PhD and Postdoc in Printing of Complex Fluids at Wageningen University & Research Wageningen University & Research in Netherlands

Wageningen University & Research is advertising two openings in Printing of Complex Fluids: a PhD and a Postdoc in the chair group Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter / Physics of Soft Matter.

The research focuses on the hydrodynamics of complex multicomponent fluids during inkjet printing and droplet formation at very high speeds. Topics include soft matter, physical chemistry, fluid dynamics, microscopy, high-speed imaging, colloids, surfactants, polymers, and model ink systems. The PhD project aims to build a quantitative understanding of jetting behavior, satellite droplets, cavitation, and meniscus dynamics. The postdoc project is more instrument-focused and includes designing and building a high-speed imaging instrument coupled to a fluorescent light sheet microscope, plus bespoke colloidal particles and surfactant molecules for extreme time/length-scale imaging.

Supervision is by Prof. Jasper van der Gucht, with dr. Uddalok Sen and dr. Thomas Kodger involved in co-supervision/support. The post is shared by Uddalok Sen, Assistant Professor at WUR.

PhD eligibility: completed MSc in physics, physical chemistry, fluid dynamics, or soft matter; independent working style; interest in new instrumentation; experience with soft materials and computational tools; microscopy/high-speed imaging experience; English at C1 level.

Postdoc eligibility: PhD in experimental soft matter, physics, fluid dynamics, or a related field; experience developing microscopy/imaging techniques, especially high-speed methods; independent working style; interest in new instrumentation; experience with soft materials; English at C1 level.

Funding: the PhD is fully funded. The postdoc is a salaried research position with a gross monthly salary of about €3,546–€5,538 (full-time, 38 hours/week), plus standard WUR employment benefits. The PhD also includes a tailored course program.

Deadline: applications are open until 2026-05-15. Only applications submitted through the WUR website will be considered. For the PhD, applicants should submit a CV and motivation letter (max 3 pages total); additional files such as grades/transcripts are not required at this stage.