{"id":2235327,"url":"https://alion.io/job/empa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions","title":"PhD Position in Bacteria & Materials Interactions","company":{"id":95445,"name":"Empa","domain":"empa.ch","url":"https://alion.io/company/604-communication","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Refline","truth_index":null},"role":"Early Careers","role_family":"Early Careers","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Sankt Gallen, Switzerland"],"countries":["CH"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Self-Healing","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-29T12:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-10","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T18:37:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":25,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":25},"description":"Pensum: 100%\nMaterials 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.\nPhD Position in Bacteria & Materials Interactions\nThe Biointerfaces Laboratory at Empa in St. Gallen is offering a PhD position in the field of antimicrobial biomaterials, microbiology, and bacteriophage therapy. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team developing innovative living hydrogel systems for the treatment of wound infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria and biofilms. This project aims to create a new generation of injectable therapeutic hydrogels that combine beneficial probiotics and bacteriophages to simultaneously eradicate bacterial infections and promote tissue regeneration. With a strong translational focus, the project seeks to advance these living therapeutic systems toward clinically relevant solutions for wound infections and antimicrobial resistance.\nYour tasks\nYou will contribute to the development of injectable, self-healing biomaterial-based hydrogels for the local delivery of probiotics and bacteriophages to wound sites. Your work will involve:\nDesign and synthesis of injectable hydrogel systems \nEncapsulation and controlled delivery of probiotics and bacteriophages \nEngineering and characterization of phage-based antimicrobial strategies against pathogenic bacteria and biofilms \nCharacterization and optimization of hydrogel properties and biological functionality \nEvaluation of tissue regeneration and the therapeutic potential of living therapeutics \nElucidation of mechanisms of action and investigation of antimicrobial resistance evolution\nYour profile\nWe are looking for a highly motivated and curious candidate with:\nA Master's degree in Biomaterials, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, or a related field \nStrong interest in antimicrobial resistance, biomaterials, microbiology, or phage therapy \nExperience in one or more of the following areas: Microbiology and bacterial culture / Biofilm research / Biomaterials and hydrogels / Molecular biology or synthetic biology / Bacteriophages \nExcellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken \nAbility to work independently while contributing effectively to an interdisciplinary team Previous experience with phages, hydrogels, wound healing models, or antimicrobial testing is advantageous.\nOur offer\nA highly international and multidisciplinary research environment \nAccess to state-of-the-art research infrastructure \nScientific training spanning microbiology, biomaterials engineering, phage biology, and translational biomedical research \nClose collaboration with leading bacteriophage experts at ETH Zurich and opportunities to work across disciplines \nA stimulating work environment within one of Switzerland's leading research institutions \nAttractive employment conditions according to Empa regulations The position is available from November 2026 or after negotiation with a duration of four years.\nWe live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.\nWe 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3623,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Manufacturing","Science & Engineering","Materials Science & Nanotechnology"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-10T23:52:14Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":34,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.619,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":24,"expected_fill_days":22,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/empa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/empa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-24T22:07:07Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":32396,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":95445},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=95445"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fempa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fempa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fempa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/empa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fempa-phd-position-in-bacteria-materials-interactions"}]}