Will you help us to improve the healing of diabetic ulcers? Diabetic skin wounds are a serious health condition with poor effective cure. In a international collaborative project, we aim to develop regenerative scaffolds with the ability to promote diabetic wound healing and create an in vitro human skin model for diabetic skin. Advanced materials will be tested in the diabetic skin model and results will be validated through established preclinical tests. With this approach, we aim to expand the treatment options for diabetic patients and forward the fields of engineering, cell biology, and disease models.

The four-year project is funded through the “Advanced healthcare materials” call of NWO Merian Fund. In Brazil, a post-doc will be funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation FAPESP. While on the project as a PhD student in the Netherlands, you will work at the Brazilian laboratory for multiple months (at least three months).
At Radboudumc, you focus on the development, characterization and evaluation of natural dermal substitutes that promote diabetic wound healing with effector molecules and testing their activity in relevant (cell culture) models. Proof-of-concept of dermal substitutes for diabetic wounds treatment will be evaluated in mouse models. The lab in Brazil will focus on the development of a diabetic skin model as an alternative model to animal tests.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Design, prepare, and characterize biomaterials with effector molecules to be used as dermal skin substitutes.
• Establish models to test the functionality of active compounds embedded in skin subsitutes.
• Evaluate the performance and biocompatibility of developed biomaterials in in vitro and in vivo models.
• Collaborate with researchers, clinicians, and industry partners to ensure the translational potential of the developed skin substitutes.
• Prepare presentations for project meetings, write progress reports and present results.
• Supervise MSc and BSc students and disseminate the obtained knowledge by scientific publications and presentations at (inter)national conferences, with the ultimate aim to finalize and publicly defend a PhD-thesis.

Our new PhD candidate has a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Life Sciences, Biomedical engineering, or related disciplines and a strong background in biomaterials, tissue engineering, or a related field.

Furthermore, you recognize yourself in the profile below:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in at least the English language.
• Elaborate hands-on experience with cell culture and qPCR.
• Practical skills in microscopy (fluorescence microscopy /scanning EM).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.
• License of laboratory animal science (Dutch article 9) is a pre.
• Practical skills in (immuno)histopathology, (fluorescence) microscopy, protein analysis and column chromatography are desirable.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• A gross monthly salary in scale 10A between €2.901 and €3.677 (for a full-time appointment). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development. You can take a variety of courses in our online learning environment. You can also share knowledge with colleagues through digital learning spaces – perfect for getting inspired and inspiring others.
• Your well-being and vitality are a priority. For example, we have our own sports facilities and a Healthy Professionals program to help you manage your energy. And if you are going through a life-changing event, our Company Support Team and a personal coach are there to help you.
• Support in achieving a good work-life balance at every stage of your life. This includes advice and training courses (from ‘Millennial Dilemmas’ to ‘Your Career After 57’), activities at our own mindfulness center, and informal caregiving consultations if you have questions about juggling work and caregiving responsibilities at home.
• 168 holiday hours per year (23 days) based on a 36-hour working week.
• 26 weeks of parental leave, nine of which are paid.
• A good collective pension scheme with a 70% reimbursement of your pension premium.
• Discounts on health insurance and ten other types of insurance, from home insurance to legal assistance.
• An allowance for your travel expenses or a working-from-home allowance of €2 per day.

Radboudumc

This project is an international collaborative effort between Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Radboudumc, Dept. of Medical BioSciences, dr.ir. Willeke Daamen) and Campinas São Paulo, Brazil (National Laboratory of Biosciences / CNPEM, dr. Ana Carolina Migliorini Figueira) with multiple collaborative partners -clinicians, companies, and patient organisations- that allow for translational impact of project results.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare.

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.