Kidney injury is critical in various human diseases and caused by diverse nephrotoxic drugs. The injury to the kidney is often confounded to the proximal tubular cells. Injury to the renal proximal tubular cells results in activation of various cell signalling pathways that initiate cellular repair and tissue regeneration, or activate the onset of cell death. Such stress response pathways are critical in normal cellular physiology and include e.g. KEAP1/Nrf2 pathway, DNA-damage response pathway, unfolded protein response, heatshock response. The aim of the project is to quantitatively assess the activation of these stress response and tissue regeneration pathways using high throughput transcriptomics approaches. This will involve both in vitro as well as in vivo approaches. The in vitro/ in vivo findings will be directly related to human data. Quantitative data on pathway activation will be integrated with computational biology modelling in collaboration with the postdoc in the project as well as collaborations with European partners in the project.   
The candidate will work in the context of the Innovative Medicines Initiative project Translation Quantitative Systems Toxicology (TransQST), a 8 MEuro pan-European project with partners from academia and the European pharmaceutical industry. The TransQST project focuses on the implementation of quantitative mechanistic insights on the molecular mechanisms of liver, kidney, heart and intestinal injury in systems biology models that are predictive for the human target tissue injury outcome.

• A MSc in (Bio)-pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences or Biology;
• Enthusiastic and ambitious;
• Independent thinker;
• Expertise in molecular and cell biology, transcriptomics, signal transduction;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Interest in bioinformatics;
• Team player.

We offer a one year term position with the possibility of renewal based on need, funding and performance.  Salary range from € 2,222.- to € 2,840.-gross per month (pay scale P,in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at www.workingat.leiden.edu/.

 All our PhD students are embedded in the Leiden University Graduate School of Science (www.graduateschools.leidenuniv.nl/). Our graduate school offers several PhD training courses at three levels: professional courses, skills training and personal effectiveness. In addition, advanced courses to deepen scientific knowledge are offered by the research school.

Diversity
Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Universiteit Leiden

Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university in the Netherlands (1575). The University permeates the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia.

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are driven by curiosity to expand fundamental knowledge and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.
The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in 8 institutes. These institutes offer 8 bachelor’s and 12 master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 1,300 staff and almost 4,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together. Information about the Faculty of Science can be found at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science.

The Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) is a leading institute dedicated to world-class research and education in drug discovery and development. LACDR comprises a diverse and international team of approximately 150 researchers and is ideally located at the Leiden Bio Science Park, the largest life science cluster in The Netherlands. In the 2017 QS World University Ranking, the University of Leiden was listed number 17 globally in the area of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.