"Postdoc cytokine-induced enhancer activation in macrophages"

Job Description

You will investigate cytokine signaling pathways in macrophages, beyond the known JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Cytokines shape the macrophage’s phenotype, thereby affecting disease states. Puzzlingly, many cytokines with opposing functions, utilize highly similar JAK-STAT signaling cascades, leaving it unclear how cytokine-specific responses can occur.

The goal is to reveal novel, cytokine-specific factors regulating macrophage cytokine responses.

Your main tasks and responsibilities within this project are:

• identifying transcription factors that regulate macrophage cytokine responses using a natural genetic variation screen;
• validating and functionally testing the identified transcription factors by knockdown/knockout strategies on the cytokine responses of macrophages;
• next to cell culture experiments, using and analyzing state-of-the-art approaches such as RNA-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing analysis;
• translating your findings to disease models;
• aligning these findings with human disease.

Requirements

• You have a PhD in biomedical sciences;
• You have experience in molecular biology, immunology and transcriptional regulation;
• You have experience in transcriptomic and genomic data analysis and bioinformatics;
• You have excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral;
• You are an enthusiastic team player with positive social skills.

Conditions of Employment

A flying start to your career in scientific research. Plenty of room for your drive to shape tomorrow's healthcare. Working on large-scale and in-house research, with motivated colleagues from all over the world.

You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV. A contract for 12 months, with the possibility of extension. Salary scale 10: € 3.598 to € 5.669 gross based on full-time employment (depending on education and experience) and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

Holiday hours: 190.4 per year for fulltime and a possibility to save additional hours. Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension. For >7 km each way, 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each way. Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme. Moreover, you will receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km.

Employer

Amsterdam UMC Research BV supports non-profit scientific research. In doing so, we provide researchers with everything they need to excel. Our principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders offer support in the field of project management, finance and human resources. In medical scientific research projects, legal support is also provided.

You will work in the team of dr. Hoeksema at the department of Medical Biochemistry (see group's website) in the Amsterdam UMC, location AMC. You will work in a team with young and enthusiastic researches (PhD-students, postdocs and technicians) with excellent infrastructure who have expertise in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, epigenetics, gene regulation and cardiovascular disease.

You will be part of the Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity and the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School with the opportunity to follow several (immunology-related) courses.

This project is supported by an ERC Starting grant.

Additional Information

During the publication period, applications will be handled continuously. If the vacancy is filled, it will be closed prematurely.

If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact dr. M. Hoeksema at m.a.hoeksema@amsterdamumc.nl.

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Rhiannon Sandfort, recruitment advisor, at r.e.sandfort@amsterdamumc.nl.

A reference check, screening and hiring test may be part of the procedure. Read here whether that applies to you. If you join us, we ask you for a VOG (Certificate of Good Conduct). Internal candidates will be given priority over external candidates in case of equal suitability. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be considered.