CLIMB brings together leading research laboratories with expertise spanning chemistry, physics, biology, and computational sciences. The project focuses on studying the complex interplay between lipid composition, structural properties, and membrane-driven interactions, with the aim of developing advanced lipid-based materials for a variety of applications. Key research themes include:

• Understanding the role of lipid compositional complexity in membrane properties and functions.
• Developing lipid nanomaterials for use in mRNA delivery systems, bio-sensors, and sustainable formulations.
• Physicochemical characterization of aggregates formed by novel lipid mixtures, including natural extracts and polymer/peptoid coatings.

Doctoral Candidates will benefit from a rich, multidisciplinary training environment, with opportunities to collaborate with both small and large industrial partners, contributing to cutting-edge research with real-world applications.

PhD positions can be filled during 2025. Selected candidates will engage in multidisciplinary research, participate in international secondments across academic and industrial settings, and contribute to high-impact publications and conferences.

Please note that this advertisement contains 12 individual positions. For each of them, individual calls will be managed by the recruiting institution.

Available PhD projects

Project 1: Planar complex lipid membranes

Host: Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
PhD School: Physics at Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Supervisor: Yuri GERELLI
Academic Supervisor: Francesco SCIORTINO
Project focus: preparation and characterisation of complex lipid membranes at interfaces using advanced (scattering, QCM-D) techniques. Development of state-of-the art modelling approaches for data prediction and analysis.
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact yuri.gerelli@cnr.it. 

Project 2: Structure-function correlation in lipid nanoparticle systems for RNA delivery

Host: Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
PhD School: Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at Johannes Gutenberg University
Supervisor: Peter LANGGUTH
Project focus: Development and characterisation of novel lipid-based formulations for RNA delivery. Determination of the structure-composition-transfection relationship and investigation of endosomal uptake and release.
Apply for this position here. 

Project 3: Advanced models for the quantitative interpretation of membranes reflectivity data

Host: Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
PhD School: Physics at the University of Strasbourg
Supervisor: Fabrice THALMANN
Project focus: combine atomistic-, coarse-grained and mesoscale simulations or analytical models for elaborating a fine interpretation of lipid membrane reflectivity data.
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact: fabrice.thalmann@ics-cnrs.unistra.fr. 

Project 4: Decipher sequence determinants for IDPs and their interaction with lipids

Host: Lund University, Lund, Sweden
PhD School: Chemistry at Lund University
Supervisor: Marie SKEPÖ
Project focus: determine the role of amino acid motifs on the interaction of intrinsically disordered peptides with lipid membranes of increasing complexity. The project will combine experimental investigations to computer simulations.
Apply for this positionHERE.

Project 5: Hybrid synthetic/biogenic non-lamellar lipid films

Host: Chemistry Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
PhD School: Chemistry at University of Florence
Supervisor: Costanza MONTIS
Project focus: produce and characterise lamellar and non-lamellar lipid systems. Characterisation of their interaction with extracellular vesicles, antibodies and membrane proteins. Samples will be characterised with microscopy techniques, QCM-D and neutron and X-ray reflectometry.
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact: costanza.montis@unifi.it. 

Project 6: Custom-Designed Asymmetric Unilamellar Vesicles Mimicking Plasma Membranes

Host: Graz University, Graz, Austria 
PhD School: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Graz University
Supervisor: Georg PABST
Project focus: Produce and characterise lipid vesicles with asymmetric bilayers and on-demand lipid composition and properties. Achieve an in-depth leaflet-specific structural analysis via small angle scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments.
Apply for this position at this link or via EURAXESS.

Project 7: Controlling Molecular Transport and Cargo Delivery across Lipid Membranes

Host: Oslo University, Oslo, Norway
PhD School: Group for Soft Matter & Scattering Methods at Oslo University
Supervisor: Reidar LUND
Project focus: Characterisation of mechanisms for lipid transport across membranes and development of “smart coating” of the lipid nanoparticles/vesicles using multivalent polymers- and peptide- functionalized lipids with a selective affinity towards lipid membranes of various compositions.
Apply to this position at this link. 

Project 8: Bio-membranes at air/water interfaces: structure, transport and uptake mechanisms

Host: Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
PhD School: Physics at Technical University Darmstadt
Supervisor: Emanuel SCHNECK
Project focus: characterisation of lipid membranes immobilised at liquid interfaces and of their interaction with drug carriers. The project is based on the use of advanced techniques such as total-reflection X-ray fluorescence, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, interfacial rheology, and Brewster-angle microscopy. 
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact: emanuel.schneck@pkm.tu-darmstadt.de.  

Project 9: Complex biomembranes from micro-organisms

Host: Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
PhD School: Molecular Biology at Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
Supervisor: Krishna BATCHU
Academic supervisor: Anna LA TEANA
Project focus: Development and validation of analytical tools to produce deuterated lipid molecules (by biomass extraction and by chemical synthesis) with properties optimised for neutron scattering experiments.
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact:  batchu@ill.fr. 
For this position, the mobility rule applies to France.

Project 10: Mapping the interactions of a drug with its nanocarrier

Host: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
PhD School: Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Technion
Supervisor: Dganit DANINO
Project focus: evaluation of the interaction between lipid-based drug vectors and enzyme therapeutics. Optimisation of the vector properties for tuning loading and drug release efficiency. 
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact:  dganitd@bfe.technion.ac.il. 

Project 11: Methods for determination of quality control size-related parameters in nanoparticle systems

Host: Postnova Analytics GmbH, Landsberg am Lech, Germany
PhD School: Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Supervisor: Florian MEIER
Academic supervisor: Peter LANGGUTH
Project focus: development of quantitative methods for the characterisation of formulations for RNA delivery using multi-detector field-flow fractionation and small angle X-ray scattering. 
Apply for this positionHERE or HERE.

Project 12: Development of Laser Transmission Spectroscopy method for lipid nanovectors

Host: Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
PhD School: Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Supervisor: Simona SENNATO 
Academic Supervisor: Federico BORDI
Project focus: characterisation of lipid-based systems in solution via light scattering methods. Development of advanced models for the determination of particle absolute concentration in solution.
Applications for this position are not yet being accepted. For informal inquiries, please contact: simona.sennato@cnr.it.