Postdoc in Microbial Modulation of Early Life Immunity
Postdoc in Microbial Modulation of Early Life Immunity
UvA - University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Maldevelopment of the immune system in early life, characterized by impaired immune-microbiota interaction, increases the risk of children’s health issues and in later life chronic immune-related diseases. Probiotics hold great promise in restoring the impairment of immune-microbiota interaction by providing beneficial functions that guide immune cell development. For an exciting project we are looking for an enthusiastic postdoc to help us in our research!
In this project you will be working on identifying bacterial strains with strong potential to promote beneficial immune response in infant gut and understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms. This project is an international collaboration of the University of Amsterdam with SURI Biotech GmbH, supported by the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health.
What you will do
You will screen and identify which gut-adapted bacterial strains potently induce beneficial immune cell differentiation using ex vivo assays and in vitro anaerobic gut-microbiome-on-a-chip system. Using our facilities for research, you will decipher the underlying mechanisms of action that contribute to the beneficial functions. Within the anaerobic gut-microbiome-on-a-chip system, you will determine the influence of probiotic strains on the gut microbiota, intestinal barrier function, and immune cell differentiation and activation using multicolor flowcytometry and multi-omics such as metabolomics and transcriptomics (facility is available for support).
What we look for
You have/are:
- a PhD degree in Infection and Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or closely related fields. Candidates in the final stages of obtaining their degree are eligible to apply;
- an excellent background in immunology, T cell biology, immunometabolism, and hands-on experience of primary immune cell culture, organoids, multi-color flowcytometry, and transcriptomic data analysis;
- a problem-solving mindset and are able to perform team-oriented as well as independent work;
- fluent in English, both written and spoken.
Additional experience with gut microbiota is an asset as is proficiency in ‘omics data analysis. Anaerobic culturing is preferred but not required.
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