The aim of the project is to elucidate the role of cholesterol inregulating the structure and function of lipid bilayers that constitutea cell membrane. A typical membrane contains - in addition tophospholipids - up to 40 % cholesterol. Cholesterol affects thestructural parameters of membranes, which are of fundamental importanceto biological functions, e.g. in sorting, signaling and theincorporation of viral structural proteins. Despite its apparentimportance, the precise mechanism through which cholesterol regulatesmembrane action has remained largely unexplored. We will use acombination of highly innovative techniques - coherent anti-StokesRaman scattering (CARS) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) - and avariety of fluorescence techniques to directly investigate theintermolecular interactions in a model membrane containing cholesterolto unravel the role of cholesterol in membrane functioning.

Equipmentavailable for the research project includes an amplified femtosecondlaser system, combined with optical parametric amplifiers and dedicateddetection equipment.

About the group
TheBiosurface Spectroscopy Group aims at elucidating intermolecularinteractions in membrane (model) systems, and relating these to thestructure and function of membranes. We do so by investigating thevibrations in lipids, cholesterol and membrane proteins, usingsurface-specific non-linear infrared spectroscopy. The group currentlyhas six members, and has several experimental setups dedicated to thestudy of membranes. For a recent example of our work: Vibrationalspectroscopic investigation of the phase diagram of a biomimetic lipidmonolayer. Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 128101 (2003). The project is performedin close collaboration with Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences inAmsterdam, with the group of Michiel Muller, see Biosurface Spectroscopy Group website.

Required qualifications
The successful candidate will have a MSc in physics or chemistry,ideally with experience in either surface or non-linear spectroscopictechniques, or in the field of membrane biophysics/chemistry.

Terms of employment
ThePhD student will be employed by Leiden University for the duration offour (PhD) years, where limited teaching activities are required. Thework will be carried out at the FOM Institute for Atomic- and MolecularPhysics (AMOLF) in Amsterdam. It is intended that the appointment willbe full-time (38 hours/week). However, a part-time appointment isnegotiable. AMOLF assists any new foreign employees with housing andvisa applications.

For further information please contact:
Dr. Mischa Bonn
Biosurface Spectroscopy
FOM Institute AMOLF
E-mail: Dr. Mischa Bonn
Phone: +31 (0)20 608 12 34

Applications can be sent to:
Personnel Department
FOM Institute AMOLF
Postbus 41883
1009 DB AMSTERDAM
The Netherlands
E-mail: Personnel Department
Please quote vacancy # 0410.1900

Url Link: PhD-position: Cholesterol: the regulator of biomembrane action