PhD Candidate: Lipid Metabolism & Virus‑Linked Neurodegeneration

1000scholars; Leiden; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-of-year bonus

Holiday allowance

Bicycle scheme

Sports allowance

Home-working compensation

Commuting reimbursement

ABP pension

Job summary

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) MERIT invites a doctoral candidate to study how viruses influence lipid pathways in neurons and glia, with exposure to state-of-the-art metabolomics and MS imaging. You will contribute to understanding virus-induced metabolic reprogramming and therapeutic opportunities.

The role includes 36 h/week for four years, with a competitive gross salary and training opportunities in biosecurity, ethics, and AI/LLM.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in analytical chemistry, biomedical sciences or related fields.
• Practical experience with mass spectrometry (LC-MS and/or MALDI-MS-based techniques).
• Preferably experience with data processing and analysis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (C1/C2).

Responsibilities

• Investigate how viral infections modulate lipid biosynthetic pathways in neurons and glial cells.
• Identify lipid classes, species and metabolites affected by viral infections.
• Explore therapeutic targeting of lipid metabolism for controlling virus-induced neurodegeneration.

Skills

English communication

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree in analytical chemistry or biomedical sciences

Tools

LC-MS

MALDI-MS

Job description

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) MERIT invites a doctoral candidate to study how viruses influence lipid pathways in neurons and glia, with exposure to state-of-the-art metabolomics and MS imaging. You will contribute to understanding virus-induced metabolic reprogramming and therapeutic opportunities.

The role includes 36 h/week for four years, with a competitive gross salary and training opportunities in biosecurity, ethics, and AI/LLM.