PHD CANDIDATE MS-HYPHENATED METHODS FOR OLIGONUCLEOTIDE ANALYSIS

Are you passionate about bioanalytical chemistry, advanced separation technology, MS-hyphenated methods and are you looking for a PhD position? Would you like to work in a multidisciplinary team, including academic and industrial partners, on a project developing novel characterization methods for therapeutic oligonucleotides and their impurities? Please apply to the VU Amsterdam for a joint position in the Analytical Chemistry groups of VU and UvA.

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 1

Oligonucleotide-based (ON) drugs offer great promise as revolutionary therapies for hitherto untreatable diseases. However, by their synthetic nature and inherent instability, ON therapeutics are chemically complex. Nevertheless, to understand their function and activity, and guarantee quality and safety, full characterization of ON drugs is mandatory. In the Innovative Analytics for Therapeutic Oligonucleotide Research (InnovATOR) project, a consortium of academic and industrial researchers collaborates to develop the required analytical strategies for ON therapeutics.

In this PhD-project, novel chemoselective stationary phases and multi-dimensional liquid chromatographic (LC) separations will be explored and coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) to achieve enhanced resolution and sensitive characterization of structural variants of ON therapeutics. In conjunction with ion-mobility and photofragmentation methods, and dedicated method-optimization and data-analysis routines resulting from the other two InnovATOR PhD-projects, unique insights in molecular structures of chemical forms of ON therapeutics will be obtained.

This PhD position is embedded in the labs of both the Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry at VU and the Analytical Chemistry Group at University of Amsterdam (UvA), where you will be supervised by prof. dr. Govert Somsen and dr. Andrea Gargano. You will work closely with the project partners at VU and UvA, and at the companies AstraZeneca, Novartis, GSK, MS Vision and Tosoh. Together with the team, you will present the obtained research results at national and international scientific conferences, and in relevant journals.

Your duties

• Perform LC-MS experiments on ONs, exploring advanced column formats and enhanced fluidity mobile phases;
• Develop separation materials with tailored chemistry and morphologies for ONs;
• Develop two-dimensional LC workflows, also including online enzymatic fragmentation of ONs followed by MS/MS detection;
• Contribute to teaching and supervising activities (including supervision of MSc and BSc students);
• Collaborate within the InnovATOR team and with other international researchers;
• Publish scientific articles and present research results at international conferences and journals;
• Conduct research within the scope of the project leading to a dissertation and a PhD degree towards the end of the 4-year project.

• MSc or equivalent degree in Chemistry or Pharmaceutical Sciences with a strong analytical science component;
• Highly motivated and committed to research, showing a strong interest in analytical separations and their hyphenation with MS;
• Lab experience with instrumental analytical techniques such as LC and MS;
• Strong affinity with and motivation for lab work;
• Good oral and written communication skills in the English language;
• Comfortable with working both independently and in a team.

A challenging position in socially involved organizations. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,541 per month during the first year and increases to €3,247 per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile (PhD candidate) is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 1 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a total duration of 4 years. Additionally, the position comes with excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment;
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• solid pension scheme (ABP);
• contribution to commuting expenses;
• child day-care facilities on campus.

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.

About the Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry
The Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry (BAC) is part of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and of the Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS). The research at BAC focuses on the development and application of novel, multidimensional analytics for the molecular understanding of biological and chemical processes. We use and advance separation technologies in combination with (ion mobility) mass spectrometry to resolve and characterize complex molecular structures and structural changes. We employ these techniques to study and unravel the heterogeneity of metabolites, peptides, (glyco)proteins, oligonucleotides, other (bio)polymers and nanoparticles. BAC collaborates intensively with the Analytical Chemistry Group at UvA in the Center for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA). The candidate for the present position will work at both VU and UvA premises having access to a wide variety of advanced analytical facilities and expertise.

CASA also trains and educates students and young professionals at the highest international level in the area of analytical chemistry. PhD, MSc and BSc students actively and intensively participate in our research programs. We provide analytical courses in several BSc and MSc programs, such as Chemistry (in a joint degree with UvA), Pharmaceutical Sciences, Drug Discovery Sciences, and Medical Natural Sciences.

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae a personal statement of interest (cover letter) and cover letter before

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:
Name:                    prof. dr. Govert W. Somsen                       dr. Andrea Gargano
Position:                Full Professor                                             Assistant professor
E-mail:                   [email protected]                                     [email protected]

Relocation support
If you have any questions regarding moving to Amsterdam, and working at VU Amsterdam, you may contact:

Name: Sara Veldhorst
Position: Relocation Advisor
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +31 (20) 59 86212

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