Did you just finish your PhD or are you an experienced postdoctoral fellow and want to continue your career as researcher in an innovative organization? Do you want to make the difference for stem cell transplantation patients that suffer from complications such as graft versus host disease?  Read this!

The project:
We are searching for an enthusiastic post-doc, for our recently granted LSBR project. Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a frequently occurring complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that is often devastating. GvHD is caused by lymphocytes of the stem cell donor that cause an immune reaction against healthy tissues of the transplanted patient. Within this project we aim to investigate the role of the relatively recent discovered pro-inflammatory tissue resident memory T cells (Trm) and innate lymphoid cells (ILC) in the pathophysiology of GvHD. Patients that lack ILC are prone to develop GvHD. It is our hypothesis that ILC suppress the destructive mechanism of action of Trm. To investigate this we will use operational clinical models and blood and tissue-biopsies of patients. The project is a result of a long standing collaboration between Sanquin and the Amsterdam UMC, location AMC that is formalized with the Stem Cell Transplantation initiative (SCTi) AMC-Sanquin. The results of this project have potentially far-reaching implications, not only for the fundamental insights with regards to GvHD pathophysiology, but also for the generation of new methods to prevent and treat GvHD. 

Our lab at Sanquin Research
At the department of Hematopoiesis (HEP), Sanquin Research, the groups of Dr. Carlijn Voermans and Dr Mette Hazenberg have a close and longstanding collaboration in GvHD immunopathophysiology. Both have clinical involvement in allogeneic HCT, Dr Voermans as head of the Laboratory of Cell Therapy at Sanquin, and dr Hazenberg as clinical hematologist. Research in their groups is aimed at the development of novel cellular therapies to prevent and treat GvHD. Research of the project will be performed mainly at Sanquin, and occasionally at AMC. The department of HEP is comprehensive and harbors various research groups each with their specific knowledge and technological expertise, creating a very vibrant and inspiring environment with ample possibilities for personal development and growth.

• a PhD degree and preferably experience as postdoc;
• affinity with medical oriented research;
• accuracy and systematic working skills;
• an enthusiastic colleague who likes to work in a team;
• a colleague that know how to prioritize. 

Fixed-term contract: 1 year, with an option of extension till 3 years.

We offer unique research opportunities in a dynamic environment. Nowhere else in the world you will find an organization that combines medical, pharmaceutical, diagnostic and scientific research under one roof. In addition to a challenging project in a multi-disciplinary and enthusiastic team we offer:

• pay and working conditions conform CAO Sanquin (FWG55);
• challenging projects in a multi-disciplinary and enthusiastic team;
• a temporary appointment for a year with an option of extension till 3 years;
• 201 hours of leave with full-time employment (36 hours);
• 8.33% end-of-year bonus, i.e. a thirteenth month in case of full-year employment;
• 8.33% holiday pay;
• compensation for travel expenses;
• collective agreements with various insurers;
• pension plan with Pensioenfonds Zorg & Welzijn (PFZW).

Sanquin

Sanquin is a unique organization. We are best known for the Blood Bank, the division responsible for guaranteeing the blood supply in the Netherlands. But Sanquin does much more, including scientific research in the field of blood and related topics. Sanquin employs almost 3000 employees who spend each day making their own contribution to our social duty: Together with the donor we ensure a better life for patients.
As a post-doctoral researcher you will work at Donor Studies, a research group within the Department of Donor Medicine Research of Sanquin Research. Donor Studies is internationally recognized as a leading player in research on donor health and donor behaviour. Due to its multidisciplinary character, Donor Studies combines high quality health research with state-of-the-art studies from an epidemiological, biostatistical, and psychosocial perspective. The close collaboration with the Blood Bank offers the unique possibility to implement evidence-based research results into practice and evaluate their effectiveness. Click on the following links for more info on Donor Studies projects and the Donor Health research line.