Research Fellow in Oral Lubrication at Nanoscale

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in biophysics and force measurements at nano-scale? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research intensive universities?

We are looking for a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant funded postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a highly dynamic, interdisciplinary team focusing on applying dynamic force measurements and surface science techniques to investigate oral lubrication at the nanoscale. You will actively collaborate with experts in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and working alongside another postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will be part of a project investigating the true mechanism of human saliva and food biomolecule-mediated oral lubrication at nanoscale.

You will work on designing new approaches to measure lubrication in soft bio-relevant polymeric surfaces. This will involve integrating friction force measurements, surface science knowledge, advanced imaging and other colloid science techniques to gain mechanistic information on the nature of the processes occurring in complex human oral mucosa. In particular, you will conduct research on biological tissues, such as real human saliva, mucins from animal origin, proteins and other biopolymers.

You will have a PhD in Biophysics, Soft Matter, Nanotechnology or a related discipline, and extensive knowledge and experience of force measurement and surface modification. You will also have a positive approach to collaborative research and the drive to make a significant contribution to make this ground-breaking project a success.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Dr Anwesha Sarkar, Associate Professor of Food Colloids

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 2748, email: A.Sarkar@leeds.ac.uk