PhD Position in Synthetic Chemistry

Mission and field of activity

The research project "Impact of Chirality in the Discrimination of Hypoxia-Inducible Factors by Anticancer Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complexes" will be performed under the lead of Prof. Olimpia Mamula Steiner in collaboration with the University of Fribourg's Department of Chemistry (Prof. F. Zobi) and Department of Medicine (Prof. D. Hoogewijs). The project is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation and pursues an in-depth systematic approach in order to understand the influence of chirality on the biological activity of enantiopure anticancer / antibiotic rhenium complexes. The PhD position advertised here concerns mainly the design, synthesis and characterisation of Re(I) complexes with new, enantiopure ligands.

Profile

The ideal candidate would have:

• an M.Sc. degree in Chemistry

• excellent, proven skills in multistep organic synthesis and design of synthetic routes

• strong interest for coordination chemistry and (biomedical) applications of metal complexes

• experience with standard characterization and purification techniques (NMR, MS, chromatography, etc.)

• self-motivation, creativity and ambition to perform cutting-edge research in a transdisciplinary team

• proficiency in written and spoken English, with strong communication skills

• motivation to present the results at international conferences, to write articles and patents

Additional information:

• Full-time employment as a doctoral student for a period of maximum 4 years

• Job starting date: adaptable, ideally June 2025

• Required documents for the application: Motivation letter (max. 2 pages describing your academic accomplishments, research interests and relevant experience in relation with this specific PhD position;

  CV including two referees that can be contacted (research advisor, supervisor master thesis, etc.) and a publication list (if applicable)

• HEIA-FR offers highly attractive employment conditions and outstanding infrastructure in a state-of-the-art research facility

• For details, contact Prof. Olimpia Mamula Steiner, Full Professor, olimpia.mamulasteiner@hefr.ch

• Application deadline : 31 March 2025

Interested? We look forward to receiving your complete application. Please send it to us by clicking on the "Apply" button below.