Evidence is accumulating that fructose (‘vruchtensuiker’) contributes to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

We are looking for someone highly motivated and with a degree in Medicine or Biomedical Sciences (or a comparable degree) who is interested in an ambitious PhD project. The PhD student will perform an intervention with a completely new drug that affects fructose metabolism. State-of-the-art techniques will be used to evaluate the treatment effect, including hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps to assess insulin sensitivity, magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify liver fat fractions, and tissue biopsies to study detailed mechanisms. The PhD student will be trained in performing these measurements, as well as the principles of clinical research and statistical analyses.

This practical study offers an excellent introduction into clinical research and may serve as a mutual acquaintance for those MD’s who are interested in specialty training at the Department of Internal Medicine.

MSc in Medicine, Biomedical Sciences or equivalent, with demonstrated affinity and/or experience with human intervention research and an interest in metabolic measurements. A degree as medical doctor (MD) is a strong advantage. Good communication and organizational skills are required as well as qualifications to work in a team. Due to interaction with participants, mastering the Dutch language is a prerequisite.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

Temporary (full-time) employment for 4 years. The first year will be a probation period, after a positive assessment the position will be extended for another 3 years, which happens in the vast majority of cases.

Your salary would be € 2.434,- gross per month in the first year up to € 3.111,- gross per month in the fourth year according to the PhD-candidate salary scale. An 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance is also provided. Each year an evaluation will take place.

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 http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

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 20,000 students and 4,700 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. For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

NUTRIM - Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences

Within our translational research group (www.dmrg.nl), embedded in the department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences and in collaboration with the department of Internal Medicine (division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disease), within the graduate school NUTRIM - School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism at Maastricht University, we perform human clinical and experimental trials to unravel the aetiology of type 2 diabetes. We have special interest in human liver metabolism and we apply whole-body, tissue and cellular approaches to study mechanisms that lead to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. To this end, Maastricht University has unique facilities to perform human translational studies (Metabolic Research Unit Maastricht, MRUM), which includes clamp facilities, whole body respiration chambers and access to magnetic resonance imaging and -spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET) at the Maastricht University Medical Centre.