The Department Medical Microbiology & Infection Prevention and Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy is looking for an enthusiastic and creative candidate with a Ph.D. in immunology, virology, or (lung) organoid research and a strong interest in vaccinology.
Vaccine development so far largely relies on animal models for the evaluation of vaccine properties and the exploration of new vaccine candidates. However, the immune system of animal models poorly mimics the human immune system with regular failure of seemingly promising vaccine candidates in clinical trials. Moreover, the use of experimental animals for vaccine development and control is ethically questionable, particularly if their predictive value is limited.
This project which is in the context of a consortium funded by the European Union and the Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI) aims at developing human respiratory model systems which are suitable to speed up and improve the development and control of vaccines for respiratory virus infections. The successful candidate will have to develop (influenza) virus infection models using human lung organoids and use these models to explore the safety and effectiveness of vaccine-induced immune responses, in particular protection from infection and infection-related inflammatory responses.
Duration: 2 years with the possibility of extension.
Salary
This position in Vaccinology covers
- A gross salary of maximum of € 4.615,per month
- Annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
- A broad package of fringe benefits (including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes).
Job Requirements
- a PhD in immunology, virology or in vitro tissue modeling (e.g. organoid research)
- strong affinity with vaccinology and the desire to contribute creatively to this field
- experience with primary cell cultures and functional immunological assays
- experience with multiplex assays, (functional) antibody assays, and/or multiplex flow cytometry is desirable
- creative and pro-active in generating and solving scientific questions
- experience with novel data analysis approaches/bioinformatics is an advantage.
- excellent skills in English (oral and writing)
- team player with affinity to work in a big international consortium
Application Process
Applicants are to submit full applications including;
- a motivation letter,
- curriculum vitae, and
- two contacts for professional reference letters.
To get the application form for the Postdoc position in Vaccinology, click here.
Application Deadline: October 17, 2021.
For more information about the Postdoc position in Vaccinology, visit the official site.
