PhD in Computational Modelling of Bone Regeneration in Compromised Environments

PhD in Computational Modelling of Bone Regeneration in Compromised Environments

• Our goal: Advance regenerative medicine by developing in silico models that reveal how bone regenerates including how this process changes in compromised biological environments.
• Your colleagues: A collaborative team of computational modelers, biologists, and engineers at MERLN, working at the interface of data-driven and mechanistic modelling.

Regenerative medicine (RM) holds the promise to cure many of what are now chronic patients, restoring health rather than protracting decline, bettering the lives of millions and at the same time preventing lifelong, expensive care processes: cure instead of care. The scientific community has made large steps in this direction over the past decade, however, our understanding of the fundamentals of cell, tissue and organ regeneration and of how to stimulate and guide this with intelligent biomaterials in the human body is still in its infancy. Specifically, it is crucial to understand the underlying regenerative mechanisms and how these are altered in compromised environments (e.g. due to aging or co-morbidities such as diabetes or chronic kidney disease). This research project aims to develop and use in silico models to simulate the bone regeneration process, to improve our fundamental understanding thereof, and use the obtained knowledge to design improved regenerative medicine strategies.

Project description:

• Development of a bone regeneration map
• Computational modeling of bone regeneration (partial differential equations)
• Bringing novel, cutting-edge approaches (e.g. PINNs) to modeling of regenerative processes
• Parameter optimization and sensitivity analysis
• Analysis and integration of various in vitro/in vivo data for model calibration
• Approximately 5% of your time will be dedicated to tutoring, teaching, or supervising students.

Are you ready to push boundaries in regenerative medicine? Then we would love to meet you.

What you bring
It’s not about ticking boxes – it’s about your perspective, ideas, and drive. Does this sound like you?

• Computationally skilled and analytically strong – You have a Master’s degree in mathematical biology, computational mathematics, biomedical engineering, numerical optimization, biophysics, systems biology, bioinformatics, computer science, or a related field.
• Experienced programmer – You are confident in languages such as Python, Matlab or R, and you enjoy building and improving computational pipelines.
• Proficient in numerical methods – You can translate biological processes into mathematical or computational frameworks.
• Curious about innovative techniques – You are eager to explore cutting-edge approaches, such as physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), and apply them to regenerative processes.
• Collaborative by nature – You enjoy working across disciplines and feel at ease in an international, interdisciplinary environment.
• Communicative and clear – You can express your ideas effectively in English, both in writing and verbally; Dutch is not required.
• Independent and proactive – You take initiative, work reliably, and contribute to a constructive team atmosphere.

Additional training opportunities will be provided based on your skills.

Assistant Professor Environmental Health Policy at Department of International Health

Assistant Professor Environmental Health Policy at Department of International Health

• Our goal: We aim for an assistant professor that is expanding and strengthening our growing research activities on environmental health policy public health competencies for environmental health, One Health and intersectoral governance and to translate this research into our teaching.
• Your colleagues: The FHML Department of International Health focusses on health policy and workforce development in public health to support policy-makers and practitioners in evidence-informed decision making. We do this by interdisciplinary, innovative education and research with societal relevance addressing health and societal challenges and proposing solutions with impact at the local, national and international level.The Department of International Health is a team of 10 researchers and teachers with various disciplinary and nationality backgrounds to support policy-makers and practitioners in evidence-informed decision making.We offer an inspiring position in a growing field of research and societal relevance. You have the space to develop your own research line together with colleagues and social partners with the perspective to contribute to solutions for better health, well-being of humans, animals and our planet.

What you do

As assistant professor you will

• Collaboratively initiate and conduct research relating to environmental health policy. We interpret ‘environmental’ broadly to mean natural, built, social and cultural environments.
• Apply for and secure national and international research funding
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals and in contributions with societal impact
• (Co-) Supervise PhD candidates, junior researchers and master and bachelor students
• Conceive, plan and execute curriculum components as lecturer and coordinator within the Bachelor European Public Health and the Master Governance and Leadership in European Public Health. Particularly, contribute to the further conceptualization and development of the environmental health policy teaching components
• Help shape the Department’s vision and mission through coordination of research and teaching
• Actively engage in civil society, scientific and academic networks contributing to and developing the environmental health field on the local, national and/or international level.

Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring
We’re not looking for checkboxes; we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?

• A completed PhD in public health, health sciences, epidemiology, health policy or closely related area
• At least 2 years of relevant research experience after PhD completion with a thematic focus on environmental health policy either (1) on the effects of a changing environment (natural, built, social and/or cultural) on human health or (2) of human activities on those environmental dimensions and/or (3) on evaluating of proposed or attempted solutions to address these effects
• Demonstrable experiences in conducting research to provide policy advice with quantitative and/or qualitative research methods
• Proof of understanding and applying relevant conceptual perspectives such as governance, One Health/Planetary Health/Urban Health, or ecological sustainability
• Active participation in relevant research or professional networks transcending human health, animal health and environmental health domains
• Demonstrated success as co-applicant for research funds
• Experience in supervision of PhDs, junior researchers or students
• Demonstratable teaching experience in health science programs
• A team player in an interdisciplinary and international setting
• High level of fluency in written and spoken English.

We are not seeking a candidate with a narrow focus on environmental health protection and safety research involving (lab-based chemical) monitoring of factors relating to air, water or soil quality, or to waste.

Medewerker studentzaken - Examenadministratie

Medewerker studentzaken - Examenadministratie

• Ons doel: Het Education & Exams Office (EEO) van de School of Business and Economics (SBE) zorgt voor een soepele organisatie van onderwijs en examens. Binnen het team Examenadministratie verwerken we studieresultaten, begeleiden afstudeerprocessen en zorgen voor correcte diplomabescheiden.
• Jouw collega’s: Je werkt in een hecht team binnen EEO, dat bestaat uit circa 35 collega’s verdeeld over verschillende clusters. Samen met je team in Examenadministratie draag je bij aan een betrouwbare en efficiënte dienstverlening voor studenten en docenten.

