PhD Researcher Positions – ERC Advanced Grant ProtoEco: Protoecologies between Artificial Cells and Mammalian Cells

id="offer-description" class="ecl-u-type-heading-2 ecl-u-mt-none ecl-u-mb-l">Offer Description PhD Researcher Positions . ERC Advanced Grant Project ProtoEco – Protoecologies between Artificial Cells and Mammalian Cells . Walther Lab @ Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Max Planck Research Fellow Group @ Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. www.walther-group.com . Keywords: Artificial cells, synthetic cells, biomaterials, synthetic biology, DNA nanoscience, polymer gels, systems chemistry, enzymatic reaction networks, cell biology, biointerfaces, mammalian cells, tissue-like systems, cell spheroids, biointeractive materials. Project Background . The Walther Lab at JGU Mainz pioneers life-like materials and systems at the interface of systems chemistry, chemical reaction networks, DNA nanoscience, artificial cells, polymer materials, and cell-facing biomaterials. We are interested in empowering molecular systems, materials, and artificial cells with embodied intelligence — chemical and physical — so that they can compute, adapt, self-regulate, or make simple decisions. With the new ERC Advanced Grant project ProtoEco – Protoecologies between Artificial Cells and Mammalian Cells, we aim to pioneer a new generation of interactive communities between life-like artificial and living matter. The central question is whether life-like artificial/synthetic cells can coexist, communicate, and cooperate with mammalian cells in structured 2D and 3D environments. Instead