PhD: Environmental Exposures and Early Onset Breast Cancer (HER-Care, MSCDN DN)

HER-CARE (Hereditary & Early-Onset Breast Cancer: Comprehensive Personalized Assessment, early Risk Evaluation and clinical management) is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCDN) that brings together leading European universities, research institutes, hospitals and industry partners to train 15 doctoral candidates in an interdisciplinary programme spanning genetics, epidemiology, molecular biology, data science, and environmental health.

Your job
At Utrecht University (Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences), we focus on understanding how environmental and lifestyle exposures contribute to the risk of early-onset and hereditary breast cancer. This position will investigate the external exposome — the totality of environmental exposures — and its links with breast cancer risk.

In this PhD project, “Environmental Exposures and Early Onset Breast Cancer ”, you will:

• Link high-resolution exposome surfaces (from projects such as EXPANSE and EXPOSOME-NL) to large population cohorts, including the ESCALATION study on early-onset breast cancer;
• Apply advanced statistical, and machine-learning methods to identify and validate environmental determinants of breast cancer risk;
• Integrate external (environmental) and internal (biological) exposome data to build a more complete understanding of environmental contributions to cancer;
• A 4 month secondment in collaboration with the lab of Jana Klanova, RECETOX, BRNO, Czech republic: Quantify the internal exposome using high-resolution mass-spectrometry for analysis of 500 case-control pairs in the ESCALATION study;
• Second secondment of 4 months in collaboration with Prof. Carla van Gils at KWF Dutch Cancer Society: Aid in the translation of the research into public health policy recommendations for breast cancer prevention and surveillance strategies;
• Collaborate closely with other HER-CARE doctoral candidates and partner institutes across Europe;
• Disseminate your results through scientific publications and international conferences.

You are a motivated and curious researcher with:

• A Master’s degree in Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Data Science, or a related discipline;
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills;
• Desirable skills in bioinformatics and epidemiology
• Experience with statistical programming R, Python, or similar;
• Experience and/or interest in environmental and health research, spatial data analysis, and exposome science;
• Experience or interest in cancer research is not a prerequisite for application but valued;
• Experience with the analysis of molecular data such as metabolomics and proteomics (preferably mass-spectrometry based) is not a prerequisite but valued;
• Motivation to work in a multidisciplinary and international environment;
• Good communication skills and proficiency in written and spoken English;

For this unique position the following eligibility requirements must be met:

MSCDN Doctoral Network eligibility requirements:

• Doctoral Candidate (DC) must have a Master’s degree or equivalent at the start of the PhD contract
• DC should have no PhD degree at the date of starting the PhD contract;
• DCs can be of any nationality;
• DCs need to comply with the mobility rule: candidates must not have lived, worked or studied in The Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months prior to recruitment. Any nationality is eligible, provided the mobility rule is met.
• A mobility declaration form must be completed before any offer of employment can be made.
• Alle eligibility requirements must be substantiated with evidence (for example municipal registration, rental contract, invoices, diplomas etc.)

After closure of the application deadline, a selection committee will evaluate all applicants on their suitability for the position based on the eligibility requirements. Only those who fulfill these requirements will be considered for the position.

• A position for one year, extended to four years upon a positive evaluation after the first year according to the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).
• A fulltime working week and a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 (salary scale P under CAO NU).
• 8% holiday pay, 8.3% year-end bonus.
• Opportunities to attend international conferences, workshops, and PhD training programmes within the Exposome-NL and TNO networks.
• A dynamic research environment with strong collaboration between Utrecht University and TNO, combining academic depth with applied impact.
• A pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

At the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine we train the veterinarians and researchers of the future, provide care for animals and conduct leading and societal relevant research. That is what we are good at. We see that the health and welfare of animals, humans and the environment are interconnected. By sharing our knowledge and working together, we make positive impact, both nationally and internationally. Our 1,500 students and 950 staff members inspire and strengthen each other. Our engagement connects us. The drive to, from an integral perspective, make the world a better place.

You will be based at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS). IRAS is an interfaculty research institute spanning the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine. It is dedicated to education and research on the human and environmental health risks associated with exposure to potentially harmful agents. Our research is structured around three core domains: Toxicology, Environmental Epidemiology, and Veterinary Public Health.

You will be working within the One Health Chemical research line, led by Professor Roel Vermeulen. This multidisciplinary research line brings together several interconnected groups, including Occupational Health, Environmental Health, Planetary Health, Data Science & Exposome Group, and Exposure Science.

For questions about this position, please contact Professor Roel Vermeulen at r.c.h.vermeulen@uu.nl or Martijn Kolijn at p.m.kolijn@uu.nl.