Three Fully Funded PhD positions on Quantitative Developmental Biology and Mathe

The PhD projects will be part of an interdisciplinary project that will unravel how modifications of the extracellular matrix, as they can occur for example near tumors, can modify the structure of new blood vessel networks. In this highly interdisciplinary project experimental biologists will work closely together with mathematical modelers on a daily basis, to enable incremental development and testing of theories of single-cell behavior and collective cell behavior during tumor angiogenesis. Based on cycles of iterative refinement of the mathematical model, followed by experimental validation, you will unravel aspects of blood vessel growth. You will prepare your insights for publication in the biological, biophysical, and/or biomathematical literature.

One mathematical modeling project will focus primarily on the cellular scale and on the molecular mechanisms of mechanical cell-cell interactions. The second mathematical modeling project will focus on collective cell behavior, initially simplifying the underlying molecular details. The experimental project will focus on imaging single cell behavior and collective cell behavior during angiogenesis.

Our interdisciplinary team carries out mathematical biology research in close interaction with our recently established experimental lab. More information about the group can be found at http://pub.math.leidenuniv.nl/~merksrmh2/. This interdisciplinary group is embedded at the Mathematical Institute and the Institute of Biology Leiden, both at the Faculty of Science at Leiden University. It is physically based at and embedded within the Cell Observatory of the Faculty of Science: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-facilities/science/cell-observatory

*Details about the positions and application procedure:*

For the mathematical modeling positions: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/vacatures/2019/q4/19-594-phd-candidates-on-the-mathematical-modeling-of-blood-vessel-growth-near-tumors

For the experimental position: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/vacatures/2020/q1/20-018-phd-in-quantitative-cell-and-developmental-biology

Prof. dr. R.M.H. (Roeland) Merks
Professor of Mathematical Biology
Mathematical Institute and Institute of Biology Leiden
Universiteit Leiden
Einsteinweg 55, kamer BS 1.05 (Gorlaeus Bestuursgebouw)
Postbus 9512
2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Telefoon +31 (0)71 527 71 06
E-mail r.m.h.merks@biology.leidenuniv.nl
http://www.twitter.com/roeland_merks
http://www.roelandmerks.nl