PhD: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) phd programme

We invite applications for a funded Ph.D. position in the Silicon Research Group at Tyndall National Institute, starting before September 2010.

Background
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the most widely used technique for chemical analysis. The main advantage of developing a miniaturised HPLC system-on-a chip is the system’s ability to execute all the steps involved in the chromatographic process on a single platform. A fully developed miniaturised HPLC system can perform on-chip injection, separation and detection. This micro-system has enormous potential and has a number of clear advantages over conventional HPLC systems. Its compact size enables the system to handle extremely small sample volumes (in the nano- and pico-litre range), enabling rapid separation times of the order of seconds rather than minutes or more. Its small size also allows minimisation of the use of expensive reagents, as in the case of drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry.

Project:
The three year PhD position with fellowship is available as a part of European Union (EU) project called ARROWS. The goal of ARROWS is to develop a micro-engineered platform for the analysis of real-world samples from the food, drink and healthcare industries. The principle deliverable will be a chip-scale capillary electrophoresis/liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (CE/LC-MS) that matches the performance of today s mainframe systems. The successful applicant will work as part of a multidisciplinary research team, which has a focus on the development of a miniaturized HPLC chip in addition to integration of all elements of the final platform.

The research will involve development of fluid pumping systems, design of the complete HPLC system, and mechanical and chemical characterization of the HPLC system. There will be close collaboration between research groups and industry across Europe.

Applications are invited from scientists and engineers who hold (or expect to obtain before October 2010) a first or second class honours undergraduate degree in chemistry, physics, materials science, electronic/electrical engineering or a closely related discipline.

Tyndall National Institute is one of Europe s leading research centres, addressing the scientific advances that are needed for the information technology of the future. In Tyndall, over 350 researchers, engineers, students and support staff work together in the areas of micro/nanoelectronics, photonics, microsystems and theory/modelling. The Institute is located on a high-tech campus in Cork city, Ireland, close to University College Cork. This is a stimulating place to learn and do research, with no boundaries between subjects and specialised tuition in research techniques. Tyndall currently hosts more than 100 postgraduate students, comprising over twenty nationalities and backgrounds in electronics, physics, chemistry and life sciences, mostly registered with University College Cork.

For further information, please contact Cian O Murchu at cian.omurchu@tyndall.ie

To apply, please submit your CV to careers@tyndall.ie quoting the reference number.

At this time, Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.

Tyndall National Institute is an Equal Opportunities Employer