Postdoc Virology

The department of Viroscience at the Erasmus MC and the department of Chemical Biology & Drug discovery at Utrecht University have joined forces to identify functional glycan receptors for influenza A viruses, enteroviruses and noroviruses. The overarching goal of this research program is to comprehensively understand virus-glycan interactions in respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and central nervous system (CNS) of relevant vertebrates including humans. The premise is that the combined knowledge of receptor specificity of (re)emerging viruses and glycan repertoires expressed on relevant cells and tissues of various vertebrate species will provide predictors for host range, including zoonotic potential (animal-to-human spill-over) and pathogenesis.

For this project, you will join the team that is focused on the detecting of functional glycans in situ and development of advanced infection model systems to study the role of functional receptors. These models will include (genetically engineered) stem cell-derived 2D and 3D organoids that represent respiratory, gastrointestinal, and brain tissues. You will use viruses and generate recombinant viral proteins to investigate virus-glycan interactions in these model systems.

To be a successful candidate for this role, you should possess the following qualifications and skills:

• A PhD degree in a relevant scientific field (such as (Molecular) Virology, Cell Biology).
• Proficiency in performing independent research.
• Experience in stem cell-derived organoid systems and/or (molecular) virology.
• Strong social and communication skills, excellent scientific writing and presentation skills.
• Effective organizational skills.
• Proficiency in the English language.
• Dedication, enthusiasm for innovative research, scientific curiosity, and the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.

The department of Viroscience at Erasmus MC employs more than 180 employees of different disciplines. It runs an extensive fundamental and applied experimental research program on epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of infections by human and animal viruses and has well-equipped clinical and experimental virology labs. The project is a close collaboration between the teams of Debby van Riel, Miranda de Graaf and Bart Haagmans and therefore you will closely work within these teams.