Senior technician MALDI-TOF - Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Utrecht

The Westerdijk Institute is seeking a full-time, motivated, and detail-oriented senior technician to support a newly funded European project within the Molecular Medical Mycology laboratory. This exciting project focuses on establishing MALDI-TOF reference spectra for filamentous fungi and yeasts from our world-renowned culture collection, as well as exploring the use of MALDI-TOF for antifungal resistance detection and outbreak investigation.

What you will be doing

• Managing the coordination of a multi-institutional European research project
• Culturing fungal and yeast strains for protein extraction
• Generating and analyzing MALDI-TOF spectra and establishing spectral databases
• Performing DNA extraction, barcoding, and Oxford Nanopore sequencing
• Creating and optimizing SOPs, manuals, and instructional videos
• Supporting data analysis and species verification using various software tools

What we are offering

• A full-time research assistant role in an internationally recognized mycological research institute
• Integration within the director’s research team and collaboration across specialized departments
• Opportunity to contribute to high-impact fungal diagnostics and resistance research
• A team-oriented environment with enthusiastic researchers and technical staff
• Access to in-house training and support for professional development

What you will be contributing

• BSc or equivalent technical training in microbiology, molecular biology, or related field
• Experience with fungal culturing, protein and DNA isolation, MALDI-TOF, PCR, and electrophoresis
• Familiarity with DNA sequencing and analysis tools (Geneious, BioEdit, MEGA, etc.)
• Knowledge of MALDI-TOF analysis software and Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Photoshop)
• Excellent organizational and troubleshooting skills, with strong attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and in teams, managing timelines and project deliverables
• Strong communication skills in English; Dutch is a plus
• Experience in medical mycology, antifungal resistance, and long-read sequencing is an advantage

Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 3.218,- and the maximum salary is € 4.298,- gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 8 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 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.

The Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute is a research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences located at Utrecht Science Park. Our researchers study biodiversity across the entire spectrum of the fungal kingdom. They develop and use a wide range of techniques to map the biology, ecology, and genetic information of fungi.
With a unique collection of more than 100,000 living fungal strains, yeasts and bacteria, we are at the forefront of mycological research worldwide. We are a center of expertise for mycology and contribute to solving socially relevant issues in the areas of health, agriculture and industry.
Our relatively small, internationally diverse institute has 50 employees and a similar number of guest researchers.Additional information is available on our website: www.wi.knaw.nl

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.