Inherited Metabolic Diseases are severe and chronic diseases, which often affect children. They are individually rare, but altogether we know more than 1,800 different metabolic diseases. The Recon4IMD project aims to accelerate diagnosis and personalise management of these diseases. As a postdoc you will develop genome-scale, personalised computational models of metabolic networks, based on genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics datasets of individual patients. You will implement kinetic properties of enzymes, thus exploring the potential of hybrid stoichiometric-kinetic models. In the European Recon4IMD consortium you will collaborate with world-leading experts in computational modeling of metabolic networks, as well as with clinicians, laboratory specialists, and metabolomics experts.

- You have a PhD in systems biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, engineering, (bio)chemistry, or equivalent.
- You have strong skills in genome-scale metabolic modelling.
- You are interested to enrich your skills with kinetic modelling.
- Expertise in metabolomics/fluxomic is not a prerequisite, but a plus.
- You communicate efficiently in English in an international and interdisciplinary team.

The contract will be for 45 month full-time, but could also be spread over a longer period based on a 80-90% contract. Your salary will be a minimum of € 3.230,- gross per month in the first year and a maximum of € 5.088,- gross per month (scale 10) in the final (4th) year, based on a full-time appointment. In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC).

Kindergeneeskunde

The research group of prof. Barbara Bakker at the UMCG Laboratory of Pediatrics has a long history in Systems Biology approaches for metabolic diseases. The department of Pediatrics at UMCG (prof. Terry Derks and prof. Francjan van Spronsen) is a center of expertise for various metabolic diseases. The department has a strong team spirit and excellent research facilities. The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) is located in an exciting university city in the northern Netherlands.