Call for 2 PhD fellowships within the MSCA DN project GLYCO-N: GLYCOprotein N-glycosylation from non-life to eukaryotes a Doctoral Network to expand the knowledge on a ubiquitous posttranslational modification of proteins.

PhD1 (DC5)

 M.Sc. degree in Chemistry
•    Good knowledge and interest in both organic chemistry and chemical biology;
•    Proven competence in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology;
•    Knowledge of Synthetic Carbohydrate Chemistry is a plus;
•    Organic chemistry lab skills including Carrying out and monitoring multi-step organic syntheses, purification of small molecules and analytical techniques (NMR, LC-MS)
•    Excellent communication skills;
•    Ability to work independently and as a team player in a multidisciplinary environment

PhD2 (DC8)

•    M.Sc. degree in analytical biochemistry, cell biology , medicinal chemistry or equivalent;
•    Proven experience for biochemistry, cell biology, mass spectrometry and/or drug discovery;
•    Interest in chemical glycobiology and protein targeted degradation research;
•    Biochemical lab skills including cell culture, protein expression and purification, molecular cloning, sequencing, site-directed mutagenesis, immunohistochemistry, proteomics and flow cytometry;
•    Proficient in English;
•    Excellent communication skills;
•    Ability to work independently and as a team player in a multidisciplinary environment
 

PhD1 (DC5) & PhD2 (DC8)

• Proficient in English a recognized international certificate in English (TOEFL, TOEIC, etc) is a plus;
• Meeting the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher eligibility criteria is required. In particular, at the time of appointment candidates must have a Master degree and had less than four years full-time equivalent research experience and must not have already obtained a PhD. Additionally, they must not have resided in The Netherlands for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before the appointment;
• The PhD research needs to start in February-March 2024.

Both Doctoral Candidates (DCs) will be enrolled at the in the PhD school programme at Leiden University for a period of 4 years. They will contractually employed for 36 months by University of Leiden (Netherlands). Extension to the fourth PhD year is foreseen.

The PhD students will be covered under the social security scheme of The Netherlands. He or she will monthly receive a Living Allowance, a Mobility Allowance and a Family Allowance (if applicable) compliant with the applicable EC Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions-DN general conditions (see https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/…  page 80)

The PhD positions are part of a Doctoral Network (DN) and the DCs to be employed will benefit from a personal career development plan with targeted training measures and participation in a range of network activities with the other GLYCO-N consortium partner.

At the time of recruitment, applicants must fulfill the following rules:
Experience eligibility requirement: Eligible applicants must have a Master/Engineering degree and must be in the first four years of their research careers (full-time equivalent research experience) and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree.
Mobility eligibility requirement: 
Applicants can be of any nationality but, at the time of recruitment, may not have resided or carried out their main activity in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date.  
 

Application Procedure
Applications for the PhD positions should be addressed to Dr. Marta Artola.
All application should be sent at j.e.van.krimpen@lic.leidenuniv.nl with the subject “application GLYCO-N”

The application must be accompanied with the following documents in PDF format:

•    Letter of motivation addressed to Dr. Marta Artola, including a statement why you are suited for this position;
•    Curriculum vitae;
•    Transcripts of B.Sc and M.Sc. courses, including grades;
•    Copy of master’s thesis or any other publications (if available);
•    Two references letters from former supervisors, including names, affiliations and email addresses.

Applications must be in English and will be evaluated against the following criteria:
•    Educational record
•    scientific quality of the applicant’s CV
•    expected individual impact and benefit to the fellow and to the project
•    previous experience in the subject of GLYCO-N research programme

The candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the received documents and the best 3-4 candidates will be invited for an online interview that will take place in January-February 2024.

Planned start date for the doctoral candidates: February/March 2024

All 4 ESRs will be enrolled at the in the PhD school programme at “University of Leiden” for a period of 4 years. The students will receive the fellowship within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Program for the first 36 months. Extension to the fourth PhD year is foreseen.

Faculty
The Faculty of Science at Leiden University is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organized in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelors’ and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2,300 staff and over 5,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together. 

University
Leiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities.

Thanks to its committed and inspired employees, the university enjoys a leading role in academic research and education. Leiden also scores very well every year in prominent rankings. This means that, to maintain our position, the bar is set very high. Regardless of the work you do at our university, you are always encouraged to broaden your horizons, develop your talents and reach your full potential. Will you become our newest colleague?

Do you have questions about this position? Please contact Dr. Marta Artola (m.e.artola@lic.leidenuniv.nl). For more information about the recruitment process please contact  Jessica van Krimpen, j.e.van.krimpen@lic.leidenuniv.nl

You can find more information about the faculty of Science at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/about-faculty-of-science. For more information about working at Leiden university please visit https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at. 

Are you enthusiastic about this vacancy? We are looking forward to get to know you. You can apply until January 21, 2024.