The cause of thrombosis lies within the three pillars based on Virchows’ Triad: vessel, flow, and blood. Traditionally these three pillars are approached separately by research. This project will utilize world leading expertise of these three pillars to combine them into development of a novel stem cell model, Virchows’ Organoid. The project will involve pluripotent stem cell culture, vascular cell differentiation (endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell), CRISPRCas9 gene editing and flow-mechanics to build a model to study the three pillars of Virchows’ Triad. This interdisciplinary approach will allow novel understanding of coagulation and thrombosis by combining vessel wall (imaging and RNA-sequencing), flow dynamics (platelet flow) and changes to blood protein biochemistry (ELISA) in a single model, termed Virchows’ Organoid.

The successful applicant will be placed in the Department of Biochemistry, CARIM in our newly established pluripotent stem cell facility under guidance of Prof. Leon Schurgers (vessels). The research group is multidisciplinary and collaborates closely with the HeartVascular-Center (HVC) of MUMC+, as well as the Department of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology (UniKlinikum Aachen) and University California, Irvine (UCI).

Internally within the department of Biochemistry the successful applicant will receive cosupervision from Dr Judith Cosemans (flow) and Dr Henri Spronk (blood biochemistry). Furthermore, the successful applicant will benefit from the friendly and inclusive culture of the laboratory with a highly motivating working environment in the city of Maastricht. There is possibility of international placement to collaborator labs in California (Prof Hughes) or Germany (Prof Kramann) depending on what is suitable for the candidate’s development and interests.

Essential requirements:

• MSc or equivalent degree in biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, regenerative medicine, or a related discipline;
• Enthusiasm and curiosity to work on interdisciplinary stem cell projects.

Desired requirements:

• Prior research experience in wet labs. Knowledge and experience in pluripotent stem cell culture would be advantageous;
• Familiarity with genetic, molecular and/ or cell biology techniques. Such as western blot, RTqPCR, ELISAs, cloning, mammalian cell culture, microscopy;
• Experience with programming skills such as R or Python;
• A strong academic background;
• Fluency in English language;
• Excellent communication, written and interpersonal skills;
• Willingness to work in an international team.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

The full-time position is offered for four years (1+3), with a yearly evaluation. Your salary would be € 2.434,- gross per month in the first year up to € 3.111,- gross per month in the fourth year according to the PhD-candidate salary scale. On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 20,000 students and 4,700 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

School Cardiovascular Diseases

CARIM is one of the six schools of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) of Maastricht University and is embedded within the Maastricht University Medical Center+ (Maastricht UMC+). CARIM collaborates closely with the Heart+Vascular Center of Maastricht UMC+. CARIM is one of the largest cardiovascular research institutes in Europe, producing more than 500 scientific articles and approximately 40 PhD dissertations per year.

https://www.carimmaastricht.nl/