Postdoc Position - Bioinspired Protein Materials and Sustainable 3D Printing

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

Stuttgart, Germany

The Biomimetic Materials and Machines Group at the MPI-IS in Stuttgart, led by Dr. Florian Hartmann, is looking for a Postdoc Position (m/f/d) in Bioinspired Protein Materials and Sustainable 3D Printing starting from October 1st, 2026.

We are interested in sustainable materials and technologies that can biodegrade after use and in building autonomous robotic systems inspired by nature’s diversity. To this end, we combine materials innovation with novel fabrication processes to engineer functional material systems that address societal challenges in resource availability and climate change. A core mission of the lab is to develop high-performance biomaterials that can be processed through additive manufacturing.

Project summary

In a project in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, we aim to investigate bioinspired solutions to replace commodity plastics in applications that require high environmental durability. Conventional hard plastics are indispensable in modern manufacturing but carry a well-known environmental cost — high energy processing, persistent waste, and reliance on petrochemical feedstocks. For this position, we aim to demonstrate that protein-based materials, when engineered with the right structural and chemical design principles, can match the mechanical performance of plastics while remaining fully biodegradable.

The positions will be broadly in the area of polymer chemistry and engineering, advanced manufacturing, and microfluidics. Some research directions that we are interested in exploring within this domain are:

• Synthesis of biomaterials – Synthesis of protein-based biomaterials and crosslinking strategies;
• Additive manufacturing – Multi-material 3D printing of custom materials;
• Microfluidic mixing – Strategies to mix materials on demand using microfluidic methods.

Education and Experience

We are looking for candidates who meet the following qualifications:

• Doctorate degree in chemical engineering, materials science, biochemistry, or a related field;
• Experience in preparing research articles;
• Experience with polymers, hydrogels, crosslinking chemistry, or biopolymer systems is an advantage;
• Experience with extrusion-based printing, microfluidics, or fluidic mixing systems is an advantage;
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English;
• Interest in materials development, additive manufacturing, and building prototypes;
• Interest in interdisciplinary research bridging chemistry, material science, and engineering;
• Interest in contributing to the development of a growing, collaborative research group.