Assistant Professor 3D Tissue Organoids

Within the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam, we are actively looking for an enthusiastic and motivated scientist to bolster the research and educational endeavors of the Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology (DSCCB) group. Research in this group aims to understand how complex mammalian tissues are built and maintained. We study this at multiple different levels – 'from man or mouse to molecule' – with a focus on WNT and BMP signaling in early embryogenesis and breast (cancer) biology. See our website for more details. We look forward to welcoming a new colleague with original ideas and a healthy research ambition to strengthen our research in 3D (human) breast and intestinal organoids.

What are you going to do?
You will consolidate and expand our research line on mouse and, predominantly, human tissue organoids for breast and intestine. The main focus will be on the mammary gland, where you will join ongoing international efforts in human breast organoid technology development with strong connections to the European mammary gland research community and links to both breast cancer and breast milk research.

As an assistant professor you are expected to:

• develop this research line in a direction that fits within the overarching research program of

the DSCCB group;

• (co-)supervise PhD students;
• publish and present your work in reputable journals and at (inter)national conferences;
• develop your skills in coaching and inclusive leadership;
• be active in attracting external funding;
• contribute to teaching in the BSc and MSc programs of the Biomedical Sciences and other programs

in the Faculty of Science, and to supervise BSc and MSc students for individual assignments

(including research internships, literature reviews, etc.).

Our goal is to recruit someone who will strengthen our team by contributing their skills and expertise to our existing research program to achieve common goals (e.g. by bringing complementary skills and expertise in lineage fidelity/plasticity, molecular/cellular heterogeneity, rare mutations and/or rare disease variants, mechanical biology and/or tissue-matrix interactions).

You have/are

• a PhD in developmental, stem cell or cancer biology (or an adjacent area) and postdoctoral research

experience (i.e. 1-2 years or more);

• demonstrable expertise in 3D tissue organoid biology;
• affinity with mammary gland and/or breast cancer biology;
• a broad interest in life sciences research, allowing you to communicate and collaborate across the

confines of your own discipline, both within SILS and with other academic institutions and/or industry;

• willing to contribute to valorization and outreach activities of the research group;
• communicative and fluent in spoken and written English;
• affinity for teaching (at the undergraduate and graduate levels) demonstrated by a University Teaching

Qualification (BKO) or the willingness to enroll in a program to achieve that.

Ideally, you have a prior funding record appropriate for your career stage, you are Art. 9 qualified and are fluent in Dutch to facilitate teaching at the BSc level. Prior experience with 3D live cell imaging and/or -omics and bioinformatics analyses would be an advantage.

If you are not fluent in Dutch, SILS expects its staff to acquire sufficient fluency in the Dutch language within three years of the start of the employment contract.

A temporary contract for 38 hours a week, for the duration of 18 months, preferably starting on 1 May 2024. A permanent contract follows after positive assessment of your performance. The Job profile Assistant Professor 2 is applicable.

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €4.332 to €5.929 gross per month, based on a fulltime contract (38 hours a week). This is exclusive 8 % holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is an institute of the Faculty of Science. Its staff members work in 17 research groups that perform excellent research, centered on four themes: 1) Cell & Systems Biology, 2) Neurosciences, 3) Microbiology and 4) Green Life Sciences.

Application
Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 31 December 2023.

You can apply online by using the button below.

Applications in .pdf should include:

• a motivation letter and CV, including a list of publications and your funding and teaching track record (if applicable);
• contact information for at least two academic referees;
• a 1-page research statement.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure.
(for details: National knowledge security guidelines)