Worldwide, tooth decay and gum disease are the most prevalent, but preventable, oral diseases and they can also influence overall health. The disease risk is influenced by an interplay between both behavioral and biological factors. At our department, we perform research on oral health and are part of the University Research Priority Area Personal Microbiome Health and a large collaborative NWO project METAHEALTH.

The candidate will be situated at ACTA within the Department of Preventive Dentistry, specialized in oral microbial ecology, oral microbiology and microbe-host interactions. The department comprises researchers experienced in various fields: clinical dentistry, molecular biology, microbiology, microbial ecology and bioinformatics and regularly hosts international PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. This is fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating working environment.

Your duties
As a data engineer, you will work on the improvement of data handling and of analysis tools related to modelling oral health. The high-dimensional datasets include (shotgun) metagenomics (microbiome), clinical and biochemical data from clinical and in-vitro studies. You will be responsible for next-generation sequencing data handling and automating analyses steps. This position can progress to include the development of new analysis methods and a (graduate) research career.

We are looking for a candidate with:

• A university (MSc) or University of Applied Sciences (BSc/HBO) graduate in either Bioinformatics, Computational Science, Systems Biology, or a closely related discipline
• Interest in learning new technologies
• Good programming skills and R knowledge
• Experience with NGS data analysis
• Affinity with biology, preferably oral microbial ecology and oral health related research topics
• Excellent command of the English language
• Excellent ability to work within multidisciplinary teams

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At ACTA, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.186 (Scale 8) and maximum € 4.255 (Scale 8) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Education/Research Officer 3. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE (32 hours per week). Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

ACTA is the collaboration between the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. ACTA conducts scientific research, provides education, and offers patient care in the field of dentistry. Internationally, ACTA is a leader in research and education. Approximately 500 employees work at ACTA, and about 900 students are enrolled in the Dentistry program. Every day, around 600 patients receive dental care.

Diversity is a core value of VU Amsterdam. We advocate for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalization enhance the quality of education and research. Therefore, we are constantly seeking individuals whose backgrounds and experiences contribute to the diversity of our campus.