项目介绍

2024年11月19日

Function

Are you a passionate researcher eager to contribute to the control of vector-borne viral diseases that are crucial to animal and public health? Wageningen Bioveterinary Research is looking for a researcher to join our vector-borne virus team!

The research in the vector-borne virus team of WBVR focuses on understanding and controlling vector-borne viral diseases of veterinary and public health concern, such as Rift Valley fever, bluetongue and tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Our team is specialized in

1. Diagnostics and surveillance: Detecting and monitor pathogens.
2. Vector-Virus-Host Interactions: Explore how viruses cause disease and spread between vectors (like mosquitoes, midges and ticks) and vertebrate hosts.
3. Development of Arboviral Countermeasures: Creating countermeasures such as vaccines to prevent the spread of arboviruses.

Furthermore, experimental data is used in transmission modeling and risk assessments to help predict outbreaks and evaluate the impact of various intervention strategies, aiding in veterinary and public health preparedness and response.

In this project you will focus on two main research themes:

• The risk of spread by studying the role of host preference on vector competence and the impact of a vector bite on the efficiency of virus transmission.
• The risk of disease by investigating how a bite from different vectors may affect viral pathogenesis.

Your responsibilities

You will be responsible for:

• Designing and conducting experiments to assess the influence of host-vector interactions on virus transmission and disease progression in biosafety level 3 facilities.
• Developing and validating experimental models to better understand the effects of host preference on vector competence and infection outcomes.
• Analyzing and interpreting experimental data to evaluate the impact on animal and human health.

You will work here
You will be working in the vector-borne virus expertise team at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research. You will be directly supervised by Dr. Barry Rockx, and Dr. Paul Wichgers Schreur, and will work in a multidisciplinary team. This project offers ample opportunities for local and international collaboration, guaranteeing a dynamic working environment. 

Function Requirements

We are looking for a candidate with the following qualities:

• A  MSc degree in biology, animal sciences, biomedical sciences or a related discipline;
• Strong interest in infectious disease research, vector biology, and host-pathogen interactions.;
• Broad experience in virological techniques (virus culture, titration and neutralization), (primary) tissue and cell culture, molecular biology (qPCR, cloning, NGS, reverse genetics) and immunology (FACS, immunoassays, fluorescence microscopy);
• Good communicative skills (both oral and written) and a collaborative spirit;
• Analytical skills for data interpretation and statistical analysis;
• An Article 9 of the Experiments on Animals Act and experience working with laboratory animals is preferred.

Contactinformation

For more information about this position, please contact Dr Barry Rockx by e-mail barry.rockx@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Ine van’t Land, corporate recruiter by email ine.vantland@wur.nl.