Respiratory tract infections cause substantial disease and mortality in the elderly. How local immunity to causative pathogens is build and maintained remains an open question with important implications for novel (mucosal) vaccines. In this project, you will analyse nasal samples that are collected longitudinally from patients with infections such as flu, RSV and pneumococcus as well as from cohorts of healthy individuals of varying ages. By applying single-cell approaches as RNA/TCR-Seq and spectral cytometry you will identify and characterize antigen-specific T cells to such infections and see how they are recruited and maintained in mucosa versus blood. You will link this to recurrence of infection, while the effect of advanced age and frailty will also be dissected. 

In short

·         You will use unique clinical samples to study mucosal immunity during respiratory infections, such as influenza, in elderly patients

·         You have experience in immunology and high-dimensional data analysis

·         You will work in an innovative academic environment

You hold a (bio)medical or biochemical academic degree and a PhD in immunology. Furthermore, you have hands-on experience with multi-parameter single cell analysis, such as with multi-parameter flow cytometry, mass cytometry or scRNA-Seq, and experience in data analysis (in R). We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious colleague who is proactive and determined. You work well within an interdisciplinary team, and you have excellent communication skills and the ability to coordinate with colleagues (clinicians/bio-informaticians). Experience in human immunology, in particular related to antigen-specific T cells or mucosal immunology would be an advantage. Do you recognize yourself in this description? If so, we look forward to receiving your application.

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

You will be employed on the basis of 36 hours per week. Appointment is for 3 years. Your salary is based on your education and experience and is a maximum of  € 5,383  gross per month for a full time position (scale 11 in the Collective Labour Agreement for University Hospitals).

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Center, we continuously work on improving patient care. We invest in groundbreaking, international research and work with the latest equipment. Together with our team of doctors, medical specialists, teachers, academic researchers and supporting staff, we aim for the best quality in health care, education and international research. And we need you to realize our goals!

Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases

You will work in a research group embedded within the Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases. This center is internationally oriented and consists of  professors, multiple senior researchers, national and international postdocs and PhD candidates, research technicians and several bachelor and master students.