The successful candidate will participate and take the lead in one or more interdisciplinary projects. Customized microscopes (one photon and two photon microscopes) will be built for live cell imaging. Image processing and analysis as well as customized algorithms will be used to analyze cellular dynamics and to identify cells of interest. Cell isolation techniques combining optical setups and photochemical reagents will be applied to separate single target cells from cultures and tissues. Downstream single cell next-generation sequencing (NGS) and analysis will be used to decipher molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

The successful candidate will interact with a diverse group of faculty in Physics, Chemistry, Bioengineering and Cell Biology, and will be able to collaborate with leading laboratories at Erasmus University Medical Center, Cancer GenomiCs.nl consortium (CGC; www.cancergenomics.nl/) and Delft University of Technology.

• The successful candidate must have a PhD in a relevant discipline (Physics, Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry or Biology) with a publication record that reflects individual accomplishment, a demonstrated proficiency in Biophysics, Chemistry or Biology.
• Prior hands-on experience in one or more of the following is preferred: live cell fluorescence microscopy, optogenetics, MATLAB, R, LabView and NGS analysis. The candidate will be expected to gain working proficiency in these fields.
• A strong command of scientific English in speech and writing is essential, proven by publications in international journals and presentations at international meetings.

Being able to present a certificate of good conduct is a condition for the appointment.

The gross monthly salary amounts a maximum of € 4.152,- (scale 10), depending on your level of education and relevant experience and based on a full-time working week of 36 hours. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement for University Medical Centers (CAO UMC).

Erasmus MC

A healthy population and excellence in healthcare through research and education. This is what Erasmus MC stands for. Conducting groundbreaking work, pushing boundaries and leading the way. In research, education, and healthcare. We are practical people with a high level of expertise, working hard to improve and renew the healthcare of today and the public health of tomorrow.

The candidate will work in the Chien Lab and will be positioned in the Department of Molecular Genetics at Erasmus University Medical Center. The Chien lab will work on the creation and use of optical, chemical and computational methods for single cell identification, isolation and analysis, with a focus on cancer stem cells. The research will combine advanced optical techniques and photochemistry to analyze and target perturbations (optogenetics) to individual cells within complex cultures or tissues. By combining microscopy and image processing to select the cells of interest, this approach will allow one to study rare cell populations, even when we lack clear genetic markers for these cells. Single cell NGS will be used for downstream analysis, investigating intracellular molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis.