PhD in Neuroscience: Molecular and Cellular Analysis of Frontotemporal Dementia

Amsterdam         ·        Full time

Would you like to contribute to knowledge on frontotemporal dementia? Are you eager to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 1

Job Description

We offer a 4-year PhD position at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (MCN) in the Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (www.cncr.nl) Amsterdam. This is a ZonMW-funded FTD project that is part of a national consortium ‘Mechanisms of Dementia’.
Do you have an (almost) completed MSc and ambition for research? Do you have a background in molecular neuroscience and affinity for computational analysis? Then this may be an interesting offer for you.

As a PhD candidate, you are involved in the consortium Mechanisms of Dementia. Our aim is to understand the underlying causes of dementia. Your research contributes to a team effort to better understand the cause of FTD, which is instrumental for designing future treatment strategies. You are part of the Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam-Rotterdam.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a devastating, rapidly progressing, neurodegenerative disease. In FTD, there is a wide spectrum of genetic and non-genetic causes and neuropathological and clinical phenotypes. This project aims at understanding the molecular events that take place during the early disease process. You study this using new combinations of multi-omics and computational approaches. The goal of this project is to reveal the potential mechanisms at the origin of the disease, which opens the possibility of targeted treatment.

In this project we use proteomics and transcriptomics technology to identify the changes in gene and protein expression in progressively affected tissue of the postmortem human FTD brain. You pay specific attention to molecular disease signatures in different brain areas as well as in gradients of affected tissue. You analyze both cell-specific and spatial information.

Requirements

• you have a completed MSc degree in Neuroscience, Biomolecular Science or equivalent. If not, you finalize your MSc degree within 4 months from the start of the appointment
• you have a proven background in molecular neuroscience and affinity for computational analysis 
• expertise and skills in the area of -omics technologies are a plus
• you are fluent in English (spoken and written)
• you belong to the top 10% of master students

What Are We Offering?

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,541 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €3,247 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 1 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 4 years.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity

We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science

Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands

The Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (MCN) lab at the CNCR

At the CNCR, 150 people work closely together in defining how in essence simple molecular and cellular processes shape the emergent complexity of the brain. We have the specific ambition to unravel the mechanisms by which brain cells and circuitry act both in health and disease and aim to translate mechanistic knowledge into understanding of (dys)function of the human brain. Our neuroscience research area covers analysis over many spatial levels, from genes to the intact organism, and over a large temporal scale, from microsecond molecular events to the years of functioning of the human brain. MCN is one out of four labs at the CNCR, currently has 35 members.

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae and cover letter until 30/04/2023

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions

If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Prof.dr. Guus Smit
guus.smit@vu.nl

No agencies

Please click here to apply.