PhD student Cardiology – PLN Project

Department description

• You are a member of an exceptional team with strong interaction between experimental, genetic, epidemiological and clinical research groups, all situated on the same floor.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) is actively engaged, fostering interactions with team members and conducting weekly meetings.
• Our well-funded environment ensures that you will have unrestricted access to all resources necessary for the successful execution of your project.
• You will collaborate with various PhD students and postdocs dedicated to the same research topic, fostering a collaborative team dynamic.
• Our team maintains strong connections with the translational cardiology community in both Europe and the USA.
• Upon the successful completion of your PhD, candidates holding a Dutch MD license are eligible to participate in the selection process for the Cardiology Residency program at the UMCG.

Function description

As a researcher you want to matter. You really want to make a difference in the lives of people with a cardiovascular condition. Now and in the future. That is why you consciously choose to work at the Department of Cardiology of the UMCG, a dynamic department where research and clinical practice are intertwined. We translate problems that we experience in clinical practice into scientific research. We improve patient care with the results of our scientific research. We believe that providing talent room to develop, a solution can ultimately be found for every cardiovascular condition. As a PhD student, UMCG Cardiology therefore offers you plenty of opportunities to follow your interests and give your talent space.

Job description

• Heart failure is a major health problem, causing severe symptoms and increased mortality. A specific hereditary cardiomyopathy, with a mutation in the Phospholamban gene, is particularly common in the northern parts of the Netherlands. This genetic cardiomyopathy often results in severe heart failure with the need of a heart transplant or mechanical assist device. Preventive or curative treatment strategies are currently unavailable.
• Our team’s recent research has improved the understanding of the disease mechanism and identified a very potent novel treatment (Grote Beverborg Nature Communications 2021). Translation of potential treatment strategies to the human setting has the highest priority. Together with more knowledge on the natural disease progression and potential (bio)markers for progression, this project aims to design a first clinical trial with a novel disease specific drug.
• For this project, the doctoral student will create slices of patient derived cardiac tissue obtained during a heart transplantation or mechanical assist device procedure. Subsequently, the different treatment strategies will be tested on these tissues. In collaboration with a post-doctoral clinical researcher, patients suitable for future clinical trials will be identified using novel biomarkers derived from epidemiological datasets, and proteomic and transcriptomic datasets of in vitro experiments. A keen interest in cardiology and translational science is required. The PhD candidate will employ an array of methods including tissue engineering, histology, and proteomic and metabolomic assays. The findings from these studies will be published in peer-reviewed journals and will lead to an academic dissertation (PhD).

Job requirements

• A master’s degree in (bio-medical) sciences.
• Interest in translational cardiology.
• Previous experience with cell or animal models of heart disease is a pro.
• Able to express oneself in English in word and writing.
• 2 references from PIs of Bachelor and/or Master projects.

The UMCG has a preventive Hepatitis B policy. The UMCG can provide you with the vaccination, should it be required for your position.
In case of specific professions a ‘Certificate of Good Conduct’ is required.

Employment conditions

A full-time appointment for one year (36 hours a week), with the possibility of extension for a maximum of four years. Your salary will be a minimum of € 2.631,- gross per month in the first year and a maximum of € 3.336,- gross per month (scale PhD) in the final (4th) year, based on a full-time appointment. In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC).

Please state in your CV the names and contact information of at least two references and add a short biosketch.

For questions about the position

Any questions? Do contact us.

Contact:
Dr. N. Grote Beverborg, n.grote.beverborg@umcg.nl
Prof. dr. P. van der Meer, p.van.der.meer@umcg.nl