You will build a novel imaging platform, based on a selective plane imaging microscope, which will allow you to measure, for the first time, the molecular identity of individual cells throughout intact tumors. By single-cell transcriptomics you will identify the most variable genes. Using fluorescent reporter cell lines, you will study collective migration as a precursor of metastasis. You will develop algorithms to analyze the complex sequencing and imaging data and mathematical models to understand the observed phenomena.

Studies over the last few decades have revealed cancer to be a frightfully complex disease. Most recently it was shown that the cells within a single tumor are strongly different from each other. This heterogeneity is a major stumbling block for drug therapies, which typically target only specific cells. Its origin is currently unclear. An exciting new school of thought tries to understand it in terms of spontaneous symmetry breaking at a phase transition from normal to cancerous growth. The PhD project offered here will investigate this new paradigm using quantitative measurements in a fully controlled laboratory model of tumor development.

• You have a master's degree in physics, biophysics or a related degree.
• You have experience with optics and microscopy and show a strong interest in experimental quantitative biology.
• You have experience with programming (e.g. Matlab, Python, C/C++, R), data analysis and mathematical modeling.
• You are interested in learning (or have experience with) cell culture and basic molecular biology techniques (cloning, transfection, PCR etc.).
• You are proficient in spoken and written English, and have good communication and writing skills.
• You are independent, creative and have team spirit.

Fixed-term contract: four years.

When fulfilling a PhD position at the NWO-I, the Institutes Organisation of NWO, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employee status and can participate in all the employee benefits the NWO Institutes Organisation (NWO-I) offers. You will get a contract for four years. Your salary will be up to a maximum of 2,834 euro gross per month. The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8 percent and an end-of-year bonus of 8.33 percent. You are supposed to have a thesis finished at the end of your four year term with NWO-I. A training programme is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for the additional education and supervising that you specifically need. This plan also defines which teaching activities you will be responsible (up to a maximum of ten percent of your time). The conditions of employment of NWO-I are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres (Cao-Onderzoekinstellingen), more exclusive information is available at this website under Personeelsinformatie (in Dutch) or under Personnel (in English). General information about working at NWO-I can be found in the English part of this website under Personnel. The 'FOM job interview code' applies to this position.

Leiden University

Our lab is part of the Leiden Institute of Physics and situated at the Leiden Cell Observatory. The Cell Observatory is a highly collaborative community dedicated to the visualization and understanding of the fundamental molecular mechanisms of life, which is part of the core scientific profile of Leiden University. The Cell Observatory houses state-of-the-art bio-imaging facilities shared among the member labs, which actively develop new methods for the quantitative measurement of single-cell properties.
More information about our lab can be found here.
Information about the Faculty of Science can be found at their website and about Leiden University here.