PhD Student Brain multiregion singlecell transcriptomics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/CFSyndrome NIN

What you will be doing?

ME/CFS is characterized by neurological symptoms and is often considered a brain disease. However, we do not yet understand what changes occur within the brain, mainly limited by scarcity of (postmortem) tissue for research. Together with the Netherlands Brain Bank and NMCB, we established a brain donor program focused on ME/CFS, and already generated exciting preliminary findings.

This interdisciplinary project provides a unique opportunity to work with human postmortem tissue, high-throughput sequencing, and translational neuroimmunology. You will be involved in identifying molecular targets and immune biomarkers for ME/CFS, potentially guiding future therapeutic strategies. You will map transcriptional shifts in selected brain regions (hippocampus, frontal cortex, and hypothalamus) implicated in ME/CFS symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction and sleep disturbances.

You will:

• Use snRNA-seq to profile cellular heterogeneity and gene expression changes in relevant brain regions for ME/CFS symptomatology.
• Validate transcriptomic findings with immunohistochemistry and other complementary techniques.
• Collaborate with other labs to integrate brain and blood immune transcriptomics, identifying shared CNS–periphery immune alterations.

What we are offering
We offer an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN).

You will benefit from:

• A supportive team of mentors in neuroimmunology.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
• Opportunities to present at national and international conferences and contribute to high-impact publications.
• Good terms of employment (see below).

What you will be contributing?

You are a highly motivated and curious candidate who is eager to unravel complex disease mechanisms. You have:

• A Master’s degree in neuroscience, bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
• A strong interest in transcriptomics, brain pathology, and neuroimmune interactions.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques (e.g., immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, RNA-seq) is highly valued.
• Experience with scRNA-seq/snRNA-seq will be considered advantageous.
• A collaborative mindset, but also have the ability to work independently,

Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 3059,- and the maximum salary is € 3881,- 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 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 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.

The Neuroimmunology Research Group (IMM), led by Prof. Inge Huitinga, investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of driving multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, using postmortem brain tissue. You will also work closely with the Brain Plasticity Group (UvA, led by prof. Paul Lucassen). You can learn more at www.nin.nl.