Call for postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship in the field of Nanoscience / Electronic Engineering / Biomedical Engineering

Are you a postdoctoral researcher thinking about your next career move? The Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship program is a great option if you want to give your career a boost by working abroad.

Group and project information

Project: Miniaturized multianalyte SPR detection system for Parkinson disease prognosis

The fast and precise quantification of low concentrations of proteins or other biomarkers has become key in prognosis and diagnosis of the early stages of several diseases. In most cases, the simultaneous detection of multiple proteins is important for an unambiguous diagnostic. This is the case, e.g., in Parkinson’s disease, in which the detection and quantification of various forms of α-synuclein (monomers and oligomers, normal or phosphorylated) in biological samples, using the appropriate antibodies, might be used for diagnosis.

In this context, we propose the design, fabrication and testing of an advanced integrated microsystem for the simultaneous quantification of these proteins, which should contain the microfluidic system, the functionalized channels and the detection system. To avoid physical contact between the analyte and the readout system, optical detection will be preferred. The sensing platform will measure the spectral reflectivity/transmittivity of resonant optical devices, like Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) based on gold layers or Waveguide Grating Couplers (WGC) on totally dielectric structures, which will be functionalized with different molecules, allowing to measure simultaneously different analytes.

The ultimate goal of the project will be miniaturizing the whole system towards achieving a low cost and portable device.

The work will be carried out in jointly with the group Nano BioInorganic Chemistry (https://www.nanobic.eu/) of the Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry and with the group of Conformational Diseases of the Faculty of Pharmacy of UB.

Requirements:

- Experience in one or more of the following fields:

- fabrication of micro and nanoelectronic devices

- functionalisation of surfaces with biomolecules

- electrical and/or optical detection methods in combination with micro and nanoelectronic devices

- Excellent writing skills in English

- Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research environment

Applicants should send an email to Prof. Dr. Mauricio Moreno Sereno and Prof. Dr. Albert Romano-Rodriguez. Email subject: Candidate to the Marie Curie Postdoctoral 2021 call.

Required Documents:

• Letter of motivation, including description of expertise relevant to the topic
• Complete CV, including technology transfer activities (if any)
• Contact details of the last supervisor/s
• Support letters of the last supervisor/s (recommended)

Expressions of interest with required documents must be submitted no later than September, 14 2021

Eligibility Criteria: Described in the Guide for Applicants