PhD position in selective neuronal vulnerability in FTD and ALS

Are you interested in unraveling why certain neuronal populations are more vulnerable than others in different types of dementia? And what the properties of these neurons are?

Conduct research at the largest university of the Netherlands
This project aims to better understand the selective vulnerability of neuronal populations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). You will study this using human post-mortem tissue of donors with ALS and FTD. Specifically, you will investigate the biochemical properties of two specialized neuronal populations, the von Economo neurons and the Betz cells. You will use techniques such as immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, laser capture microscopy, proteomics and RNA sequencing. This project is part of the Selective vulnerability research line headed by Dr. Anke Dijkstra. The research line is embedded in the Molecular Neuroscience Group at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS, Faculty of Science). You will be supervised by Dr. Anke Dijkstra and Dr. Lars van der Heide.

What are you going to do?
As a PhD student you will develop into an independent researcher. Your tasks and activities will include:

• completion and defending of a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration of four years;
• participating in the design of the research project;
• performing immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization;
• analysis, interpretation, and presentation of the obtained data;
• publication in international journals and presentations at (inter-)national meetings;
• participating in meetings within our Molecular Neuroscience group, as well as SILS and Faculty of Science seminars;
• actively participate in the department’s educational programs, possibly including the supervision of undergraduate or master’s level students;
• participating in our PhD training program (ONWAR).

What do we require?
You are/have:

• an enthusiastic, motivated, and dedicated scientist with a (research) master’s degree in Life Sciences (e.g. Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience) or related area and you have a strong affinity for the research topic;
• very good and relevant research skills as demonstrated by your master’s thesis or other publications/assignments, with practical experience in the lab and with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization;
• excellent analytical and communicative skills in oral and written English and a clear and concise writing style;
• organized, independent, detail-oriented, pro-active, perseverant in the face of a setback, and a pleasant colleague able to work in an international team with a collaborative mindset.

Our offer
We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2.901 in the first year to €3.707 (scale P) in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD candidate is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime contract)
• Multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• A complete educational program for PhD students;
• A pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• Help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad. Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Where you will work
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain. The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is an institute of the Faculty of Science. This institute contains 16 research groups (with approximately 240 employees) that work on one of the four themes: Microbiology, Cell & Systems Biology, Green Life Sciences and Neuroscience.

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 23 February 2025. Applications in .pdf should include:

• a motivation letter stating why you are interested in this project and why you are the right fit for this project and our group;
• a CV;
• the names and contact information of two references (no letters of recommendation are required at this stage).

We will invite potential candidates for interviews in the first half of March 2025. Please mention the months (not just years) in your CV when referring to your education and work experience. A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: national knowledge security guidelines).

Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about our organisation? Please contact:

• Dr. Anke Dijkstra
• a.a.dijkstra@uva.nl

38 hours per week

Science Park 904