Postdoc position for blood-based detection of Dementia using nanoscale imaging and chemical spectroscopy.

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

At the biosensing and functional surfaces group we focus on decoding the role of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease progression using nanoscale analytics.

Postdoc position for blood-based detection of Dementia using nanoscale imaging and chemical spectroscopy.

Your tasks

Will be aimed at resolving, identifying, and classifying pathological proteins in blood from patients at various stages of decline in memory and cognition using label-free nanoscale imaging and chemical spectroscopy. Blood from age-matched healthy controls will also be analyzed. The classified amyloid and tau protein aggregates ranging from single oligomers, protofibrils to mature fibrils in blood require to be correlated in a patient-specific manner with clinical results to build a predictive model for identifying people at risk of developing neurogenerative diseases from stroke to dementia and evaluating treatment efficiency.

Your profile
We seek a highly motivated candidate with a Ph.D. degree in experimental biophysics (or a closely related discipline) with experience in application of chemical spectroscopy for protein analytics and morphological characterisation of biomolecules in body fluids (blood, cerebrospinal fluid). The candidate will be responsible for developing innovative approaches and new methods for data analysis aimed at chemically classifying pathological protein aggregates in blood from patients at various stages of decline in memory and cognition. 

More specifically, a successful applicant should have experience: 

• With atomic force microscopy combined with one or more of the following chemical spectroscopy techniques (Raman, IR, fluorescence); 
• With conducting studies on the role of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease progression; 
• Working in biosafety level 2 laboratory.

Our offer
We offer a stimulating research environment with an excellent infrastructure in chemical spectroscopies (Raman, IR, fluorescence based chemical profiling of proteins) and nanoscale imaging techniques (a suite of atomic force microscopes, 3D rotational tomography and electron microscopes). Within the collaborative project, the successful candidate will interact closely with neurologists at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, where the patients for the study will be recruited. The position is for a duration of two years with a possible extension to a third year maximum and will be available as of April 2025 or upon agreement.

We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.