Over de functie

Research fellowship 1 (RF1): Development of new assays to accurate determine functional micronutrient body status.
Duration: 36 months.

Do you have affinity for instrumental analysis and specialized bio-analytical research? Do you enjoy a challenging job within a clinical laboratory with a wide variety of techniques and applications? Then you are the Research Fellow we are looking for.

Project description

The aim of the project is to correlate the concentrations of biomarkers to identify deficiencies in micronutrients, like vitamins and trace elements in critical ill patients. The PhD study is composed of three intertwined activities. First, to deploy high-resolution LC-MS and ICP-MS methods for the measurement of the concentrations of metabolites and micronutrients in relevant body compartments. Second, to validate the developed methods on clinical samples obtained from the ICU of the Amsterdam UMC. Samples will be collected during a secondment at the Amsterdam UMC. Third, the PhD student will work on the commercialization of the developed methods during another secondment in collaboration with the company Diagnotix located in Appingedam

Your main tasks and responsibilities in this project are:

• Develop methods for intracellular measurements of micronutrients
• Validate the developed methods on clinical samples obtained from the ICU
• Commercialization of developed assays

Your working environment

The research fellow will work in a nationally operating laboratory that has close ties with the top clinical hospital Reinier de Graaf. This means you will have opportunities for continuous developmont. At the Clinical Chemistry department of the RHMDC Delft, a range of analyses, including vitamins, hormones, and micronutrients, are performed using a wide variety of techniques. In addition to these routine tasks, we are always looking for new tests to implement, are innovators in the area of analyses techniques, robotizing and sample preparation and processing stept. We are involved and coordinate research projects both internal and in collaboration with other research institutes. You will work in a team that consists of 12 technicians, a senior scientist and a laboratory manager. The functional management of the team is carried out by two clinical chemists.

The research fellow will be supervised by Lennard Dekker, senior scientist and Linda IJsselstijn, clinical chemist. External supervision in this project comes from Angelique de Man, intensivist at Amsterdam UMC. Two six months secondments are part of the project, one at Amsterdam UMC and one at Diagnotix in Appingedam.

The BIO-MICRO project

Link to bio-micro project

In addition to your local PhD training, you will participate in a comprehensive and attractive educational programme specifically designed for the 13 Research Fellows within the BIO-MICRO consortium. The BIO-MICRO training programme offers a blended learning approach that combines monthly interactive live online sessions (60-90 minutes) with in-person workshops. The online curriculum covers essential topics in clinical research, including epidemiology, biostatistics, observational and clinical trial design, statistical computing and scientific writing. In addition, four intensive three-day in-person workshops are dedicated to the development of both academic and transferable skills. In addition, all fellows will carry out 12 months of secondments and will be enabled to participate in relevant international scientific conferences. Together, this structured training programme is designed to optimally prepare you for a succesful career as Analytical (Bio-) Chemistry expert.

Wat breng jij als MSCA-DN PhD position: Development of new assays to accurate determine functional micronutrient body status

What do we expect

We seek a highly motivated scientist who is interdisciplinary with a strong base in analytical chemistry or analytical biochemistry.

The candidate has demonstrated experience in advanced analytical techniques, data management and bio-informatics. A background in metabolomics, trace element analysis, or clinical biochemistry is highly desirable.

The candidate should have hands-on experience with high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), as these techniques are central to the quantitative measurement of metabolites and micronutrients in biological matrices. The project should result in the successful completion of a PhD thesis.

To be eligible for this position, applicants must meet the Marie Skłodowska-Curie admission requirements:

• You must not already hold a doctoral degree.
• You must comply with the MSCA mobility rule: you must not have resided in or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the Netherlands for more than 12 months during the three years immediately prior to recruitment.

In addition, you meet the following requirements and experience:

• You have a Master’s degree in in Analytical (Bio-) Chemistry or a related field
• You are a team player with an open attitude, and you are comfortable giving and receiving feedback.
• You have a solution-oriented mindset; you approach problems in an effective and goal-oriented manner.
• You are communicatively strong; you express yourself clearly in English both oral and in writing, knowledge of the Dutch language is desirable.

Please note that if you don’t have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you will need a residence permit to live and work in The Netherlands.

What we offer

This PhD position is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of the European Union's Europe 2024 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101226686. You will be appointed as fulltime PhD student for 3 years at the RHMDC.

• A contract for 36 months.
• A living allowance of €4010/month (correction factor to be applied per country, and local employer’s contribution and tax regulations). In addition, candidates will receive a monthly mobility allowance of €710. If applicable, a family allowance of €660 per month is provided for fellows with a spouse and/or dependent children. Succesful applicants are also eligible for parental leave in accordance with Dutch legislation.
• Good secondary benefits in accordance with the Hospital Collective Labor Agreement (CAO), including participation in our collective disability insurance, where we contribute half of the premium. In addition to the CAO benefits, we offer extra perks such as a comprehensive vitality program, including mindfulness, bootcamp et cetera. There is also coaching and an active employee association. An open company culture with plenty of room for individual input and innovation.

Yes, I want this job!

Interested in applying for the position? Upload your CV and motivation letter via the 'solliciteer direct' button addressed to June Bonnet, corporate recruiter.

Questions about the procedure? Call or send a WhatsApp message to June Bonnet, 0657393504.