"Assistant Professor in Healthy Longevity and Epilepsy"

Job Description

Are you passionate about neuroscience and eager to contribute to groundbreaking research on healthy longevity and epilepsy? The Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam is looking for an ambitious Assistant Professor to join our interdisciplinary research team of the research group Cellular and Circuit Neuroscience.

Healthy Longevity and Epilepsy

Aging populations are particularly impacted by epilepsy, which often arises due to stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, or neurodegenerative conditions. Challenges include proper diagnosis and treatment in older adults, especially with the complexity of symptoms like neurobehavioral changes and cognitive decline. Healthy longevity with epilepsy involves managing seizures through lifestyle choices like consistent sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet, while also addressing factors like stress, medication side effects, and comorbidities.

What You Will Do

You will play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of brain health and epilepsy, focusing on neuroplasticity, brain resilience, and the mechanisms of aging. Your research will explore the biological, genetic, and environmental factors influencing healthy aging, aiming to improve the quality of life of elderly people and reduce the burden of epilepsy for patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Conducting independent research in Neuroscience focussing on healthy longevity and epilepsy, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals and/or books;
• Actively applying for external research funding, including national and European Research Councils and private foundations such as EpilepsieNL and Alzheimer Nederland;
• Actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
• Developing, coordinating and teaching courses, mainly in the bachelor Psychobiology and master Biomedical Sciences-track Physiology of Synapses and Networks;
• Supervising bachelor and master theses and tutoring students; co-supervising PhD theses;
• Actively contributing to the development and improvement of the broader teaching programmes in the department;
• Taking part in committees and working groups and carrying out departmental administrative tasks.

What We Ask of You

Your experience and profile:

• A PhD in Neuroscience or a related field, and preferably several years of post-doc experience.
• Experience in surgical procedures for rodents, electrophysiology in vitro and/or in vivo, plus behaviour, molecular biology or histology;
• Committed scientist, demonstrated by publications in international peer-reviewed academic journals;
• Ideally experience with acquisition of funding for research projects through government agencies or the private sector;
• Ideally a proven track record in teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels and in developing and organising education;
• Experience with supervising students for internship/thesis research;
• Willingness to take the responsibility for administrative tasks, such as organisation and coordination of university education and research;
• Fluency and excellent communication in English, both written and spoken. Non-native Dutch speakers must be willing to obtain A2 level proficiency in the Dutch language within three years of the start of the employment contract.
• Possession of the University Teaching Qualification (BKO), or the willingness to obtain this within two years after the start of the employment.

What We Offer You

We offer an employment contract for 38 hours a week, for 18 months during which you should show your competence in research and teaching. The preferred starting date is February 1st 2026. You will be offered a permanent position after positive assessment and evaluation.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between €4,728 to €6,433 (scale 11) and you get an additional 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Assistant Professor 2 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

You will work in this team: The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences is located in the vibrant Amsterdam Science Park. The Swammerdam Institute is one of the eight institutes of the Faculty of Science (FNWI) of the University of Amsterdam. With approximately 240 employees, the Swammerdam Institute conducts high-quality international life science research and provides education within various university programs. Research is also conducted in close collaboration with the medical, biotechnological, chemical, flavors, food & agriculture, and high-tech industries, and revolves around four main themes: Neuroscience, Cell & Systems Biology, Microbiology, and Green Life Sciences.

Within the Cellular and Circuit Neuroscience group, we are interested in the brain's unique ability to process information and translate it into behaviour. To expand our understanding of brain function, we investigate functional and structural connectivity within the brain using electrophysiology and advanced imaging techniques. We study how changes in synaptic strength, network activity, and behaviour evolve from developmental stages throughout brain development to the aging brain. Furthermore, we investigate how dysfunctional disruptions in cellular and network activity contribute to and can lead to brain disorders.

How to Apply

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 14 December 2025. Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• A detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• A letter of motivation, including a vision on research and education;
• A list of publications;
• The names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation and can be contacted.

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered. A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: National knowledge security guidelines).

If you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact: Dr. Erwin van Vliet, associate professor, e.a.vanvliet@uva.nl