PhD candidate in systems immunology

We are seeking a PhD candidate to integrate experimental and computational immunology to study antibody recognition in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and other clinical conditions.

Dit ga je doen

We are looking for a highly motivated and talented candidate for a PhD in systems immunology within the Center for Translational Immunology (CTI) at UMC Utrecht (Netherlands). The recruited PhD student will be embedded within the Computational Biology and Systems Immunology group led by Alexander Yermanos. The PhD project will address both experimental and computational aspects relating to adaptive immune recognition and clinical immunology. The overarching research endeavours aim to understand and predict features of B cell selection in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and compare these antibody signatures to other clinical conditions. This will include leveraging flow cytometry and single-cell immune repertoire sequencing, computational immunology software and method development, antibody production and biophysical characterization, yeast epitope display libraries and machine learning. The results from this project will be used to help establish and quantify global immunogenomic signatures. 

Hier ga je werken

The Center for Translational Immunology (CTI) concentrates top expertise in immunology in one department and conducts all research on immunological diseases in the UMC Utrecht. The CTI harbors over 200 researchers in 16 research groups supported by 6 core-facilities, including a Computational Immunology Core to which this position will be linked.

The CTI is part of the research theme “Infection and Immunity”, one of the six strategic research themes of the UMC Utrecht. UMC Utrecht is one of the largest medical centers in The Netherlands and is uniquely situated at the Utrecht Science Park with ample opportunities for local collaborations with e.g. the Hubrecht Institute, the science and veterinary faculties of Utrecht University, the national pediatric oncology hospital (Princess Maxima Centre) and biotech companies.

We pursue our vision “harnessing the immune system to cure infection, inflammatory disease and cancer” by excellent, internationally leading fundamental and translational immunology research, in close collaboration with clinicians of the UMC Utrecht. Our mission is to impact people’s lives by understanding the basis of life-long immune health, classifying and monitoring inflammatory diseases and identifying their treatable traits. We closely link education, research, diagnostics and care, and train PhD students and professionals to obtain a broad career perspective.

Dit neem je mee

• Candidates should have a Master's degree in the concerning field and an excellent track record in relation to their career stage based on past research endeavors.
• Candidates should send a motivation letter and CV containing the contact information for two references.
• Ideally the starting date is April 2025.

Dit bieden we jou

• A salary between €3017 and €3824 gross per month (salary scale OIO), based on full-time employment (36 hours).
• Salary increase of 3% from July 2025, according to the collective labor agreement (cao).
• Year-end bonus of 8.3% and holiday allowance of 8%.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 70% of the monthly contribution. 
  100% public transport reimbursement. Are you coming on foot, by bike or by car? You will then receive a reimbursement of € 0.18 per km (by car up to a max. of 40 km one way).
• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.
• The option to select additional employment benefits in exchange for gross salary, such as purchasing a bicycle and memberships.