We are looking for a PhD-student who will work on a project that focuses on the identification of known and novel lipids that functionally modulate the metabolic and immune polarizing properties of myeloid cells that lead to dampening of inflammatory immune responses associated with rheumatic diseases. You will be responsible for planning and performing the experiments and reporting and publishing the results in scientific journals and at international conferences. The project comprises of fundamental molecular and cellular work as well as more translational research with a special focus on arthritis. The project also involves classical immunological assays as well as metabolomics.

You have a master’s degree in biomedical sciences, preferably with experience in cellular immunology and/or metabolism. Practical experience with cell culture and mice is an asset. Additional experiences with molecular cell biology tools (Western Blot and qPCR or metabolomics) is advantageous. You are a highly motivated independent team player with a flexible work approach and the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team. English language skills are essential for communication within the team and the consortium, but also for scientific presentations and publications. Further eligibility criteria for the PhD position are that you have not resided in the Netherlands for more than twelve months in the three years immediately before the recruitment date, at the date of recruitment you have to be in the first four years of your research career, and you do not have a doctoral degree yet.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

You will be employed on the basis of a 36-hour week. Appointment is for a maximum of four years, to be completed with a doctoral thesis. Your salary is € 2,357 gross per month in the first year, amounting to € 3,020 in the fourth year (scale PhD students, CAO-UMC).

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), we are continually seeking to improve the quality of healthcare. The LUMC aims for excellence in patient care, research, teaching, training and continuing education.

http://www.lumc.nl/

Department of Parasitology.

You will work primarily within the Leiden Immunoparasitology Group (LIPG), which is part of the department of Parasitology. While a main research line of the department is centered around understanding the immunological basis of host parasite interactions, a new research line within the department focuses on cellular immunometabolism of myeloid cells. In addition, given the multidisciplinary nature of this project, you will perform this research in close collaboration with other departments, in particular the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (CPM) and Rheumatology. This research will be performed in a very stimulating and diverse environment. Finally, part of the training period will be carried out at the University of Glasgow, Queen Mary University of London and Beckman and Coulter Life Sciences in France.