项目介绍

2024年5月9日

Your function

This PhD project is supported by the NWA program METAHEALTH, which focuses on oral and metabolic health in the first 1000 days of life. The PhD candidate will collaborate closely with fellow PhD students studying social behaviour, mathematical modeling and gut microbiome modelling in METAHEALTH.

The aim of this PhD project is to delve into the mechanisms underlying the establishment of a healthy host-oral microbiome balance in early life- a balance known to confer lifelong healthy benefits. Through cutting-edge techniques and the utilization of a state-of-art 3D organotypic model, the PhD candidate will have the unique opportunity to unravel the complexity of this dynamic process in a controlled manner.

Your duties

Your responsibilities are 1. improving the existing 3D reconstructed human gingiva model in order to better mimic the microbial exposure infants encounter in their oral cavity; 2. exploring various factors influencing the host-microbiome interactions, including the impact of diet components and immune factors, with the improved model. Through comprehensive phenotypic and functional analyses you will elucidate the host responses crucial for maintaining tolerance and fostering homeostatic interactions with oral microbes.

You will be situated within the Department of Preventive Dentistry, with a focus on microbiological aspects of dental research. The department comprises researchers experienced in various fields: clinical dentistry, molecular biology, microbiology, microbial ecology and bioinformatics and regularly hosts international PhD students. This fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating working environment.

The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of ACTA, University of Amsterdam and supervised by Prof. dr. Bastiaan Krom, dr. Dongmei Deng and dr. Lin Shang.

Your profile

• You should hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Biomedical Sciences, or closely related fields. Candidates nearing completion of their Master degree are eligible to apply.
• You are available to start between November 1^st 2024 and January 1^st 2025.
• Preference will be given to candidates with laboratory proficiency in standard microbial techniques, mammalian cell culturing and/or organoids culturing.
• The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong motivation, exceptional curiosity, problem-solving, teamwork skills and the capacity to working independently.
• Proficiency in English, along with excellent academic presentation and writing skills, is essential.