Job ID: 115330

Post-doc Repair of neonatal brain injury (Utrecht the Netherlands)

Position: Post-doctoral Position

Deadline: 31 August 2023

Employment Start Date: 15 October 2023

Contract Length: 1 year, with an extension up to 3 years upon successful assessment in the first year

City: Utrecht

Country: Netherlands

Institution: University Medical Center Utrecht

Department: Dept for Developmental Origins of Disease

Description:

We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated post-doc interested in studying cellular and molecular repair mechanisms and stem cell therapy in the neonatal injured brain. Will you join the NEOREPAIR research team?

Our offer:

We have an opening for a post-doctoral researcher on the NEOREPAIR (Vici) project. We offer a temporary position (1.0 fte) initially for one year with an extension to three years upon successful assessment in the first year. The overarching goal of the NEOREPAIR project is to study the repair mechanisms of the injured developing brain and to optimize stem cell therapy to recover from early life brain injury. You will focus on mapping the complex neurogenic niches of the developing brain in health and disease by employing cutting-edge transcriptomics. In addition, deciphering the molecular and cellular processes underlying repair of lesioned brain parts will be the key aim of your project. New insights from this project could unveil optimization strategies for stem cell-based therapies. You will perform ex vivo and in vivo studies together with the research team and will use a range of techniques including scRNA sequencing, proteomics, imaging techniques and bio-informatics. Advanced in vitro co-culture systems and cell tracing techniques will also be used in your project. We offer an exciting and challenging position in a stimulating and dynamic international research environment in which you will generate innovative datasets to drive optimization of neurorepair strategies. Your project will entail local and international collaborations and involves supervision and mentoring of students.

Our department and team:

You will be employed at the research Department for Developmental Origins of Disease (DDOD) in the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital. We are a dynamic, diverse and international research team of post-docs, PhD students, (bio)technicians and students.

Asphyxia, a severe lack of oxygen around birth, is a major clinical problem leading to brain injury in neonates with severe long-term consequences. Our mission at DDOD is to develop novel therapies to combat early brain injury in newborns. Intranasal stem cell therapy is one of our main therapeutic strategies, which has emerged as a promising intervention to reduce brain injury in neonates. However, the underlying repair mechanisms in the developing brain are still largely understudied. In the NEOREPAIR project we aim to map the molecular and cellular complexity of the neurogenic niches in the young brain and to decipher underlying neurorepair pathways. To this end we use advanced, innovative translational in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro models. The new knowledge rising from the NEOREPAIR project can lead to optimization of current stem cell-based repair strategies.

Our research team collaborates closely with the clinical team at the Department of Neonatology. Moreover, DDOD is part of the UMC Utrecht Brain Center’s “Center for Translational Neuroscience” in which numerous neuroscience research labs work together in an interactive environment with access to high-end research techniques and facilities.

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic candidate with interest and experience in fundamental and/or translational neuroscience. You have a PhD degree (obtained in the last 3 years) in (molecular) Neuroscience, or equivalent relevant biomedical field. You have a strong interest in brain development, neurogenesis, neuroregeneration and/or brain diseases. Ample experience with transcriptomics and/or proteomics datasets, and bioinformatics analyses is essential. Experience with cell tracing, molecular techniques and in vitro culture techniques will be highly valued. Experience with in vivo experimentation (art 9 license) is expected.

Your profile:

You thrive in a multidisciplinary team and are looking for a creative, ambitious research environment to expand your research career. We are looking for a team player that enjoys close collaboration with other team members and who has excellent communication skills. You have a meticulous working method, and plan and execute experiments independently. You are proactive, responsible and flexible. Proficiency in written and verbal English is expected. You have a relevant publication record in the field of neuroscience and/or omics. You enjoy presenting research results in the local and international research community, at conferences and workshops, and you have ample experience with writing and publishing academic articles in high quality journals.

Are you interested to join the NEOREPAIR project? Please respond to this vacancy with a motivation letter including past experience, publication record and at least 2 references. Application is only possible via the UMC Utrecht website: https://www.werkenbijumcutrecht.nl/vacatures/wetenschap-en-onderzoek/postdoc-neorepair-vici-project-2023-3635