PhD student - cellular mechanisms of psychiatry - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Amsterdam

Are you interested in contributing to an understanding of the cellular mechanisms in neuropsychiatry? Do you want to use the latest cutting-edge neuron-glia research approaches, chemical tools and optical imaging techniques in living brain tissue? Do you enjoy collaborating with researchers from different disciplines and work in a larger consortium? Then this job may be for you.

What you will be doing?
In the brain, the complement system plays an important role in neural circuit homeostasis and disease. Innate immune complement proteins secreted by microglia and neurons are key proteins to guide cell-cell interactions during synaptic pruning and recognized to have pathogenic relevance in neuropsychiatric disorders. You will be part of a team comprising of neuroscientists and immunologists, working closely with the key researchers in the field of synthetic organic chemistry (University of Leiden) and structural biology (University of Utrecht). You will use newly developed chemical probes to image and manipulate proteins and live image the complement system, while recording activity of neurons and glia cells in brain tissue. Transgenic reporter lines will allow you to employ 2P or confocal spinning-disk imaging and tracking microglial surveillance. Ultimately, you will develop a research pipeline to study neuron-glia interactions to provide a mechanistic, causal understanding of molecular- and cell biology of psychiatric symptoms.

Who are we looking for?
You are a highly motivated, self-driven candidate with a master’s degree in neuroscience, biomedicine, or relevant chemical science discipline. The ideal candidate will have experience with electrophysiology and/or live cell imaging techniques and preferably with a strong affinity for neuroimmunology. Programming skills will be very useful for your project. You have excellent capabilities for working independently and being a team player, comfortable communicating, presenting and writing in English.

What do we offer?
We offer ample opportunities for further development of knowledge and technical and personal skills through courses at the Academy and (inter)national conferences and:

• Good terms of employment (see further)
• Mentoring, supervision and training
• Access to state-of-the art equipment -A stimulating international research environment

The PhD project is embedded in the consortium institute for chemical neuroscience (iCNS), funded through a gravitation grant and aims to discover the molecular changes in the brain underlying psychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis. We offer an interdisciplinary research environment of neurobiologists, chemists, psychiatrists, and data scientists. You will be joining the neuron-glia research work package at the NIN–KNAW and benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure. The Kole lab is equipped with high-end electrophysiological, optogenetic and high-speed one and two-photon imaging setups. The KNAW offers ample opportunities for development of knowledge, technical and personal skills through courses.

Terms of employment
Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 2.901 and the maximum salary is € 3.707 gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale P cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP. The contract is first for 1 year and can be extended in case of proper functioning.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Application procedure
Please submit your application via the button Apply now, as soon as possible but before June, 15 2025. Please include your CV and an application letter, stating how your education, goals and interests align with this position. Please also include two reference letters in the application letter (in one file).

The selection procedure starts immediately and will continue until the vacancy is filled. If the vacancy is filled, the procedure will be closed prematurely.

About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience
The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is the country's leading fundamental neuroscience research institute, in the international and progressive city of Amsterdam. It provides a critical mass of scientists (spanning more than 27 nationalities) and neuroscience facilities, in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language.