Postdoc position: Stress responses in bacteria during processing

Are you intrigued by the molecular mechanisms that influence the twilight zone between life and death of microbes then we would like to get to know you. Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Your function

You will play a crucial role in the TKI project Opticult, “Improving food sustainability and health through optimizing processing and survival of beneficial microbes”, a public-private partnership with VU University, NIZO food research and four industrial partners. Your work will focus on assessing the molecular and physiological responses of microorganisms to stress conditions, and on determining how these responses influence survival, resuscitation, and reactivation. You will also investigate how different growth and pretreatment conditions shape these stress responses.

This research will advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying microbial death and survival. The resulting knowledge will be directly applicable to shape strategies to optimize microbial survival and reactivation after preservation. The overall aim of the project is to improve the survival of microbial cultures during processing and throughout shelf life. This will be achieved by elucidating molecular damage mechanisms and using this understanding to optimize conditions for more energy-efficient drying technologies, in particular (electrostatic) spray drying as an alternative to freeze-drying. Ultimately, the project will deliver knowledge and methods that improve the reliability, effectiveness, and sustainability of microbial cultures for applications in fermented food and feed, microbial biomass production, and crop cultivation.

Your duties

  • Develop quick and relatively simple techniques, for example based on fluorescent probes, suitable for high throughput to monitor physiological states of microorganims.
  • Acquire insight in the pivotal mechanisms of microbial death and survival
  • Report the results obtained to industrial partners and in publications

Your profile

  • You hold a PhD in microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or a related field
  • You are able to communicate results clearly to non-experts
  • You are able to work independently and pro-actively interact with collaborators
  • You have strong communication skills in English

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of minimum € 3.546,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.538,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 2 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

A-LIFE, Systems Biology
This Postdoc position will be hosted in the Systems Biology section of the department of the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) in the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 

A-LIFE aims to advance the fundamental understanding of the interplay between life and its environment through innovative and curiosity-driven science. The department seeks to connect properties and emergent behaviours from micro to global scales, from molecules to ecosystems, including human populations. We aim to inspire students and apply our expertise to shape a sustainable future and support healthy living. A-LIFE comprises a team of around 200 scientists, teachers and support staff.

The Systems Biology section focuses on the principles and general understanding of how those networks adapt in response to environmental and genetic changes. We combine mathematical modelling, theory, and experiments. We apply the fundamental insights and methods in a biotechnological and biomedical setting.

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

You will play a crucial role in the TKI project Opticult, “Improving food sustainability and health through optimizing processing and survival of beneficial microbes”, a public-private partnership with VU University, NIZO food research and four industrial partners. Your work will focus on assessing the molecular and physiological responses of microorganisms to stress conditions, and on determining how these responses influence survival, resuscitation, and reactivation. You will also investigate how different growth and pretreatment conditions shape these stress responses.

This research will advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying microbial death and survival. The resulting knowledge will be directly applicable to shape strategies to optimize microbial survival and reactivation after preservation. The overall aim of the project is to improve the survival of microbial cultures during processing and throughout shelf life. This will be achieved by elucidating molecular damage mechanisms and using this understanding to optimize conditions for more energy-efficient drying technologies, in particular (electrostatic) spray drying as an alternative to freeze-drying. Ultimately, the project will deliver knowledge and methods that improve the reliability, effectiveness, and sustainability of microbial cultures for applications in fermented food and feed, microbial biomass production, and crop cultivation.

Your duties

  • Develop quick and relatively simple techniques, for example based on fluorescent probes, suitable for high throughput to monitor physiological states of microorganims.
  • Acquire insight in the pivotal mechanisms of microbial death and survival
  • Report the results obtained to industrial partners and in publications

Your profile

  • You hold a PhD in microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or a related field
  • You are able to communicate results clearly to non-experts
  • You are able to work independently and pro-actively interact with collaborators
  • You have strong communication skills in English

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of minimum € 3.546,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.538,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 2 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

A-LIFE, Systems Biology
This Postdoc position will be hosted in the Systems Biology section of the department of the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) in the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 

A-LIFE aims to advance the fundamental understanding of the interplay between life and its environment through innovative and curiosity-driven science. The department seeks to connect properties and emergent behaviours from micro to global scales, from molecules to ecosystems, including human populations. We aim to inspire students and apply our expertise to shape a sustainable future and support healthy living. A-LIFE comprises a team of around 200 scientists, teachers and support staff.

The Systems Biology section focuses on the principles and general understanding of how those networks adapt in response to environmental and genetic changes. We combine mathematical modelling, theory, and experiments. We apply the fundamental insights and methods in a biotechnological and biomedical setting.

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Dr. Douwe Molenaar

Associate Professor

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Dr. Douwe Molenaar

Associate Professor

Application procedure

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