During the course of this PhD research, you will develop new methods to enhance current reproductive healthcare and investigate the effect of genome plasticity on preimplantation and prenatal development. In line with the innovative nature of the research group and its track record (see here), you will develop novel molecular and computational approaches to broaden the scope of current PGT and NIPT. You will also study the impact of (epi)genome plasticity in early development on health and disease at later stages of the development. Specifically, you will profile genome and epigenome of single cells and liquid biopsy derived from embryos, spent culture medium as well as plasma to explore their connectivity. Results will be correlated with clinical outcomes.

Background

• MSc in Life Sciences or Medicine, preferably in Molecular Genetics or Bioinformatics 

Skills

• A scientific mindset, critical thinking capacity and a strong interest in computational biology;

• Excellent communication skills and the ability of working in a team;

• Experience with high-throughput molecular assays, e.g. next-generation sequencing, is a plus; 

• Experience with programming languages, object-oriented programming, data integration and machine learning is a plus.  

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 18,000 students and 4,300 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Lab of Cellular Genomic Medicine

The laboratory of Cellular Genomic Medicine is a young research group embedded within the Department of Clinical Genetics (Maastricht UMC+) and the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology (Maastricht University). Our aim is to decipher the impact of different molecular layers on cellular identity and function at the early stages of human development. The laboratory actively translates the knowledge and developed technologies into the clinic.