PhD in Paediatric Mucosal Immunology

Understanding mucosal immune protection against respiratory infections in children
Are you interested in understanding how the immune system protects children against respiratory infections?

Respiratory tract infections are among the most common causes of illness in children worldwide. While most children recover without complications, some experience frequent or severe infections. Why are certain children more susceptible than others, and how can we improve protection against respiratory pathogens?

Most immunological research and diagnostic approaches focus on immune responses measured in blood. Yet respiratory pathogens first encounter the immune system at the mucosal surfaces of the airways. Understanding immune protection at these surfaces may offer new opportunities for preventing and treating respiratory infections.

The Paediatric Respiratory Infection & Immunity Group at Radboudumc is looking for an enthusiastic and curious PhD candidate. Our ambition is to unravel the mechanisms underlying mucosal immune protection and translate these insights into new strategies to prevent respiratory infections in children.

Your research
We investigate how mucosal antibodies protect against respiratory pathogens and how local immune cells, including innate lymphoid cells, contribute to the generation and maintenance of these antibodies.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to understanding why mucosal antibody responses differ between children and how these differences relate to susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Your work will include:

• Characterising mucosal antibody responses in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections and healthy controls.
• Investigating the diversity and polyreactivity of mucosal IgA and IgG.
• Studying associations between mucosal immune characteristics and clinical susceptibility to respiratory infections.
• Exploring the cellular and tissue environments that support mucosal antibody production.
• Integrating immunological, clinical and, where applicable, multi-omics data to identify the mechanisms underlying mucosal immune protection.

You will work with well-characterised paediatric cohorts and biological samples collected through established research collaborations in the Netherlands, South Africa and the Dutch Caribbean.

The project combines clinically relevant research questions with advanced immunological approaches and offers opportunities to develop expertise in mucosal immunology, translational research and quantitative data analysis.

What we offer

• A PhD position within a funded research programme at Radboudumc.
• A stimulating and supportive multidisciplinary research environment.
• Close supervision and opportunities for scientific and professional development.
• Access to established clinical cohorts and advanced immunological research infrastructure.
• Opportunities for international collaboration and, where relevant, research visits to partner institutions.
• The opportunity to contribute to research connecting fundamental immunology with clinical challenges in paediatric respiratory infections.

You will join the Paediatric Respiratory Infection & Immunity Group, led by Dr Lilly Verhagen, Associate Professor and paediatric infectious diseases and immunology specialist at Radboudumc and co-led by Prof Marien de Jonge, head of the Laboratory of Medical Immunology at Radboudumc, where the experimental work will be carried out. The Laboratory of Medical Immunology offers state-of-the- art research facilities and has longstanding expertise in respiratory tract infections and mucosal immunity.

Our research group brings together clinicians, immunologists, microbiologists and researchers from different disciplines and geographical locations. We share one central ambition: improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory infections in children worldwide. Our research is embedded within Radboudumc in Nijmegen, with close collaborations with Stellenbosch University in South Africa and clinical and research partners across the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom.

You will work in a collaborative, international environment, with opportunities to interact with researchers across these locations, present your work at international conferences and contribute to scientific publications.

We value scientific curiosity, critical thinking, methodological rigour, open discussion and collaboration. We encourage PhD candidates to develop their own scientific ideas and take increasing…