Doctoral scholarship holder Genetics of Alzheimer’s disease

Department: Center for Molecular Neurology
Regime Full-time

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20 000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape.

The VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences is looking for a full-time (100%)doctoral scholarship holderin the field of genetics of Alzheimer’s disease.

Position

• You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of Alzheimer’s genetics. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major global societal challenge and a threat to health care systems. The Sleegers lab uses advanced genomic technologies and computational genomics approaches to identify genetic variants affecting Alzheimer’s disease risk with the aim to gain a deeper molecular understanding of this devastating disease, and to translate these novel insights into meaningful actions for health care. The PhD project will use technologies such as long-read DNA and RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics and single cell sequencing to unravel the transcriptional landscape of AD risk genes, with specific focus on recently identified strong risk genes.
• You will publish scientific articles related to the research project.

Profile

• You hold a Master degree in Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Biomedicine or related discipline.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies .
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You have a strong interest in genomic technologies and/or analysis of –omics data.
• Prior experience with programming in R or Python, and with data analysis of –omics data is considered an advantage.
• You are highly motivated, enthusiastic, critical, and creative.
• You are proficient in verbal and written English.
• You have the ability to summarize data extracted from literature and to define research objectives.
• You have a passion for science, self-motivation, flexibility, and team spirit.

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of two years. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed once for another two-year period.
• The planned start date is 1 October 2021 or as soon as possible after that date.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will work at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology in a world-class research environment with state of the art research facilities.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 9 August 2021 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button, complete the online application form and be sure to include the following attachments:
  • a letter of motivation explaining why you are interested in our work and aspire this PhD position
  • your academic CV incl. a list of publications
  • the names and contact details of 3 references
• The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to [email protected] . If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Prof. Dr. Kristel Sleegers, Principal Investigator, at [email protected] .

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.