Leiden University is recruiting a PhD candidate/Early Stage Researcher (ESR) as part of the MSCA/Marie Curie European Training Network (ETN). Training towards Innovative Personalized Antibiotic Therapy (TIPAT) offers a cutting-edge training-by-research program for 15 ESRs, who will investigate translation and integration of biological and pharmacological data related to drug-pathogen-host interactions towards personalized therapies. To enable development of innovative personalized antibiotic treatment strategies, quantitative understanding of the interplay between drug, pathogen and host is crucial. The TIPAD network will train inter-disciplinary specialists optimally equipped with a skill set to address this challenge. Central to the TIPAT research and training program of ESRs is the combination of state-of-the art quantitative modelling with approaches in clinical pharmacology, immunology and microbiology, which enables development of innovative methodology to personalized antibiotic therapies.

In this ESR/PhD project we aim to apply in vitro and in silico to characterize the relationship between drug exposure and bacterial growth kinetics and/or emergence of tolerance of resistance for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We are interested to develop approaches that combine evolutionary dynamics principles with quantitative pharmacology.  The ultimate aim of this project is to enable treatment individualization strategies to optimize treatment chronic lung infections. We expect to use a combination of continuous culture chemostat systems, hollow-fiber infection models, and our recently developed morbidostat system to study longitudinal growth kinetics and emergence of resistance in relation to the timing and concentration profiles associated with clinical dosing strategies in patients. Based on the generated data and available clinical data, mathematical models will be developed to quantitatively derive general underlying principles that will enable us to optimize and individualize antibacterial (combination) treatment strategies to maximize efficacy and minimize the risk for resistance development.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and conduct in vitro assays to characterize exposure/response relationships for antibacterial agents and the emergence of resistance/tolerance;
• Develop mathematical models based on generated data to derive optimize treatment strategies;
• Actively participate in the TIPAT international and inter-disciplinary training program, which includes regular webinars and presentations, network-wide training events, and several short international secondments (Germany, Copenhagen, USA) to receive further training;
• Reporting of results at project meetings and conferences;
• Writing of progress reports and scientific manuscripts;
• Contribution to educational activities;
• Contribute to a collaborative, open and positive working atmosphere in the research group.

• Master degree in a microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related biomedical degree;
• Experience in either microbiological techniques, or computational scientific software such as R, Python or Matlab, combined with willingness to learn missing expertise (e.g. experimental/computational);
• Knowledge of PK/PD principles, microbial evolutionary biology, antimicrobial resistance is beneficial;
• Knowledge/experience with specific in vitro time kill assays, biofilm assays or other chemostat systems is beneficial;
• Experience in molecular biology techniques such as qPCR and next-generation sequencing is beneficial;
• Interested to combine experimental and computational approaches;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills to organize research with both academics and professionals;
• Good communication (verbal and writing) skills in English;
• Confirmed capacity to write high-level scientific reports and papers;
• Interested in participating in educational tasks;
• An independent and creative team player;
• Candidates must not have lived in or carried out their main activity (work or study) in the hosting country for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment start date;
• The candidate has to have finished a master degree within the last 4 years prior to recruitment and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree.

We offer a one year term position, with the possibility of an extension by a further three years, based on a positive evaluation of the progress of the thesis, personal capabilities and compatibility. Salary range from €2,325.-  to €2,972.-  gross per month (pay scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Special agreements as a Marie Curie early stage researcher you will be entitled to extra allowances based on EU funding. These allowances are explained at a later stage.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

All our PhD students are embedded in the Leiden University Graduate School of Science. Our graduate school offers several PhD training courses at three levels: professional courses, skills training and personal effectiveness. In addition, advanced courses to deepen scientific knowledge are offered by the research school.

Leiden University

The Faculty of Science is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelor’s and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2.200 staff and almost 4,200 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together. For more information, see Faculty of Science.