Darwinian evolution is unrivalled in its ability to invent, which Humankind has already exploited for various purposes such as plant and animal breeding and directed evolution of proteins. In these examples, evolution acts on living species or material derived from them, but so far it has not been possible to apply Darwinian evolution outside the realm of biological and some computational systems. The aim of the DarChemDN research programme is to develop Darwinian Chemistry by creating, for the first time, synthetic chemical systems that can reproduce and undergo open-ended Darwinian evolution.

What DarChemDN will offer

• A thorough scientific education in the frame of a doctoral training program.
• The possibility to participate in specific international courses, workshops and conferences.
• A strong involvement in a European research project with high international visibility.
• The possibility to perform research visits to internationally renowned research labs in Europe.
• A prestigious three-year MSCA Fellowship.
• A competitive salary including mobility and family allowances.

Project description: Develop the connection between theory and experimental work on the subject of evolving
autocatalytic systems. The candidate will work on autocatalytic systems that can vary from newly identified
autocatalytic networks to systems of self-replicating molecules, as developed in the research groups of
Ashkenasy, Griffith and Otto. The focus of the research ranges from the identification of new autocatalytic sub-
systems in computer-generated reaction networks to the development of models of existing autocatalytic and
self-replicating systems. Research questions include assessing the evolvability of these systems as such, and
when contained within compartments (water-in-oil droplets or coacervates) and developing strategies for
improving evolvability.

For full details, including descriptions of the individual research projects, see the DarChemDN website: https://darchem-dn.eu