PhD: Implementation strategies for safe virus research in EU labs (MCSA)

Amsterdam UMC; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

36h/week contract

International colleagues

Secondments abroad

Safety training

Pre-MBA programme

Salary €3,217–€4,077 gross/month

End-of-year bonus 8.3%

Transport reimbursement

Bike scheme

Job summary

Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position within the MERIT MSCA training programme. The project aims to understand safety behaviour determinants in biosafety practice and to develop tailored implementation strategies in EU labs.

The role involves qualitative and mixed-methods research, collaboration with doctoral candidates and supervisors, and piloting strategies in real-world settings across EU institutions.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in biomedical sciences, health sciences or related field.
• Demonstrable affinity with qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (C1/C2).
• Interest in working in a multidisciplinary research group.
• Mobility rule: no >12 months in NL in 36 months before 1 Apr 2027.

Responsibilities

• Identify behavioural, social, and organisational determinants of safety compliance via literature reviews, interviews, questionnaires and observations.
• Explore how determinants influence mechanisms of implementation strategies.
• Collaborate with laboratory staff to tailor and pilot strategies in real-world settings across EU institutions.

Skills

Qualitative & quantitative research

English communication (C1/C2)

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree in biomedical/health sciences

Job description

Do you want to better understand how viruses affect the human body? Then apply for a PhD position to study tailored implementation strategies for safe virus research in EU laboratories as part of the MERIT MCSA doctoral network.

About the project

MERIT (MEtabolic Reprogramming in viral pathogenesis: from Infection to Therapeutic innovations) is an EU-funded MSCA training programme aimed at better understanding how viruses affect the human body. Coordinated by Dr. Adithya Sridhar, Assistant Professor, and Prof. Dr. Dasja Pajkrt, Professor of Pediatric Infectious diseases, from the OrganoVIR Labs at Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), this project brings together 7 academic institutions and 12 associated partners from across Europe.

Within MERIT, researchers will take a new, holistic approach that focuses on infections and host metabolism to unravel virus-induced metabolic reprogramming and its impact on human health. The project’s objective lies in understanding the complex interplay between viruses and host cells, focusing on metabolic reprogramming, and long-term consequences of infection. This will be achieved by combining three methodological pillars: human organoids, integrative and spatial omics, and advanced microscopy.

About the role

The project aims to bridge the gap between biosafety guidelines and everyday laboratory practice by strengthening the implementation of safety measures. Using an implementation science approach, the project will systematically identify behavioural, social, and organisational determinants of compliance, and translate these into tailored, context-sensitive implementation strategies.

Through qualitative and mixed methods research (e.g. literature reviews, interviews, questionnaires including discrete choice experiments or vignettes, and observations) the project will map the key drivers and barriers of safety behaviour. Building on these insights, it will explore how these determinants shape the mechanisms through which implementation strategies work, and under which conditions they are most effective and sustainable.

In close collaboration with laboratory staff, including doctoral candidates and supervisors, suitable implementation strategies will be selected and tailored to local workflows, resources, and safety culture, and subsequently piloted in real-world laboratory settings. Ultimately, the project aims to enhance biosafety, research quality, and public trust in high‑risk pathogen research.

At the Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands, MERIT is looking for a Doctoral Candidate (DC) to work on Work Package 2. As DC2, your objectives are:

• to identify behavioural, social, and organisational determinants of compliance with safety measures through literature review, interviews, questionnaires (discrete choice models or vignettes), and observations;
• to explore how these determinants influence mechanisms through which implementation strategies work;
• to work together with laboratory staff, DCs and supervisors to select and tailor implementation strategies;
• to pilot and evaluate these strategies in real‑world laboratory settings across multiple EU institutions, focusing on their feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness and their potential to strengthen compliance with biosafety practice.

You will be guided during your research project by Dr. Rosa van Mansfeld, Dr. Mireille Dekker and Dr. Adithya Sridhar. You can apply for this position until 30 October 2026. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered.

Profile

• Master's degree in biomedical sciences, health sciences or related fields;
• demonstrable affinity with qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis;
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English (minimum C1/C2 CEFR level);
• an interest in working in a multidisciplinary research group;
• have not resided/carried out work or studies in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before 1 April 2027 (transnational mobility rule).

Our offer

• A contract with Amsterdam UMC for 36 hours per week for 4 years (probation of 6 months).
• The opportunity to work with motivated colleagues from all over the world.
• Planned secondments in Poland (JU), Innsbruck (MUI) and Sweden (KI).
• Training in safety and biosecurity aligned with international best practices. You will be trained in hazard identification, containment, incident reporting, and dual‑use/gain‑of‑function issues.
• An opportunity to take part in a tailor‑made pre‑MBA programme to develop entrepreneurial and commercial skills and other network‑wide training opportunities including conferences and courses, a Personal Development Plan, non‑academic coaching, and workshops on topics including ethics and sustainability and AI/LLM.
• Classification in salary scale OIO: € 3,217 to € 4,077 gross for full‑time employment (depending on experience). In addition to a good basic salary, we offer 8.3% end‑of‑year bonus. Calculate your net salary here.
• 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each. Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme.

About the workplace

Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, houses the university hospital and the medical faculty of the University of Amsterdam, as well as several research institutes.

The research group Implementation of Infection Prevention (IIP) is embedded within the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention (MMI) and is affiliated with OrganoVIR Labs. The research group IIP collaborates with the Amsterdam Immunity and Infection Institute,the Amsterdam Public Health research institute, and other (inter)national researchers.

From various perspectives, we focus on improving infection prevention in healthcare. Our scientific research integrates knowledge and insights from fields such as implementation science and behavioural science.

The OrganoVIR Labs is uniquely embedded within both the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention (MMI) and the Department of Pediatrics and is affiliated with the Amsterdam Immunity and Infection Institute (AIII), Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D), and Emma Centre for Personalized Medicine (Emma CPM). This multidisciplinary positioning fosters close collaboration between fundamental, translational, and clinical research.