Dutcher Lab Available Positions
Undergraduate Students
I am always looking for motivated undergraduate students who are interested in exciting opportunities and challenging projects in an emerging research area. There are usually opportunities to become involved in research projects in the senior level research project course and through research assistantships that are available in my research group during the summer months.
I have a dynamic, well-funded research group. The students use sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment to study the physics of polymers, biopolymers and bacterial cells at surfaces. This work involves a lot of different science, such as physics, chemistry and microbiology, and has direct technological application to a wide variety of fields including nanotechnology, optical coatings and drug delivery systems.
If you have other questions or would like to receive more information, please contact me directly.
Graduate Students
If you are looking for exciting opportunities and challenging projects in an emerging research area, I invite you to consider joining my research group as a graduate student. I have a dynamic, well-funded research group in which students use sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment to study the physics of polymers, biopolymers and bacterial cells at surfaces. This work involves a lot of different science, such as physics, chemistry and microbiology, and has direct technological application to a wide variety of fields including nanotechnology, optical coatings and drug delivery systems. Graduate student projects are curiosity-driven, with students being encouraged to “follow their nose” if they discover something interesting. Students graduating from my research group receive unique, interdisciplinary training that prepares them for careers in both academia and industry. If you are a highly motivated student who is interested in pursuing leading edge soft matter and biological physics in an interdisciplinary research environment, there is a place for you in the Polymer Surface and Interface (PSI) Group.
For additional information, please check out the links below, where I have attempted to answer some of the more common questions from prospective graduate students. If you have other questions or would like to receive more information, please contact me directly.
The Dutcher Lab at the University of Guelph is seeking qualified MSc and PhD candidates to work on the application of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to the analysis of large databases of infrared (IR) spectra collected in IR microscopy images of polymers. The goal in this work is to ultimately understand the degradation and failure mechanisms of polymers used in water transport applications, in collaboration with our industrial partner HeatLink.
We are looking for applicants who are excited to contribute to the forefront of the application of ML and AI strategies to the analysis of large databases, an emerging area at the intersection of physical and data science. Our recent use of a β-variational autoencoder (β-VAE) approach is particularly promising [1-3]. In this neural network-based approach, a very large number of IR spectra are used to train an encoder that forces the input spectra through an information bottleneck. By doing this, we can identify a small number of important generative factors called latent dimensions that are responsible for most of the measured variance in the dataset. New spectra from high resolution IR images collected on our in-house, state-of-the-art Bruker LUMOS II infrared microscope can then be analyzed using the β-VAE model to classify and track the spatial distribution of different modes of degradation in the polymers and identify new features in the data. Further insights can be achieved by using dimensionally reduced features, learned by β-VAE and other approaches, as inputs into clustering (k-means, hierarchical, and density based) and classification (support vector machines, k-nearest neighbours, and logistic regression) models.
HeatLink: https://www.heatlink.com
[1] M. Grossutti, J. D’Amico, J. Quintal, H. MacFarlane, A. Quirk and J.R. Dutcher. Deep Learning and Infrared Spectroscopy: Representation Learning with a β-Variational Autoencoder. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 13, 5787 (2022).
[2] M. Grossutti, J. D’Amico, J. Quintal, H. MacFarlane, W.C. Wareham, A. Quirk and J.R. Dutcher. Deep Generative Modeling of Infrared Images Provides Signature of Cracking in Cross-Linked Polyethylene Pipe. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15, 22532 (2023).
[3] J. D’Amico, M. Grossutti and J.R. Dutcher, Deep Learning Analysis of the Propagation of Stabilizing Additive Hydrolysis in a Cross-Linked Polyethylene Pipe. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 6, 534 (2024).
Position Requirements and Expectations
- Completed or close to completing a Bachelors or Masters degree in physics, physical chemistry or a related field of physical science
- Interest and strong motivation to work at the forefront of the application of machine learning techniques to physical science data
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to think critically and creatively
- Strong problem-solving skills and work ethic
- Excellent hands-on laboratory skills including the use of advanced instrumentation
- Ability to work safely and responsibly in a laboratory
- Ability to apply sophisticated data analysis techniques to experimental data
- Ability to program in Python and work with large databases
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Strong oral and written communication skills
Start Date
The anticipated start date is in Fall 2025.
