PhD candidate 'Alleviating osteoarthritis by targeting aberrant synovial energy metabolism'

Job description
Are you curious, ambitious, and excited to contribute to innovative research that could redefine how we treat osteoarthritis? We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate for a cutting-edge project at Radboudumc that aims to unravel and therapeutically target dysregulated energy metabolism in osteoarthritis (OA) joint synovium.

What makes this PhD position unique?

• You work on an innovative project that addresses the urgent unmet need of OA therapy.
• You integrate molecular immunology, energy metabolism, translational OA research, and drug repurposing.
• You have or gain expertise in gene expression profiling, pathway analysis, joint biology, reporter‑platform technologies, and therapeutic screening.
• You join an interdisciplinary research environment within Radboudumc.
• Your work directly contributes to developing personalised treatment strategies for OA.
• The project is already well underway, with data collection and experimental platforms in place, making a focused and feasible 3‑year PhD trajectory realistic.

Most osteoarthritis (OA) patients have inflammation in their affected joints. Metabolic processes strongly influence the inflammatory status of immune cells, such as macrophages which are central in the OA-associated inflammation. In this project, you will identify aberrant metabolic pathways in OA and therapeutically target them, aiming to reduce OA‑related symptoms and processes. Finally, you will stratify patients based on activation profiles to identify personalised, metabolism‑targeted treatment strategies. The availability of existing datasets and ongoing sample collection ensures that you can quickly progress into analysis and experimental validation, supporting the feasibility of the 3‑year timeframe.

Why Radboudumc?
At Radboudumc, you combine clinical relevance with cutting‑edge science in an environment where collaboration and innovation are central. You will have ample opportunities for personal development, teamwork, and presenting your work at national and international conferences. Hybrid working is possible for tasks such as data analysis and writing.

Your role
As a PhD candidate, you are at the core of the project. You will perform all wet lab analyses using advanced techniques such as cell culture, reporter analyses and RNA-sequencing. You will perform the data analysis, including bioinformatics. You translate molecular insights into clinical applications and contribute to scientific publications and presentations.

Profile
You are an ambitious, curious, creative, and goal‑oriented researcher who thrives on unraveling complex problems. You enjoy working independently, are willing to take responsibility, and feel at home in a multidisciplinary environment. You are not afraid to dive deep into the subject matter and are eager to share your knowledge with colleagues. In addition, you are eager to learn, ready for a challenge, and bring a proactive attitude that contributes to the success of the entire team.

What do you bring?

• A Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, Medical Biology, or a related field.
• Affinity with pathology, immunology and metabolism and a strong interest in understanding disease mechanisms.
• Strong wet‑lab skills and accuracy in performing experiments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively in an academic environment.

Goed geregeld
Bij ons krijg je 8% vakantiegeld, 8,3% eindejaarsuitkering en – afhankelijk van je functie – 47% tot 72% onregelmatigheidstoeslag. Daarnaast kun je rekenen op 176 vakantie-uren per jaar (bij 36 uur/week).

Vergoeding
Je ontvangt € 0,18 per kilometer reiskostenvergoeding, OV-reizen vergoeden we volledig (2e klasse) en werk je (deels) thuis? Dan krijg je € 2,40 per thuiswerkdag. Zo is alles goed geregeld, waar je ook werkt.

Keuze model arbeidsvoorwaarden
Met ons flexibele keuzemodel bepaal jij hoe je een deel van je arbeidsvoorwaarden inzet. Koop extra verlofuren of gebruik je eindejaarsuitkering voor een fiets met belastingvoordeel. Jij kiest wat bij je past.

Warm welkom
Een goede start vinden we belangrijk. Door onze onboarding-app, ben je al vóór je eerste werkdag goed voorbereid. Tijdens de introductiedag maak je kennis met je collega’s en onze organisatie.

Omkleedvergoeding
Draag je werkkleding van het Radboudumc en kleed je je buiten werktijd om? Dan ontvang je, als het voor jouw functie geldt, een omkleedtoelage van €80,- bruto per maand bij een fulltime dienstverband.

Loonsverhoging
Bij ons wordt je werk gewaardeerd. Je salaris stijgt volgens de cao in twee stappen: met 3,5 % per 1 juli 2026 en nog eens 3,5 % per 1 mei 2027. Zo zie je in korte tijd een mooie groei in je salaris.

Werk en privé in balans
Een goede werk-privébalans vinden wij vanzelfsprekend. Met inspirerende trainingen, mindfulnessactiviteiten en mantelzorgspreekuren ondersteunen we je in elke fase van je leven.

Groei en ontwikkeling
Onze online leeromgeving heeft een breed aanbod aan trainingen, e-learnings en opleidingen – van vakinhoudelijke verdieping tot persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Zo haal je het beste uit je talent.

Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where our research groups strive for innovative solutions that make impact on health and healthcare. We challenge the status quo to overcome current and future health challenges. Our goal is to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our focus is on prevention, sustainability, and meaningful care, which we achieve through our in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, clinical science, public health research, medical technology and data science. Our approach is centered on breakthroughs that can truly enhance personalized healthcare and public health.

At Radboudumc, a comprehensive range of research programs provide the compass for our research efforts. Each program has a clear goal, where collaboration within and outside our organization is highly valued. We integrate care, education and research in partnership with our patients to ensure that our research programs have significant impact on health and healthcare. We invite you to join us in our mission to create a healthy future for all.

Place of work
You will be working at the Radboudumc in the vibrant city of Nijmegen. You will spend most of your time in the Rheumatology Laboratory, which is part of the Department of Rheumatology at Radboudumc.

Here, you will join a dynamic, international research group focused on unraveling the mechanisms underlying rheumatic diseases and developing new therapeutic strategies. Our team consists of around 20 colleagues— technicians, researchers, and clinicians—with diverse backgrounds. Within this project, you will work closely with a core team of around eight experts dedicated to understanding the cellular and molecular processes driving osteoarthritis. You will be supervised by Dr. Martijn van den Bosch

From summer 2026 onward, you will find us in brand‑new laboratories at the main axis of Radboudumc—modern facilities equipped with advanced technologies and an inspiring environment shared with researchers from Dermatology and Internal Medicine.

At the Department of Rheumatology, you work on the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases of the joints, muscles and bones. You treat complex conditions and provide care through the outpatient clinic, day treatment and clinical beds. With a strong research program and an in‑house laboratory, you contribute to new insights that improve patient care and help train the next generation of professionals.

Reumatologie
Bij de afdeling Reumatologie werk je aan diagnostiek en behandeling van ontstekingsziekten en auto‑immuunziekten van gewrichten, spieren en botten. Je behandelt complexe aandoeningen en biedt zorg via polikliniek, dagbehandeling en klinische bedden. Met een sterk onderzoeksprogramma en een eigen laboratorium werk je aan nieuwe inzichten voor betere zorg en leid je nieuwe professionals op.

• The first job interviews will take place on week 16. Please take this into account.
• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).

Meer Weten?
We vertellen je graag meer!

Martijn Bosch
📧 Stuur een e-mail