Closing date: 8 November 2019
Level of education: Master's degree
Hours: 38 hours per week
Salary indication: €2,325 to €2,972 gross per month

The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) has a vacancy for a PhD Neuroscience - Blood-Brain Barrier.

Project description

Project title: The role of the blood-brain barrier during aging in epilepsy.

We hypothesize that age-associated cerebrovascular changes, including perivascular inflammation and amyloid accumulation, play an essential role in progressive blood-brain barrier dysfunction and contribute significantly to epileptogenesis and cognitive decline. In this project we will test this hypothesis in experimental animal models and validate our findings using resected brain tissue from elderly patients with epilepsy using electrophysiological, molecular, pharmacological and other neurobiological tools (e.g. EEG, immunohistochemistry, PCR, cell culturing, behavioural analysis). The project is focused on mechanisms of epileptogenesis and is partially funded by the Dutch Epilepsy Foundation.

Requirements

You are highly motivated and have a strong academic record holding a Master's degree in Neuroscience (or equivalent). You have strong analytical skills and are an experimental talent. A license to work with animals and experience with electrophysiology and tissue culturing is an advantage.

Appointment

The full-time appointment will be on a temporary basis for a maximum period of four years (18 months plus a further 30 months after a positive performance evaluation) and should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). An educational plan will be drafted that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,325 in the first year to €2,972 in the final year, according to the Dutch salary scales for PhD candidates. This is excl. 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end of year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits? Then find out more about working at the Faculty of Science.

Further information

• Dr Erwin van Vliet and Dr Jan Gorter
  T: + 31-0)20 525 7632 or 7892

About the Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 6,500, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is an institute of the Faculty of Science. Its approximately 230 scientists and staff members work in 16 research groups that perform excellent research, centred on four themes:

1. Cell & Systems Biology;
2. Neurosciences;
3. Microbiology and
4. Green Life Sciences.

The research group Cellular and Computational Neuroscience is part of the SILS Neuroscience theme and investigates the regulation of neuronal excitability and plasticity at the membrane, cellular and network level using electrophysiological, pharmacological and molecular techniques.

Job application

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

Are you interested?

Applications may only be submitted online by clicking the link below.
Your application must include a CV (including contact details of two academic referees and a letter of motivation. Please combine these documents in one single attachment and also mention the months (not just years) in your CV when referring to your education and work experience.

No agencies please