Application Process
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV and the names of up to three referees to (dutcher@uoguelph.ca). In your cover letter, you should highlight your relevant previous experience and training. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until all positions are filled. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. The Dutcher Lab and the University of Guelph are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. All qualified applicants are invited to apply, but we particularly welcome applications from individuals that identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in the physical sciences, and we will strive to hire individuals who share our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
The Dutcher Lab at the University of Guelph is seeking qualified MSc and PhD candidates to work on the characterization of new nanomaterials based on phytoglycogen (PG), a highly branched glucose polymer produced as compact, soft, hairy nanoparticles in the kernels of sweet corn. Not only are PG nanoparticles useful for applications in personal care and biomedicine, but they also provide an ideal system for studying the physics of soft nanoparticles. The Dutcher Lab uses a wide variety of techniques to characterize the structure, morphology, hydration and mechanical properties of PG nanoparticles, and our data show dramatic changes to the particle properties with simple modifications to the particles. One of the important measurements is called rheology, in which the mechanical properties of aqueous dispersions of PG nanoparticles are measured as a function of particle concentration [1,2]. At high concentrations, in which the particles are forced into contact, these measurements reveal the nature of the interaction between PG nanoparticles and, more generally, provide insight into the nature of the soft colloidal glass transition. Recently, we have shown that partially digesting PG particles using dilute acids produces smaller, less dense particles and significantly changes the interactions between the particles at high concentrations so that, surprisingly, the soft colloidal glass transition can be studied on experimental timescales [2].
We are looking for applicants who are excited to contribute to the forefront of investigating novel properties of soft nanoparticles. This work will involve performing simple chemical and physical modifications to PG nanoparticles, such as attaching chemical groups to the outer surface of the particles that add charge and/or hydrophobicity, and then measuring the mechanical properties of aqueous dispersions of the modified PG nanoparticles using a state-of-the-art rheometer. These data will be used together with data from other techniques such as atomic force microscopy, multi-angle light scattering and advanced computer simulations to achieve an understanding of how the interactions between PG particles change with modifications of the particles. This work should lead to new applications of natural, safe, sustainable PG nanoparticles.
[1] H. Shamana et al., Soft Matter 14, 6496 (2018).
[2] H. Shamana and J.R. Dutcher, Biomacromolecules 23, 2040 (2022).
Position Requirements and Expectations
- Completed or close to completing a Bachelors or Masters degree in physics, physical chemistry or a related field of physical science
- Interest and strong motivation to work at the forefront of the physics of soft nanoparticles
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to think critically and creatively
- Strong problem-solving skills and work ethic
- Excellent hands-on laboratory skills including the use of advanced instrumentation
- Ability to work safely and responsibly in a laboratory
- Ability to apply sophisticated data analysis techniques to experimental data
- Ability to program in Python and work with large databases
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Strong oral and written communication skills
Start Date
The anticipated start date is in Fall 2025.
Application Process
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV and the names of up to three referees to (dutcher@uoguelph.ca). In your cover letter, you should highlight your relevant previous experience and training. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until all positions are filled. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. The Dutcher Lab and the University of Guelph are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. All qualified applicants are invited to apply, but we particularly welcome applications from individuals that identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in the physical sciences, and we will strive to hire individuals who share our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Postdoctoral Fellows
In the Dutcher lab, there are excellent opportunities for highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to lead multidisciplinary research projects involving the study of polymers, biopolymers and bacterial cells at surfaces. I guarantee exciting, leading-edge research projects with high visibility and opportunities to present results at international scientific meetings and interact with leading researchers around the world, as well as opportunities to interact with industrial researchers and experience how polymers, biopolymers and bacterial cells are studied in an industrial environment.
Postdoctoral fellows have joined us from Penn State, the University of North Carolina, the University of Freiburg, the University of Grenoble, McGill University, the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, the University of Navarra, Jilin University and the National Academy of Sciences in Belarus. Our students and postdoctoral fellows have gone on to faculty positions at major universities (James Forrest at Waterloo, Kari Dalnoki-Veress at McMaster, Ahmed Touhami at the University of Texas, Virginia Vadillo-Rodriguez at the University of Extremadura, Chris Murray at Lakehead, Thamara Laredo at Lakehead, and Christian Gigault at Ottawa) and hi-tech companies (Chris Murray at Monteco, Oleh Tanchak at Iogen, Oleg Stukalov at Mirexus Biotechnologies, Scott Allen at eBiz Professionals and Christian Gigault at JDS Uniphase).
For additional information, please check out the links below, where I have attempted to answer some of the more common questions from prospective postdoctoral fellows. If you have other questions or would like to receive more information, please contact me directly.