Protein based membranes and membrane protein filtration devices have shown outstanding potential in the treatment of water and are already being industrially implemented in the purification of water from a large spectrum of organic and inorganic contaminants. Since the principles of filtering liquids (water) and gases (aerosol) share many common similarities, it is conceivable to expect that the same membrane could also serve in some specific aspects of air treatment. We propose to use protein-based membranes for the purification of air-born viruses, and we aim at establishing a new technology which could ideally serve in the design of membranes for any type of virus inactivation.
The candidate working on this project will be employed as a Postdoctoral Scientist in the Food & Soft Material Laboratory at ETH Zurich, headed by Prof. Dr. Raffaele Mezzenga, starting 1st August 2020. The project is supposed to run for two years or longer.
The candidade applying for this position should have a background ideally combining both virology and material science, and be familiar with work with protein-based materials.