Stem cell -based therapies that amplify the body’s natural repair processes hold the potential to address some of society’s greatest challenges, such as curing the chronic diseases and degenerative disorders that are increasingly prevalent in our ageing population. However, only a select few have been successfully translated into therapies that meet demands for safety and clinical efficacy. The lack of understanding of how in vivo stem cell-mediated regeneration occurs remains a significant bottleneck in devising better therapeutic strategies. Nanoparticles have emerged as ideal cell labelling tools as they can be precisely tailored in terms of chemical and physical properties. We seek a PhD student to develop multimodal nanoparticles for cell and lineage tracking in vivo, and in 3D in vitro cell culture systems. The project will involve nanoparticle synthesis, surface and core modifications to allow targeting and multimodal imaging, and (in vitro) biological testing using stem cells, and 3D cell culture systems (e.g. spheroids, organoids).

We invite candidates with a university degree in chemistry, nanotechnology, chemical engineering or similar. Experience in nanoparticle synthesis and development and cell culture will be positively evaluated. We are looking for a new colleague with outstanding research skills, motivation, enthusiasm, ambitions and team spirit. The project will be collaborative and interdisciplinary, and will suit an ambitious candidate who likes a fast-paced environment. Excellent knowledge of scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing are required. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

Fixed-term contract: 1 + 3 years.

We offer full-time employment for a PhD candidate. The appointment will be for a period of 1 years and will be extended for another 3 years after positive evaluation.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO NU). The salary is set in scale PhD of the CAO NU (€2.395,00 - €3.061,00)

Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 18,000 students and 4,400 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

MERLN Institute

The successful candidate will join the laboratory of Dr. Sabine van Rijt in the Department of Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE) in the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (merln.maastrichtuniversity.nl). We are a collaborative, international, and interdisciplinary group with diverse expertise, including chemistry, biomaterials, tissue engineering, and cell biology. We share newly renovated laboratory facilities with modern equipment. As this position is part of a larger grant, there will be cooperation with several (international) research groups.