"PhD on Clinical- and Analytical Chemistry"

Are you eager to advance lung cancer diagnostics by developing standardized biomarker assays using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry? Join us as a PhD candidate and contribute to clinically relevant innovation.

Protein tumor markers (TMs) in blood offer a promising, minimally invasive approach to support clinical decision-making in lung cancer. However, their broad clinical application is currently limited due to the lack of standardized immunoassays, which leads to inconsistent results across analytical platforms and a risk of misclassification when using fixed cut-off levels. Reference measurement procedures (RMPs) provide a solution to this challenge: they are highly accurate, well-characterized methods that serve as traceable standards for biomarker quantification, enabling reliable and reproducible measurements across different assays.

In this PhD project, you will develop RMPs and reference materials (RMs) for several protein TMs to enable harmonized and reproducible measurements across clinical platforms. You will explore advanced analytical approaches, including immunoextraction of full proteins and SISCAPA-based peptide extraction, and develop targeted bottom-up proteomics methods using mass spectrometry. Additionally, you will engineer full proteins and signature peptides for method development, calibration, and quality control. This work will provide the foundation for broader clinical implementation of tumor marker assays and more reliable, minimally invasive diagnostics.

You will work in an interdisciplinary environment at the TU/e Laboratory of Chemical Biology and the Expertise Center Clinical Chemistry Eindhoven (ECCCE), a collaboration between TU/e, Catharina Hospital, and Máxima Medisch Centrum focused on the development and implementation of analytical assays and decision support algorithms in clinical practice. Additionally, the project involves collaborations with large industrial partners such as Roche Diagnostics and SISCAPA. Through this collaboration, you will have access to state-of-the-art analytical facilities and benefit from a strong translational research network connecting fundamental chemical biology, clinical diagnostics, and industrial partners.

You will be working under the supervision of Luc Brunsveld, Volkher Scharnhorst, and a multidisciplinary team with expertise in proteomics, assay development, and clinical translation. You will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and collaborate closely with clinical and industrial partners.

Your research will not only advance the standardization of lung cancer biomarker assays but also contribute to more reliable, minimally invasive diagnostics and improved patient care worldwide.

Requirements

A master’s degree in (bio)analytical chemistry, clinical chemistry, biomedical sciences, or related fields. Strong interest in biomarkers, proteomics and clinical translation. A research-oriented attitude with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial and clinical partners. Experience in chromatography and mass spectrometry is preferred. Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students. Fluent in spoken and written Dutch and/or English.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 4 years. A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 max. € 3,881). A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities. An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.