Iliya Stoev

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join Iliya Stoev’s research group through a recently awarded DFG Emmy Noether project, “DNA hydrogel-based sensors for thermally responsive detection of mechanical signals.” The project investigates sequence-programmable DNA hydrogels as smart biosensing materials that respond to temperature and detect mechanical signals. The research combines DNA nanotechnology, biosensing, biophysics, materials science, physics, and information technology to develop DNA-based systems capable of storing and processing information through their mechanical properties. A further research direction is the development of dual-layer biological encoders, combining molecular sequence information with thermally responsive mechanical states to encode and decode information. This interdisciplinary PhD opportunity is suitable for candidates interested in the interface of biology, engineering, and information processing. Applicants are expected to have a background in DNA nanotechnology, biophysics, biosensing, materials science, physics, or a related area. The advertised position is listed as an academic staff role at 75% part-time employment. The application deadline is 20 November 2026 , and the planned start date is 1 January 2027 . Funding and salary details are not specified in the post.