PhD student Immunology & Virology

Your responsibilities

• Design and conduct experiments using human adipose tissue and experimental influenza infection models.
• Investigate viral infection and replication in adipose tissue from individuals with different metabolic profiles.
• Characterise local immune and inflammatory responses using molecular, cellular and immunological techniques, and compare them across metabolic health status and adipose-tissue location.
• Integrate virological, immunological and metabolic data to identify mechanisms of susceptibility or resilience to severe infection.
• Collaborate closely with researchers and clinicians across the team.
• Present your findings at national and international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.

IMMO-VIR project

Obesity is a major risk factor for severe illness following respiratory viral infections such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Yet body mass index (BMI) alone cannot explain why outcomes vary so widely among individuals with obesity. Part of the answer may lie in the biology of adipose tissue itself. Adipose tissue is an active participant in immune regulation and inflammation. Individuals with obesity also differ in their metabolic health: some maintain relatively normal metabolic function, while others develop chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic disturbances that may shape their susceptibility to infection and severe disease. Studies in animal and cell models suggest that respiratory viruses can infect adipose tissue, but whether and how this happens in human adipose tissue remains poorly understood.

The recently funded IMMO-VIR project (Immune and Metabolic Mechanisms in Adipose Tissue Driving Obesity-Linked Susceptibility to Respiratory Viral Infections) sets out to uncover how the heterogeneity of adipose tissue influences the response to influenza virus infection. As a PhD candidate, you will work with human adipose tissue from individuals with obesity and differing metabolic profiles to ask whether influenza virus can infect and replicate in this tissue, how the local immune and inflammatory response varies with metabolic health and anatomical location, and how these tissue-specific responses may contribute to the course of respiratory infection.
IMMO-VIR is a collaboration between the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention and the Department of Critical Care at the University Medical Center Groningen. You will join an international, multidisciplinary team spanning virology, immunology, endocrinology, adipose-tissue biology and clinical medicine, an environment in which fundamental laboratory research is tightly connected to clinically relevant questions.

What we are looking for

You are an enthusiastic, curious researcher with a strong interest in virology and immunology and in how host biology shapes susceptibility to infectious disease. You enjoy hands-on laboratory work, reading scientific literature, are eager to develop new skills, and thrive in an international, collaborative setting. A good sense of humour will help you feel at home in our team.

You also bring:

• a Master's degree (or equivalent) in biomedical sciences, biomolecular sciences or a related discipline, candidates close to completing their degree are encouraged to apply;
• a strong background in virology, immunology or a closely related field;
• experience with relevant laboratory techniques such as mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, immunological assays, flow cytometry and/or virological methods, preferably at BSL-2 level;
• a willingness to be trained for and to work with respiratory viruses at Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3);
• the ability to plan, perform, critically evaluate and troubleshoot experiments;
• the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary, international team;
• excellent written and spoken communication skills in English;

Experience with primary human cells or tissues, respiratory viruses and/or adipose-tissue research is an advantage but not essential.

What do we offer

A four-year PhD position in a dynamic, international research environment, with access to state-of-the-art facilities and a structured training and supervision programme through the UMCG graduate school.This is a full-time appointment (36 hours), your salary will be a maximum of € 4.077,- gross per month (scale PRO), depending on your qualifications and relevant experience, based on a full-time appointment. Additionally, the UMCG offers an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% year-end bonus.The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC). Preferred starting date: 15 November 2026 (and no later than 7 January 2027).

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