Plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance (pAMR) occurs in both humans and animals and requires One-health solutions, which include a holistic approach integrating veterinary, medical and environmental disciplines. The transfer dynamics of pAMR depend on ecological and evolutionary processes in the microbiota of the host. A consortium of Utrecht University (UU) and Wageningen University (WU) will study the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of pAMR in gut microbiota of chickens using mathematical modelling and experiments in the project, entitled "Microbiome Invasion and Transmission of plasmid-mediated Antimicrobial Resistance" (MITAR), supported by a grant of ZonMW.

We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral candidate, who wants to contribute to our fundamental understanding of the ecology and evolution of pAMR with an eye for application of the results to obtain better interventions and risk analyses. Tasks of the candidate include in vitro experiments to estimate key model parameters, including fitness cost of plasmid carriage, dynamics of compensatory evolution for these costs and transfer rate of the plasmid to other members of the chicken microbiome. The candidate will work at the Laboratory of Genetics at WU in close collaboration with a PhD student responsible for the modelling and in vivo experiments at UU. The project will be supervised by Prof Arjan de Visser (WU), Dr Mark Zwart (NIOO), Dr Egil Fischer (UU) and Prof Arjan Stegeman (UU).

We seek a highly motivated scientist holding a PhD in (Medical) Microbiology or Biotechnology with solid knowledge of microbial ecology and evolution, or a PhD in Evolutionary Biology with a quantitative mind and experience with working with microbes, preferably bacteria. A further requirement is ample experience with the latest methods of molecular genetics. Assets include analytical skills, affinity with next generation sequencing and bioinformatics, excellent communicative abilities and the ability work both independently and in a multidisciplinary team.

We expect the postdoc to write up and publish the results of the planned experiments as peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, as well as to present them at international conferences and stake-holder meetings. Therefore, a suitable candidate has a high level of English in writing and speech according to CEFR proficiency level C.

We offer a 1,0 fte position for one year with the possibility of extension for another year. The gross salary will be from € 3.111 up to € 4.084. Salary is according to postdoc scale and there are outstanding secondary benefits such as a minimum of 29 days holiday per year and membership of Research school Production Ecology and Resource Conservation (offering diverse courses and career guidance). For further information, see: working at WUR.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University and Research (Wageningen UR) is a leading international organization in the life sciences, particularly in the field of healthy nutrition and living environment. With 6,500 employees and 10,000 students from more than 100 countries, Wageningen UR is a truly international organisation operating across the world. The scientific quality of research performed at Wageningen UR is evidenced by several international rankings and citation indices. The quality of Wageningen University as an institute of academic education is shown by its repeated top rank in the Netherlands for several studies, including biology.
Research within the Laboratory of Genetics centers around the interrelationship between genetics, heredity and evolution, and takes place within the Department of Plant Sciences. Current research addresses the following three themes: (1) Generating variation; (2) Genetics and levels of selection, and (3) Genetics of adaptations. A range of experimental model systems are used, including bacteria, fungi, plants and insects. The group of Prof Arjan de Visser uses the approach of microbial experimental evolution to address fundamental evolutionary questions. A major recent line of research involves the evolution of antibiotic resistance, particularly beta-lactams.