre of excellence.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 01-03-2026. If you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

Antoine Gaillard, Project manager, a.f.s.gaillard@uva.nl.

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• a letter of motivation;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: national knowledge security guidelines). Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.