Assistant professor or postdoc intestinal function and failure

Intestinal failure is defined as ‘’the reduction of gut function below the minimum necessary for the absorption of macronutrients and/or fluids and electrolytes, such that intravenous supplementation is required to maintain health and/or growth”. Despite its profound impact, the underlying causes of chronic intestinal failure in children remain poorly understood, and effective therapeutic options are limited.

As an assistant professor, you will perform cutting-edge translational research focusing on chronic intestinal failure in children with our Tytgat Institute-based research team, while fostering collaboration with clinical colleagues at the Emma Center for Personalized Medicine (Emma CPM) and the pediatric gastroenterology team at Kinderbuikcentrum Amsterdam UMC. This interdisciplinary approach will allow you to bridge the gap between scientific research and clinical care.

In addition to your research responsibilities, you will contribute to teaching by mentoring students and PhD candidates, and translating newly acquired scientific insights into educational resources and knowledge-sharing initiatives. You will also participate in the (bio)medical curriculum, with teaching expected to constitute 10-20% of your time.

We expect you to actively contribute to securing research funding and expanding your research team, furthering the impact of your work and the department’s goals.

You have:

• a PhD in Cell Biology, Medical Biology, or a related field;
• a strong track record in stem cell biology (pluripotent or tissue specific stem cells);
• a translational focus involving either regenerative cell or gene therapies, disease modelling and/or stem cell-based drug development.

You have a strong interest in intestinal development and/or function, with a particular focus on groundbreaking (stem) cell biology and genetics. You aim to uncover innovative therapies for children with chronic intestinal failure in a multidisciplinary team.

You demonstrate a track record of successful international collaboration and have the ability to secure competitive funding to expand your research program.

Fluency in both Dutch and English is essential, or a willingness to learn Dutch in the near future to integrate into our team and community.

The primary appointment will be at the AMC location; secondment to the VUmc location is possible.

The Pediatric Abdominal Center at Emma Children’s Hospital/Amsterdam UMC is the leading expert center in the Netherlands for managing this condition, while the Tytgat Institute is a pioneer to pre-clinical research in liver and intestinal diseases. Together, our goal is to advance knowledge of the causes of intestinal failure and develop innovative therapies to improve outcomes for affected children.