The post-doc will engage in setting-up a screening and automated image analysis pipeline using 3D in vitro stem cell models including organoids for the high-content screening of chemical compounds, small molecules and potential endocrine disruptors. The automated 3D imaging and analysis pipeline will be used to study the effect of soluble factors on cell viability, differentiation and the 3D architecture of the in vitro models/organoids.

The candidates will have a proven outstanding record to be part of an exceptionally skilled team that is being assembled thanks to recent regional, industrial, and EU funding secured by the department.

The full-time position is offered for 1 year initially, and can be extended for an additional 2 years, after a yearly evaluation. The candidates are expected to disseminate the results through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conferences.

Research at MERLN is driven by technology development for the fabrication of biological constructs. The technological bases at the department for the fabrication and analysis of such constructs are:

• Micro engineered high-content and high-throughput culture and analysis platforms
• Additive manufacturing technologies for building functional 3D scaffolds, such as 3D fiber deposition;
• Bioprinting technologies spanning from bioplotting to ink-jet bioprinting and microfluidics-based systems for the fabrication of 3D in vitro models.
• Fabrication of highly functional film-based biomedical microdevices by micro and nanoscale 3D forming and superimposed patterned surface and bulk modification of thin polymer films;
• Engineering of artificial cellular microenvironments and of in vitro 3D tissue and organ analogues using the aforementioned 3D film micro- and nanotechnologies
• Bottom-up tissue engineering based on micro and nanoengineered objects as cell-assemblable instructive microscaffolds.
• Scaffold-free, self-assembled 3D tissues/organ spheroids.

Candidates should have a Ph.D. degree in biology, pharmacotoxicology, or biomedical engineering. Candidates should have already proven experience in cell-based high-content screening, confocal imaging, (induced) pluripotent stem cell culture, functional cell-based assays and bioinformatics. Affinity with biofabrication technologies such as bioprinting and microbioreactors, and developmental biology is of additional value in the selection process. Excellent and proven knowledge of scientific English both in speaking, reading, and writing is required.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website: www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

The salary is likely to be set in salary scale 10 of the CAO NU, with a minimum gross month salary of € 2.709,00 and a maximum gross monthly salary of € 4.274,00 . On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance. Employees relocating from abroad may be eligible for the Dutch ‘30% ruling’, a tax advantage which results in a significantly higher net salary. 

MERLN Institute

Research in the recently established MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine focuses on the development of new and challenging technologies for the repair of damaged organs and tissues. Within MERLN (https://merlninstitute.com), research focuses on advanced macro, micro and nanobiofabrication technologies developed and combined with fundamental knowledge of (developmental) biology to design and engineer complex tissues and organs. Potential applications of such constructs are in stem cell research, developmental biology, cancer research, pharmaceutical or toxicological screening, tissue regeneration, and bioartificial organs.

Compex Tissue Regeneration (CTR)

The Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration specializes in fabrication techniques such as biofabrication, micro-and nano-fabrication, designing and engineering of scaffolds and hydrogels to controlcell activity and tissue morphogenesis. With a focus on developing three-dimensional cell cultures, the department also has significant expertise in imaging and methods for studying cell behaviour with complex microenvironments. While historically the department led in musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, today there is a wider focus on technology platforms and fundamental biological concepts that span all tissues and organs.