Vacancy PhD candidate 'Immunopathogenesis of endometriosis and lifestyle intervention'

Job description

Are you interested in unraveling the immunopathogenesis of endometriosis and whether lifestyle interventions can manage pain in endometriosis? Come join us as for this exciting PhD project.

Endometriosis is a hormone-dependent chronic inflammatory disease, affecting 6–10 % of women in reproductive age and as such it is one of the major causes of infertility and loss in quality of life. The pathophysiology of endometriosis is still poorly inderstood. Retrograde menstruation of endometrial cells outside the uterus in combination with a disbalance in the immunesystem, to clear endometriotic cells, is thought to play an important role.

Nowadays, hormonal therapy and surgery to remove endometriosis lesions are used as treatment. However, these therapies do not work for all patients, and hormonal therapy prevents patients from getting pregnant. Here, we will assess if certain lifestyle interventions, such as a specific diet targeting inflammation or/and cognitive behavioral therapy, can help to manage pain symptoms in patients with endometriosis.

In addition, we will investigate the effect on inflammatory markers measured in peripheral blood and in the local uterine immune environment using menstrual blood to further unravel the immunopathogenesis of endometriosis. Techniques that will be used are high-dimensional spectral flowcytometry, single cell technology and multiplex cytokine analysis.

Tasks

• You will be responsible for the planning, organization and the execution of the experiments.
• You will communicate the results to the supervisors, present data on international meetings, and write scientific papers.

Place of work

This project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Prof.dr. Annemiek Nap, Dr. Janneke Hoogstad-van Evert), Donders Centre for Cognition (Prof.dr. Joukje Oosterman), Wageningen University (Dr. Nicole de Roos) and the Laboratory of Medical Immunology (Dr. Renate van der Molen).

As a PhD candidate you will be primarily based at the Laboratory of Medical Immunology in the Reproductive Immunology research group to perform the laboratory investigation. The laboratory of Medical Immunology performs research and diagnostics for patients with immune related disorders. The main research topic is immune regulation from a translational perspective: designing new strategies for immunotherapy, and defining biomarkers to monitor immune status and treatment efficacy in patients suffering from transplant related or (auto)inflammatory disorders and reproductive disorders. 

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare. 

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.

Profile

For this project, we are looking for an ambitious PhD candidate with a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Life Sciences, Technical Medicine, Biochemistry or related discipline and preferentially experience in the field of (reproductive) immunology. 

We expect you to have:

• Experience in the field of (reproductive) immunology and sufficient technical skills to perform cell culture, flowcytometry and functional immune assays with for instance NK cells.
• Knowledge and an interest in bioinformatics such as unsupervised analysis techniques for multiplex data.
• An independent and well-structured working style, demanding high quality of your own work.
• Well-developed social skills directed to work in a team, excellent interpersonal and communicative skills.
• Strong motivation to succeed in scientific research.
• Excellent presentation and scientific writing skills.

Employment conditions

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• Upon commencement of employment, you will start at scale 10A, step 0 (€ 3.017 based on a full-time appointment). Over a maximum period of 4 years, you will progress to scale 10A, step 3 (€3.824 based on a full-time appointment). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• 172 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week. (As of 1 January 2025, you will receive 176 vacation hours). 

And there is more..

• An Employment Conditions Selection Model, allowing you to use part of your employment conditions to your choosing. For example, you can use your gross salary to purchase additional vacation hours or hours for providing informal caregiving. Or, for example, you can use your gross end-of-year bonus to purchase a bicycle, so you pay less tax.
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development. You can take a variety of courses in our online learning environment. 
• Your well-being and vitality are a priority. For example:
  • Save time for work-life balance leave. 
  • You can enjoy unlimited access to a variety of activities five days a month and take advantage of all the facilities at Radboud Sport & Culture for only €27.05 per month (instead of €41)
  • Healthy Professionals program to help you manage your energy. 
  • Company Support Team and a personal coach if you are going through a life-changing event.
  • Financially beneficial working less through a Generation Scheme as you approach state pension age.
• Support in achieving a good work-life balance at every stage of your life. Examples:
  • Advice and courses on, for example, 'Millennial dilemmas' and 'Your Career After 57'.
  • Activities at our own mindfulness center.
  • Informal caregiving consultations if you have questions about juggling work and caregiving responsibilities at home.
• In addition to statutory pregnancy and maternity leave, Radboud university medical center offers 26 weeks of parental leave, nine of which are paid. In addition, as a partner you can take a maximum of five weeks of supplementary partner leave. During supplementary partner leave and parental leave, we supplement the UWV benefit up to 100% of your salary.
• Pension accrual at the ABP Pension Fund. Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. 
• Discounts on supplementary packages of two group health insurances and ten other types of insurance, from home insurance to legal assistance.
• An allowance for your commuting costs of € 0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km one way. If you use public transport to commute, we will fully reimburse the public transport costs (2nd class). If you regularly work from home, you will receive a working from home allowance of € 2.35 per day.

Application procedure

Are you ready to think further for our patients and our care? We would like to receive your application before 31 October 2024. We will then contact you shortly. The job interviews take place on 25 or 27 November 2024. We would appreciate it if you would take this into account.An assessment will be part of this selection procedure.

Good to know

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
• You can find more information about our application procedure and frequently asked questions on our website.
• Will you be our new colleague? Then you will be given the time and space to get to know your role, your workplace, and your colleagues. An induction day for all new colleagues is an integral part of your onboarding program. 

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!

Contact

Any questions? Or wondering what it is like to work at Radboudumc? Then sent an email to Dr. Renate van der Molen, Medical Immunologist or after 14 October 2024 Prof. dr. Annemiek Nap, Head of department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Use the Apply button to submit your application.