Research Assistant, Human Stem Cell-based Neural Models

A Research Assistant position in Human Stem Cell-based Neural Models is available at the Language & Genetics Department of the Max Planck Institute, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The position is in the research group of Simon Fisher, co-discoverer of FOXP2, the first gene to be implicated in a speech and language disorder.

Job Description
We are seeking a research assistant to support various projects investigating neurobiological consequences of rare gene disruptions associated with neurodevelopmental speech disorders, using human cell-based model systems. You will carry out your work in our custom-built molecular biology laboratories at the Max Planck Institute, which are equipped with dedicated cell-culture facilities, histology and RNA labs, single-cell and spatial analyses equipment, and advanced microscopy suites, including a confocal microscope, as well as a slide scanner for high-throughput imaging.

As a research assistant, you will primarily support the generation, maintenance, and functional characterisation of human stem cell-derived models that involve long-term, large-scale experiments. You will be supervised by and work with postdoctoral researcher(s) day-to-day and carry out experimental procedures in the laboratory. In addition to your laboratory experiments, you will perform important administrative and organizational tasks that are essential for maintaining and running the laboratory.

Your tasks will be diverse, and are expected to include, but are not limited to:

• Culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived neuronal models, including 2D neurons and 3D brain organoids
• Functional and molecular characterization of the iPSCs and neuronal models via:
  • Immunostaining, cryosectioning, and microscopy
  • DNA/RNA extraction
  • (q)RT-PCR
  • Western blotting
• Generation of cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing methods
• Molecular cloning

Requirements
You have a Bachelor degree and at least 2 years of laboratory experience in biological or biomedical research, i.e. Molecular or Cellular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field.

Essential

• Hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture
• Well-organised, careful and consistent in planning and carrying out experimental procedures
• Works meticulously and reliably, with strong attention to details in both executing experiments and record keeping
• Able to produce robust and reproducible results
• Communicates clearly and effectively with supervisors and colleagues, both orally and in writing in English
• Able to work as part of a collaborative, international research team

Desirable

• Previous experience with human stem cell culture
• Generating and/or functionally characterizing stem-cell derived 2D neurons or brain organoids
• Experience running long-term, large-scale, or time-sensitive experiments

Advantageous

• Familiarity or experience with molecular and cell biological methods (e.g. DNA/RNA handling, (q)RT-PCR, Western blotting, molecular cloning)
• Familiarity or experience with gene editing methods

What we offer you
The position is available from May 2026, with a negotiable start date. The term of appointment is full-time (39 hours per week). An initial contract of one year will be given, with the intention to extend the appointment, depending on performance and funding. The salary is according to the German TVöD (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst) and is classified in salary group E09b, between EUR 3.833,50 and EUR 5.297,75 gross per month, depending on the experience of the applicant, based on full-time employment. This is excluding a yearly 8% holiday bonus.

How to apply
Please apply via our recruitment portal and include:

• A 1-2 page statement of interest, including motivation behind applying and specific explanation of how your skills fit the requirements of the position
• CV including relevant research/laboratory experience, and list of outputs such as publications, preprints and presentations, if available
• Names, email addresses and contact numbers of at least two referees who would be willing to provide letters of recommendation

The closing date for applications is 22 March 2026.

For enquiries, please contact the secretariat at the Language & Genetics Department (E-mail: secretariat.genetics@mpi.nl).

The employer
About our institute
The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is a world-leading research institute devoted to interdisciplinary studies of the science of language and communication, including departments on genetics, psychology, development, neurobiology and multimodality of these fundamental human abilities.

We investigate how children and adults acquire their language(s), how speaking and listening happen in real time, how the brain processes language, how the human genome contributes to building a language-ready brain, how multiple modalities (as in speech, gesture and sign) shape language and its use in diverse languages and how language is related to cognition and culture, and shaped by evolution.

We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We aim to provide a working environment with room for differences, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Therefore, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Our institute is situated on the campus of the Radboud University and has close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby & Child Research Center.

The Language & Genetics department
Scientists in the department adopt the latest innovations in molecular methods to discover how your genome helps you speak, identifying genes that are important for development of speech, language, reading and social communication, and using those genes as windows into the key neural pathways, as well as investigating evolutionary foundations. This involves interdisciplinary research at multiple levels, from determining molecular interactions and functional roles in neuronal cell models to assessing effects on brain structure and activity.

Overviews of the research of the Language & Genetics department can be found on our website here. Information about our programme of research on rare gene variants in cellular models is available via this link.

Example publications
Wong, M. M. K., et al. (2025). SETBP1 variants outside the degron disrupt DNA-binding, transcription and neuronal differentiation capacity to cause a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder. Nature Communications, 16: 9021. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-64074-x

Den Hoed, J., Wong, M. M. K., et al. (2024). The chromatin remodeler CHD3 is highly expressed in mature neurons and regulates genes involved in synaptic development and function. bioRxiv 2024.04.29.591720; doi:10.1101/2024.04.29.591720

Den Hoed J, Fisher SE. Genetic pathways involved in human speech disorders. Curr Opin Genet Dev 65:103-111. doi.org/10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.012

Den Hoed, J., et al. (2025). Functional characterization of pathogenic SATB2 missense variants identifies distinct effects on chromatin binding and transcriptional activity. HGG Advances: Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.xhgg.2025.100537

Snijders Blok L et al. CHD3 helicase domain mutations cause a neurodevelopmental syndrome with macrocephaly and impaired speech and language. Nat Commun 9: 4619. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06014-6