Wat je doet
In deze rol ben je verantwoordelijk voor het verwerken van studieresultaten en het begeleiden van het afstudeerproces. Je zorgt dat alles klopt – van cijfers tot diploma’s – en dat studenten en docenten goed geïnformeerd zijn.

Je werkzaamheden bestaan onder andere uit:

• Het verwerken van meer dan 50.000 studieresultaten per jaar en het controleren van afstuderen voor ruim 2.000 studenten.
• Het verzorgen van diplomabescheiden en het archiveren van gegevens.
• Het beantwoorden van vragen van studenten over studieresultaten en afstuderen.
• Het ondersteunen van de Board of Examiners, bijvoorbeeld bij het plannen van gesprekken en het verwerken van verzoeken.
• Het flexibel oppakken van andere taken binnen het team wanneer nodig.

Ben jij klaar om het verschil te maken voor onze studenten? Dan ontmoeten we je graag!

Wat jij meebrengt
Het gaat ons niet om vinkjes, maar om wie jij bent en wat jij meebrengt. Herken jij jezelf hierin?

• Nauwkeurig en gestructureerd – Je werkt zorgvuldig en houdt overzicht, ook bij grote aantallen gegevens.
• Communicatief vaardig – Je stemt makkelijk af met studenten en collega’s en communiceert helder en respectvol.
• Servicegericht en proactief – Je denkt mee, ziet kansen en handelt met oog voor kwaliteit.
• Zelfstandig en flexibel – Je neemt initiatief en kunt goed schakelen tussen verschillende taken.
• Digitale vaardigheden – Je werkt graag met systemen; ervaring met SAP SLcM is een plus.
• Taalvaardigheid – Je beheerst Nederlands en Engels goed, zowel mondeling als schriftelijk.

Research Assistant (Temporary)

Research Assistant (Temporary)

This project, led by Diogo Cotta, explores how companies repurpose their operations during crises. You will play a key role in mapping this emerging business phenomenon and generating insights with real societal impact.

You’ll join a collaborative research team at Maastricht University, working closely with academics and partners across Europe. Together, we combine creativity and rigor to deliver high-quality research.

What you do
In this role, you’ll support the research process from start to finish:

• Conduct systematic desk research to identify and analyze relevant cases.
• Build and maintain a structured database using information-rich sources.
• Participate in fieldwork activities in the Maastricht or Benelux region.

What You Bring
It’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about your mindset and skills. Do you recognize yourself in this?

• Detail-oriented and organized – You manage complex information with precision.
• Analytical and curious – You enjoy working with qualitative data and creating structured datasets.
• Flexible and proactive – You adapt easily and take initiative.
• Open to travel – You’re available for fieldwork in the Benelux region.
• Multilingual – You can communicate effectively in multiple languages.
  English is a must, preferably combined with Dutch, French or German. Based on the languages you speak, geographical scope of the work will be assigned to you.

PhD candidate: developing an in vitro platform to investigate sex differences in renal drug handling

PhD candidate: developing an in vitro platform to investigate sex differences in renal drug handling

• Our goal: Reveal sex-specific mechanisms in renal drug transport by combining advanced in vitro models with physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling.
• Your colleagues: An interdisciplinary team of computational modellers, biologists, and biomedical engineers at MERLN, working together to understand renal (patho)physiology at multiple scales.

It has been widely recognized that sex differences impact disease progression and medication effects, but despite mandates for female inclusion in clinical trials, preclinical studies continue to overlook sex-specific variation. For example, the kidneys play a pivotal role in drug excretion, with 32% of the top 200 prescribed drugs being renally eliminated. However, the impact of sex differences on renal drug handling, and consequently pharmacokinetics, remains elusive. Sex differences in renal drug handling may arise from various factors, including anatomical, (epi)genetic and sex hormonal differences, and it is challenging to account for all these effects in vitro. Hereto, we aim to use an integrated in silico – in vitro approach, combining physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models with in vitro work to quantify what is happening at the individual proximal tubule cell level to provide accurate active transport predictions. Rodent models are inappropriate for such data, since their renal clearance differs from humans.

The PhD candidate will develop research questions, design and perform experiments, analyze and interpret data, write papers for publication, and present findings both internally and at conferences. They will ultimately submit and defend a PhD thesis. Approximately 5% of your time will be dedicated to tutoring, teaching, or supervising students.

Are you excited to push boundaries in kidney physiology and translational pharmacology? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring
It’s not about ticking boxes – it’s about your perspective, ideas, and drive. Does this sound like you?

• Scientifically curious and eager to explore complex questions – You hold (or soon will hold) a Master’s degree in biomedical sciences, bioengineering, pharmacology or a related field. Candidates from other backgrounds are welcome if they demonstrate strong research affinity.
• Hands-on and experimental – You bring experience or clear affinity with cell culture and laboratory-based research.
• Comfortable with molecular analyses – Techniques such as qPCR, Western blotting or immunofluorescence are familiar to you, or you are motivated to master them.
• Knowledgeable about human physiology – You understand the basics of organ-level physiology and are enthusiastic about deepening this knowledge.
• Open to interdisciplinary work – You enjoy connecting experimental work with computational insight.
• A clear communicator – You can express your ideas effectively in scientific English (reading, writing and speaking); Dutch is not required.
• Motivated and independent – You take initiative, manage your time well, and collaborate constructively within a diverse team.

Applicants will be asked to briefly describe their experience with cell culture, molecular assays, and human physiology. Prior experience in pharmacology or kidney research is welcome but not required.