PhD student (m/f) for the EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network, Department of Human Genetics, Leiden.

 

Job description

The position
As PhD student you are part of the EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network  (ITN) onTranslational research training in Polycystic Kidney Disease (TranCYST). TranCYST is composed of 5 leading European laboratories in PKD research and 2 private sector partners, joining forces with the aim to improve survival and quality of life of PKD patients.
We are looking for a bioinformatics PhD student in the TranCYST project. You will work with genome-wide expression (microarrays and RNA-seq) and other high-dimensional –omics data from animal models and human patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). You will develop new ways to analyse, integrate and interpret biological and clinical data. A prime focus is further development of proven methodology for discovering hidden biological relations using information from the literature and from biological databases (e.g. gene/protein expression, protein interaction, protein atlas, metabolites) and knowledge held by experts. This should increase our understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying PKD.
Specific aims are to identify key targets and compounds for PKD therapy and to predict biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. You will generate new hypotheses and present these, together with the underlying evidence, to the other researchers in the training network for further experimental validation.

Requirements

Your profile

You hold a MSc degree in bioinformatics. Alternatively, you are a biomedical scientist with a proven strong affinity for computer science or applied statistics and hands-on programming experience or you are a computer scientist with proven experience in solving biological questions.
You should have fluency in spoken and written English. You are a dedicated and flexible team player with excellent communication skills to work with scientists from different domains. You should be in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of your research careers, including the period of research training, starting at the date of obtaining the degree which would formally entitle you to embark on a docorate. You should not have resided or performed your main activity in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 3 year period immediately prior to the start date.

Conditions of employment

We offer

You will be employed on the basis of a 36-hour week. Appointment is temporary for the duration of 36 months and must be completed with a thesis. Your salary amounts  € 2141,- gross per month (based on 36 hours a week) in the first year ascending to € 2617,- in the third year (scale OIO, CAO-UMC). In addition to the PhD student salary you will receive a monthly living and mobility allowance according to the Marie Curie ITN standard.

The terms of employment offered by the LUMC are highly favourable. For example, you will receive an 8% holiday remuneration, a year-end bonus, a pension arrangement with the National Civil Pension Fund, and, if applicable, a bonus for unsocial hours. Also, as employee of one of the University Hospitals in the Netherlands, you will naturally join our collective health insurance policy.

Moreover, the LUMC offers excellent facilities in the area of education, child-care centres, and career advice. In addition, you may enjoy various leave arrangements and other extras. You can read more about these facilities elsewhere on this site.
Contract type: Temporary, for the duration of 36 months and must be completed with a thesis.

Organisation

At the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), we are continually seeking to improve the quality of healthcare. The LUMC aims for excellence in patient care, research, teaching, training and continuing education.

Department

Department of Human Genetics
The department
You will work in the BioSemantics group (www.biosemantics.org) of LUMC’s Department of Human Genetics (www.humgen.nl). Our most important research question is how automated Knowledge Discovery can help identify the relation between genes, metabolites, and the health of a patient (phenotype), and to understand disease mechanisms in polycystic kidney disease, muscular dystrophies, migraine, metabolic syndrome and cancer. We are strongly committed to the improved interpretation of high dimensional -omics data sets.

Additional information

More information

If you have any questions, or if you would like more information about this position, please contact Dr. P.A.C. ’t Hoen, associate professor, Human Genetics, telephone +31 71 526 9421, email p.a.c.hoen@lumc.nl 

Apply

If you are interested in this job and your satisfy the requirements in the job profile, we encourage you to apply. You can do so by letter, by e-mail or by using the application form. You may rest assured that your details will be treated with strict confidentiality. After selecting a number of letters and CVs, one or two interviews will be conducted.
If we are planning to employ you, we will ask you for a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG). You can obtain this certificate from the Population/Public Affairs Department in the municipality in which you are registered. The costs will be reimbursed. More information on the procedure can be found here.