Finding the environmental causes of childhood and early-onset cancer (CUE-CAN)

Where you’ll work

You’ll join the Molecular Epidemiology and Data Science group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) of Utrecht University, where Dr. Martijn Kolijn leads the cancer projects. The group is part of the One Health Chemical research line of Prof. Roel Vermeulen, where epidemiologists, exposure scientists and data scientists study how chemicals and other environmental factors affect health. You’ll be based at the Utrecht Science Park.

Your project
Within CUE-CAN, the Utrecht team leads the search for new carcinogens. Your focus is on the internal exposome. You'll analyse untargeted liquid and gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS and GC-HRMS) data from 4,000 maternal blood samples collected during pregnancy, covering children who later developed leukaemia, lymphoma or tumours of the central nervous system, plus healthy controls. Together, these methods measure around 700 exogenous chemicals, including environmental pollutants such as PFAS, and give a broad picture of endogenous molecules, so you can also study how exposures interact with biological processes in the body. The HRMS data are generated by others, so your work is the analysis, not the lab. A postdoc in our team maps the external exposome (geospatial, environmental and occupational exposures). You'll work closely with them to connect what you find in blood with what mothers were exposed to.

What you’ll do
You will:

• Analyse the LC-HRMS and GC-HRMS data to find chemicals in maternal blood linked to childhood and early-onset cancer;
• Use statistical and machine-learning methods, including mixture models, to identify and validate environmental risk factors;
• Link high-resolution exposure maps (from projects such as EXPANSE and EXPOSOME-NL) to study participants and to large Dutch registry cohorts (CBS, IKNL);
• Combine internal (blood-based) and external (environmental) exposome data to build a fuller picture of how the environment contributes to cancer;
• Work with PhD students and postdocs across CUE-CAN, including researchers at the Princess Máxima Center who will test your candidate carcinogens in the lab;
• Publish your results and present them at international conferences.

PhD position in health effects from the exposure to pesticides

Pesticides are applied to crops to protect them from weeds, insects, fungi and other pests that reduce yield. Because they're used widely around the world, people are exposed to them chronically. This has raised concerns about health effects, especially for people who live close to treated fields.

In this project, we collect data from children taking part in the national OBO2 study. We use biomonitoring to measure their current pesticide exposure and link it to their brain function, which we assess with a test battery. We also apply geospatial exposure estimates developed within the OBO2 consortium to the school results of all children in the Netherlands. In your PhD project, you'll analyse both data sources to investigate possible health effects of pesticide exposure. Two methodological challenges run through both studies. Children are exposed to many pesticides at once, so you'll use mixture modelling to estimate their combined effects rather than looking at one compound at a time. And because the data follow children and exposures over several years, you'll apply longitudinal methods to study how exposure relates to cognition and school performance over time. We're looking for a candidate with a strong background in epidemiology and quantitative methods, solid programming experience in R.

The project is part of a national research program on pesticides and health. For the analyses of child cognition, you’ll be part of a team of researchers, including other (PhD) students and external collaborators involved in the OBO-2 project (https://www.bestrijdingsmiddelen-omwonenden.nl/over-onderzoeken). You'll work within the dynamic One Health Chemical (OHC) group, which is performing interdisciplinary research to uncover environmental health determinants.

Projectleider Technisch Onderhoud

Als projectleider technisch onderhoud heb je de regie over meerdere planmatige onderhoudsprojecten: van voorbereiding tot oplevering en nazorg. Je zorgt voor een passende aanpak en goede afstemming, zodat werkzaamheden veilig en zorgvuldig kunnen plaatsvinden in gebouwen en aan installaties die intensief worden gebruikt voor onderwijs, onderzoek en patiëntenzorg. Je brengt verschillende belangen samen en bewaak je de voortgang van je projecten.

Jouw werkzaamheden:

• werkomschrijvingen, bestekken, begrotingen en doorloopplanningen (laten) opstellen en beoordelen;
• onderhoudswerkzaamheden inkopen en aanbestedingen begeleiden;
• het voorbereiden, coördineren en bewaken van onderhoudsprojecten, van initiatief tot oplevering en nazorg;
• aannemers, adviseurs en andere externe partijen aansturen en afspraken over planning, kwaliteit en resultaat bewaken;
• sturen op budget, risico’s, planning, kwaliteit en een zorgvuldige projectadministratie.

Het onderhoud gebeurt met nauwe afstemming met de gebruikers van de gebouwen. Je werkt samen met collega’s binnen Onderhoud & Beheer, Facilitair medewerkers, adviseurs en aannemers.

Two locum positions in Equine Reproduction for 5 months at Utrecht University

In particular, we offer a broad range of assisted reproductive technologies in mares including embryo transfer, and ovum-pick up as clinical services. During the breeding season, we inseminate approximately 300 mares per season, perform around 150 embryo flushes and transfer approximately 850 embryos (flushed and frozen-thawed ICSI embryos). The appointee will be involved in clinical duties (routine reproductive management of donor and recipient mares, monitoring and breeding management of mares inseminated with frozen semen, embryo flushes,…) and associated teaching (students and intern training). The appointee will also participate in out-of-hours duties (routine weekend work (1/3); obstetrical emergencies).ty.

Scrum Master Bedrijfsvoering

In het dual operating system van SAFe werk je nauw samen met Product Owners en andere Scrum Masters om de levering van waarde te maximaliseren. Je bent een dienend leider die het team begeleidt in de toepassing van Agile-principes en practices, en zorgt dat de Agile-werkwijze aansluit bij de organisatiedoelen.

Je maakt als Scrum Master ook deel uit van de waardestroom Bedrijfsvoering. Dit team is verantwoordelijk voor de ondersteunende IT-diensten op het gebied van de bedrijfsvoering van de UU. Deze dienstverlening zorgt ervoor dat de financiële, logistieke en personele processen zo optimaal mogelijk ondersteund worden.

Jouw werkzaamheden:

• Je faciliteert Scrum-events zoals sprint planning, daily stand-ups, reviews en retrospectives;
• Je creëert een veilige en inclusieve werkomgeving waarin open communicatie en feedback centraal staan;
• Je ondersteunt de Product Owner bij het backlogbeheer en het helder formuleren van doelstellingen;
• Je neemt deel aan de Scrum Master Community of Practice en draagt bij aan kennisdeling en vakontwikkeling.