Pneumonia remains a major health issue. Antibiotic treatment of respiratory tract infections is hampered by increasing antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, new therapeutic options are urgently needed. In this project a new class of compounds (derived from macrolides) that can activate bacterial killing by granulocytes will be evaluated for their ability to kill respiratory pathogens and to treat pneumonia. The novel compounds will be tested in clinically relevant in vitro conditions (among which granulocytes purified from healthy donors and pneumonia patients exposed to various – antimicrobial resistant – pathogens) and in mouse models of respiratory tract infection using human pathogens. The candidate will work together with other investigators (research physicians)  responsible for recruitment of patients.  

Doctorate (PhD) or Masters with experience in Microbiology a/o Immunology. The candidate should have interest to work in a laboratory environment in a multidisciplinary team consisting of medical, biomedical and fundamental scientists. The candidate should have experience in laboratory research, preferably (but not necessarily) including mouse models of infection or inflammation. 

Working at the AMC means working in an inspiring and professional environment in which developing one’s talents and skills is encouraged.

As a PhD student, you have access to the broad program of doctorate level courses offered by the AMC Graduate School, which aims to promote and support excellence in the doctorate level training of PhD candidates as highly qualified future professionals in an international environment.

We offer a salary in line with the Collective Labor Agreement for University Medical Centers in the Netherlands (CAO UMC) with a range of added fringe benefits, such as an annual bonus of 8.3%, holiday allowance, collective discounted rates for a number of insurances, public transport allowance, and free parking. You will be employed by the AMC Medical Research BV.

A PhD student (Onderzoeker in Opleiding) is placed in scale 21, with a fulltime gross salary that ranges from €2279,- to €2919,- (based on qualifications and experience).

For a doctor (Arts-Onderzoeker) or a Postdoctoral Researcher it’s scale 10, with a fulltime gross salary that ranges from €2919,- to €4216,- (based on qualifications and experience).

 On top of your salary you safe money monthly for a ‘Personal Budget’ that can be used for education or career development purposes.

(This position starts May-July 2018.)

The Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine (CEMM) is a laboratory within the AMC which is fully devoted to interdisciplinary fundamental and clinical research of a variety of common diseases including infectious diseases. It is the ambition of CEMM to facilitate translational science in the broadest of terms, maintaining strong ties with clinical departments and providing an optimal infrastructure and multidisciplinary environment for the scientific flourish of our research groups. The staff of the Center consists of a well-balanced mixture of clinical and fundamental scientists. Currently, CEMM houses 100 researchers, the majority of which PhD students. The Infectious Diseases Group (Principal Investigator: Tom van der Poll) consists of >30 members (PhD students, postdocs, technicians).