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Two PhD positions in the Marie-Curie Initial Training Network "PoLiMeR"
Background
The Marie-Curie ITN "PoLiMeR" (Polymers in the Liver: Metabolism and Regulation) has been positively evaluated and the official project start is envisaged in October 2018implements a systems medicine approach, based on computational models fed with individual patient data, to provide the basis for a personalised diagnosis and treatment strategy for metabolic diseases. The PoLiMeR consortium has identified the inherited, liver-related diseases of glycogen and lipid metabolism as the ideal starting point for innovative research training in personalised ‘Systems Medicine’. The project is coordinated by Prof. Barbara Bakker, University of Groningen. The interdisciplinary project will study metabolic diseases related to disorders in carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism. The consortium includes clinicians, experimental biologists, and theoretical biologists, who will form a deeply collaborative consortium intense collaborations to understand mechanisms of various energy metabolism-related disorders.
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Opportunities for two Early Stage Researchers
While not yet officially advertised, we will be The Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology at the Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf is seeking outstanding candidates for two Early Stage Researchers (ESRs). The successful candidates will be developing mathematical models to study carbohydrate polymer metabolism in humans, and in particular to explain the causal effects of enzymatic disorders on human health. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with experimental and clinical partners within PoLiMeR. We specifically look for candidates for the following two projects:
Mathematical modelling of glycogen metabolism and glycogen-related disorders
The PhD student will develop a computational model to study overall dynamics of glycogen formation and analyse which parameters determine the structural properties of glycogen, such as branching pattern and size. The PhD student will reproduce metabolic disorders related to glycogen metabolism and develop intervention strategies how to counteract glycogen-related metabolic disorders by drug applications.
Dynamic computational modelling of lipid synthesis and storage in the human liver
The PhD student will focus on construction and validation of a dynamic model of lipid synthesis based on ordinary differential equations and detailed kinetic data. Patients with defects in the mitochondrial fatty-acid oxidation (mFAO) accumulate acyl-CoA esters which are substrates for chain elongation into longer lipids. The PhD student will connect the lipid synthesis model to an existing and experimentally validated mFAO model and explore pathway stability and lipid profiles in various mFAO disorders and at different diets.
Your profile
- MSc in Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Physics, or any other natural science
- Strong mathematical skills
- A keen interest in biology and medicine
- Curiosity and open-mindedness
- Ability to work individually as well as a member of a team
We offer
- A motivated international team working at cutting-edge research questions in quantitative and theoretical biology
- A pleasant and constructive working environment
- An attractive salary
- Numerous local and international collaborators
- The ideal environment to follow your curiosity and perform excellent research
Mobility rule by the EU
For ITNs, successful candidates must fulfil the mobility criteria defined by the European Commission:
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