Employer: Top Intitute Food and Nutrition (TIFN) (www.tifn.nl) and Maastricht University (www.maastrichtuniversity.nl).
Project: Gastro-intestinal health/microbiota, energy balance and metabolism
Subproject: Gut microbiota composition and weight gain: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study
Period: 4 years.
Start date: asap
Location: You will be based in Maastricht, The Netherlands
Introduction to the project
Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are the 21st century pandemics. Recent evidence indicates that our gut microbiota and its products may contribute to the development of these diseases by affecting gut physiology, energy metabolism, body weight control and insulin sensitivity. Our view on the importance of gut microbiota in metabolism is mainly based on animal studies. Solid data in humans are lacking. Therefore the Top Institute Food and Nutrition has initiated a multicenter, multidisciplinary project on the significance of our gut bacteria in the development of obesity and diabetes. This project will elucidate the physiological significance and underlying mechanisms involved in the relations between gut microbiota, energy balance and insulin sensitivity.
Subproject description
The PhD candidate will study the role of gut microbiota composition in relation to weight gain in children within the KOALA Birth Cohort Study. The KOALA study was initiated in the year 2000 and is still ongoing. It is designed to identify factors early in life that influence the development of obesity and of other chronic diseases. Determinants of interest include genetic factors, lifestyle, diet, infections, and intestinal microbiota composition (see www.koala-study.nl). Within the context of this prospective epidemiological study, you will examine the composition of the gut microbiota with innovative molecular microbiological methods (qPCR, HIT-chip, high-throughput pyrosequencing) and relate this to weight gain in children, taking into account dietary factors and physical activity. To achieve this, complex epidemiological/statistical data-analyses methods will be used (e.g. Random Forests, Principal Coordinate Analysis, Multidimensional scaling).
This job offers
• A multidisciplinary research project.
• An enthusiastic team of researchers and PhD fellows in epidemiology and microbiology.
• Getting acquainted with state-of-the art omics techniques for characterization of gut microbiota.
• Learning and using novel complex statistical and epidemiological methods
• Motivated supervision in a team atmosphere
Job Description
The PhD candidate will:
• Study relevant literature and keep up with the latest scientific developments in the fields of gut microbiota, physiology and metabolism of obesity, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
• Follow courses relevant for his/her scientific development that contribute to the successful completion of the project.
• Plan, coordinate and perform (part of) the microbiological laboratory analyses.
• Conduct complex epidemiological and biostatistical data-analyses.
• Supervise research assistants and students, where appropriate.
• Deliver results in line with the project plan milestones and deliverables.
• Write high-quality papers about the results obtained, and publish these in high-impact scientific journals.
• Complete a PhD-thesis within 4 years.
Project specific requirements
MSc in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Medicine, Nutrition, Biomedical Sciences, or Health Sciences with knowledge of epidemiological data analysis and proven interest in molecular or microbiological lab work. Experience with statistical software packages like SPSS, SAS, or R is required. Good communication and organizational skills are a needed, as well as the qualities to work within a team.
Further information
Dr I.C.W. Arts Dr. J. Penders
Department of Epidemiology Department of Medical Microbiology
Maastricht University Maastricht University
Phone: +31 43 3882971 +31 43 3875095
E-mail: [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]
Application
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