Postdoctoral position in single cell analysis of cell differentiation in vivo

The Van den Heuvel lab invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in Developmental Biology. The focus of the project will be to reveal the regulatory logic of cellular decision making in the context of animal development. Specifically, we seek to better understand how precursor cells commit to a specialized cellular fate, and how this is coordinated with a permanent arrest of cell division. To address these questions, we will perform detailed quantitative analyses of native cells during their differentiation trajectory in the round worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), in combination with sophisticated genetic manipulation. This project will incorporate the latest technologies in transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome analysis, and will be carried out in close collaboration with specialists in computational modeling (Ten Tusscher lab, Utrecht University), single-cell analysis (Korswagen and Van Oudenaarden labs, Hubrecht Institute), and proteomics techniques (Vermeulen lab, Radboud University Nijmegen).

As a postdoctoral Researcher you will become part of the highly interactive Developmental Biology community at Utrecht University. This will include daily interactions with fellow Researchers in the Van den Heuvel, Boxem and Ruijtenberg labs, with graduate students and Postdocs, who work on related topics with one of the consortium partners, and with other Researchers within the Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity (e.g., Akhmanova, Kapitein, Baubec labs) or the broader Utrecht University campus.

Profile

We are looking for a curious and ambitious junior scientist who:

• holds a PhD degree in biology, biomedical sciences or a related field;
• has a strong interest in molecular biology;
• has previous experience with independent research, and preferably worked with genetic model organisms, advanced microscopy, and/or bioinformatic data analysis;
• has been trained in scientific writing, communication and presentation in English;
• has the motivation to work in an ambitious, multidisciplinary and international research team.

Offer

• a full-time position for two years;
• embedding in a great team of top Life Sciences Researchers;
• depending on previous qualifications and experience, a gross salary ranging between €2,836 and €5,211 per month (scale 10/11 of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities) for a full-time employment;
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions (based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities).

Additional information

If you have any questions about this position, please contact Sander van den Heuvel, via S.J.L.vandenHeuvel@uu.nl

Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl

Application

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. If you have the expertise and experience to excel in this role, please submit an application!
Please enclose:

• a one-page cover letter describing the reasons behind your interest in the position;
• a curriculum vitae;
• name, telephone number, and email address of three references.

Promising candidates will be invited to an interview. As part of the selection procedure, the candidate will be expected to give a short presentation about his/her previous research.

If this specific opportunity is not for you, but you know someone who may be interested, please forward the link to them.

The application deadline is 31 October. The position will be available immediately after acceptance.

Please note: Due to the current situation regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the process of selection and interviews is subject to change. Initial interviews will most likely be conducted online.

Some connections are fundamental – Be one of them