PhD candidate in stem cell modeling and neuro-epigenomics

As a PhD candidate in this project, you will spearhead an innovative research line investigating why disease-causing variants in the same gene lead to highly diverse clinical outcomes, particularly regarding epilepsy and treatment responsiveness. You will be fully embedded within the collaborative SETD1AB consortium established between UMC Utrecht (PIs Dr. Onur Başak, Dr. Antón-Bolaños) and Erasmus MC (PI Dr. Stefan Barakat, consortium member Dr.

Kristina Lanko), working alongside dedicated technicians and an active, supportive team of peer PhD students. This is a full-time position.

Your core activities will include:

o Human Brain Modeling: Generating and maintaining patient-stratified iPSC lines and innovative 3D "brain chimeroid" models.

o Advanced Neurophysiology: Assessing functional network activity and synaptic dynamics using high-density 3D Multi-Electrode Arrays (3D-MEAs) — done in close collaboration with experts, providing full support as you learn to analyze this data.

o Multi-Omic Profiling: Performing and analyzing state-of-the-art single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) alongside bulk and single-cell epigenomic assays.

o Data Integration: Collaborating with data scientists to map molecular signatures to clinical patient-level trajectories.

Who we are looking for:

We welcome applicants with a Master's degree in developmental biology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, bioinformatics, or a related biomedical discipline. If you possess hands-on experience in cell culture, molecular biology, or data analysis, that is fantastic—but please note that we do not expect you to master all these technologies on day one. We encourage you to specialize in the areas you are most passionate about.

Because we are expanding the team with a second PhD student later on, you will work in tandem to share the workload, allowing you to focus on your strengths while leveraging the broader expertise of the consortium. We highly value curiosity, an open mind, and a collaborative spirit over a checklist of pre-existing skills. We provide extensive, structured training and mentorship for all the computational and wet-lab techniques used in this project.

If you are deeply passionate about neurodevelopmental research and eager to learn within a supportive environment, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Our consortium thrives on a variety of perspectives. We are committed to building an inclusive environment that welcomes and celebrates neurodiverse individuals, women, minorities, and applicants from all cultural backgrounds. We recognize that brilliant scientists come in many forms, and we evaluate candidates based on their potential, growth mindset, and passion for discovery.

Your primary workplace will be the Department of Translational Neuroscience at the UMC Utrecht Brain Center, a dynamic and state-of-the-art research environment. Because this is a highly collaborative project, you will be co-supervised by a dedicated team of Principal Investigators (PIs) from both UMC Utrecht and Erasmus MC, each bringing specialized expertise to guide your development. While you will be based primarily in Utrecht, you will occasionally travel to Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.

These visits will be funded and scheduled for joint team meetings, specific hands-on laboratory experiments, and knowledge transfer across the consortium. This multi-center setup provides you with an exceptional network and access to top-tier facilities across two leading Dutch medical institutions.

This multidisciplinary project sits at the intersection of epigenetics, advanced stem cell modeling, single-cell genomics, and functional neurophysiology. We recognize that candidates come from diverse academic trajectories, and we do not expect proficiency in all these areas.

What we look for in your background:

o A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience, developmental biology, stem cell biology, bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, or a closely related field.

o Previous experience or a strong, demonstrable interest in at least one of the core areas of the project (e.g., cell culture, molecular biology, or…