PhD Candidate in Paediatric Mucosal Immunology

• A PhD position within a funded research programme at Radboudumc.
• A stimulating and supportive multidisciplinary research environment.
• Close supervision and opportunities for scientific and professional development.
• Access to established clinical cohorts and advanced immunological research infrastructure.
• Opportunities for international collaboration and, where relevant, research visits to partner institutions.
• The opportunity to contribute to research connecting fundamental immunology with clinical challenges in paediatric respiratory infections.

Understanding mucosal immune protection against respiratory infections in children
Are you interested in understanding how the immune system protects children against respiratory infections?

Respiratory tract infections are among the most common causes of illness in children worldwide. While most children recover without complications, some experience frequent or severe infections. Why are certain children more susceptible than others, and how can we improve protection against respiratory pathogens?

Most immunological research and diagnostic approaches focus on immune responses measured in blood. Yet respiratory pathogens first encounter the immune system at the mucosal surfaces of the airways. Understanding immune protection at these surfaces may offer new opportunities for preventing and treating respiratory infections.

The Paediatric Respiratory Infection & Immunity Group at Radboudumc is looking for an enthusiastic and curious PhD candidate. Our ambition is to unravel the mechanisms underlying mucosal immune protection and translate these insights into new strategies to prevent respiratory infections in children.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to understanding why mucosal antibody responses differ between children and how these differences relate to susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Your work will include:

• Characterising mucosal antibody responses in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections and healthy controls.
• Investigating the diversity and polyreactivity of mucosal IgA and IgG.
• Studying associations between mucosal immune characteristics and clinical susceptibility to respiratory infections.
• Exploring the cellular and tissue environments that support mucosal antibody production.
• Integrating immunological, clinical and, where applicable, multi-omics data to identify the mechanisms underlying mucosal immune protection.

You will work with well-characterised paediatric cohorts and biological samples collected through established research collaborations in the Netherlands, South Africa and the Dutch Caribbean.

The project combines clinically relevant research questions with advanced immunological approaches and offers opportunities to develop expertise in mucosal immunology, translational research and quantitative data analysis.

You will join the Paediatric Respiratory Infection & Immunity Group, led by Dr Lilly Verhagen, Associate Professor and paediatric infectious diseases and immunology specialist at Radboudumc and co-led by Prof Marien de Jonge, head of the Laboratory of Medical Immunology at Radboudumc, where the experimental work will be carried out. The Laboratory of Medical Immunology offers state-of-the-art research facilities and has longstanding expertise in respiratory tract infections and mucosal immunity.

Our research group brings together clinicians, immunologists, microbiologists and researchers from different disciplines and geographical locations. We share one central ambition: improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory infections in children worldwide. Our research is embedded within Radboudumc in Nijmegen, with close collaborations with Stellenbosch University in South Africa and clinical and research partners across the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom.

You will work in a collaborative, international environment, with opportunities to interact with researchers across these locations, present your work at international conferences and contribute to scientific publications.

We value scientific curiosity, critical thinking, methodological rigour, open discussion and collaboration. We encourage PhD candidates to develop their own scientific ideas and take increasing ownership of their research.

We are looking for a motivated researcher who is excited about fundamental immunological questions and their potential clinical impact.

You have:

• A Master's degree in biomedical sciences, immunology, molecular biology, medical biology or a related discipline.
• A strong interest in immunology, particularly mucosal or respiratory immunity.
• Experience with laboratory-based research and an interest in developing advanced immunological techniques.
• An analytical mindset and an interest in working with complex biological datasets.
• Good communication skills in English, both written and spoken.
• A collaborative attitude, scientific curiosity and the motivation to pursue a PhD.

Experience with immunological assays, flow cytometry, cell culture, molecular techniques, bioinformatics or statistical analysis would be an advantage, but we do not expect candidates to have experience with all these techniques.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who is eager to learn, enjoys asking challenging scientific questions and is motivated to contribute to research that can ultimately improve children's health.

• The first job interviews will take place in January 2027.
• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!