PhD Researcher – Development of Human Pain Models for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

You hold a university Master’s degree in Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences, Immunology or a related life science, and you are strongly motivated to develop human, animal-free models for pain. You have proven experience in stem cell biology and advanced cell culture, ideally including work with human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and their differentiation into neuronal lineages. Experience with sensory neuron differentiation, co-culture systems and/or 3D culture models is a strong advantage, as is a clear interest in modelling mechanisms of (chronic) pain.

You bring a solid background in molecular biology and are familiar with techniques such as cloning, (q)PCR, transfection or viral transduction, and the generation or use of reporter cell lines. Experience with implementing molecular reporters to monitor neuronal activation or signalling pathways is highly desirable. You are comfortable working with imaging-based readouts and data analysis; experience with calcium imaging, high-content imaging, electrophysiology, microfluidics, organ-on-chip systems or optogenetics will be considered a plus.

You work accurately and independently at the bench, while also enjoying teamwork in a multidisciplinary and international environment. You communicate clearly in English, both orally and in writing, and are able to document your experiments in a structured, reproducible way. You are curious, proactive, and not afraid to tackle technically challenging problems or optimize new protocols. You are eager to integrate neurobiology, immunology and technology to build and validate innovative pain NAMs based on iPSC‑derived sensory neurons and reporter cell technologies, ultimately contributing to more predictive, human-relevant models for translational pain research.

Important to note
Are you interested in this position? Please send your CV and motivation, including the contact details of two referees, to us.
Do you have any questions about the vacancy? Please contact us only by email, addressed to Niels Eijkelkamp (n.eijkelkamp@umcutrecht.nl).
Please be aware that, due to the holiday period, our response time may be longer than usual.