FZ Julich PhD Position - Swimming in Complex Environments 2026

Strong confinement in highly disordered and intricate environments is essential for understanding the behavior of a broad class of systems with intrinsic motility. Porous materials -- such as cell cytoplasm, mucus, tissues, gels or soil -- serve as a natural propagation media of most microorganisms, including bacteria, sperm, and, more recently, synthetic swimmers. The interplay between the properties of individual swimmers and the complexity of the associated hydrodynamic flows gives rise to a wide range of collective behaviors that remain poorly understood. Addressing this complexity requires the development and application of high-performance hydrodynamic simulation methods, which this project aims to advance.

In this project, you will work with an existing high-performance code to perform hydrodynamic simulations of swimmers in complex confinements, and also help to further develop it. In particular, you will investigate how the tortuosity of the confinement affects the effective behavior depending on the hydrodynamic properties of the swimmers. Other subjects of interest will be the reaction of the systems to different external stimuli, or to consider various effective interactions between swimmers that closely map different experimental frameworks.

In particular, your tasks will be:

• Familiarize yourself with the relevant literature in the field, with the code and its further development.   
• Characterize the dynamics of single particles as a function of the swimming mechanism, the tortuosity of the media and the applied external flow.
• Investigate the behavior of dense systems with hydrodynamic interactions and with other quorum sensing mechanisms.
• Present your research at group meetings, national and international conferences.
• Preparing scientific publications and project reports.

• Table of Content
• About Forschungszentrum Julich
• PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position
• Aim and Benefits of PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position
• Requirements for PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position

Aim and Benefits of PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position

• Team & Environment: You will work in an experienced and friendly international research team of theorists and experimentalists with a strong background in biophysics and active matter and an international and interdisciplinary focus – at one of the largest research institutions in Europe
• Research & Infrastructure: You will participate in a world-leading international research environment with cutting-edge computational facilities including the on-site top European supercomputers
• Networking & Exchange: You will participate in (international) conferences and project meetings and actively build your scientific network
• Supervision & Support: We will accompany your doctoral studies with continuous, expert guidance from your academic supervisor
• Knowledge & Development: Your professional development is important to us – we support you specifically and individually e.g., through training and networking opportunities specifically for doctoral candidates (JuDocS): https://go.fzj.de/JuDocs
• Annual Leave: You get 30 days of annual leave
• Fair Remuneration: Depending on your qualifications and assigned responsibilities, you will be classified according to pay group 13 (75%) of the TVöD-Bund. In addition to the basic salary, there is an additional year-end bonus under the collective pay agreement amounting to 75% of a monthly salary, as well as capital-forming benefits. All information about the TVöD-Bund collective agreement can be found on the BMI website (pay scale table on page 66 ff. of the PDF download)
• Support for International Employees: Our International Advisory Service makes it easier for international employees to get started

Requirements for PhD Position – Swimming in Complex Environments PhD Position Qualification

• Master’s degree in physics, soft matter, applied mathematics, chemistry, or a related field.
• Experience and strong interest in programing, modeling, and computer simulations.
• Knowledge in statistical mechanics, active and living matter.
• High degree of independence and commitment.
• Very good command of written and spoken English with extensive vocabulary is required (at least B2 level according to the CEFR), ideally supported by a certificate confirming the language level.
• Good communication skills, ability to work in a research team.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more information, kindly visit FZ Julich PhD Position webpage.