Postdoc in Biophysics: Single-cell Tracking in Organoids

**Work Activities**:
**Summary -** In this project, you will use advanced 3D imaging and AI-driven cell tracking to reveal the remarkable self-organization of cells within intestinal organoids. Using a biophysics approach, you will study how stem cells move, grow, divide, and differentiate into specific functional cell types, and hence reveal how functional miniature organs are formed. Specifically, you will for the first time reveal how this spatio-temporal program is affected by key molecular signals from the immune system. You will work in a vibrant and supportive team of PhD students and postdocs with physics and biology backgrounds within the Tans and van Zon labs in the AMOLF institute in Amsterdam, and collaborate with leading groups in organoid biology.

**Questions -** According to the textbooks, organs like the intestine continuously regenerate new functional cells from stem cells. However, current methods like antibody staining and RNA sequencing are ill suited to address the inherent underlying spatio-temporal dynamics. These dynamics are arguably even more important to understand the interplay with immune signals, which are thought to affect the organ regeneration process. They are in turn central to the major and growing societal challenge of chronic inflammatory diseases such as intestinal bowel disease and Crohn’s disease. Many fascinating fundamental questions of broad relevance are therefore unresolved: Do signals like interleukins increase the stem cell pool or stimulate differentiation rates to boost renewal? Do they target specific cell types, or impact movement or position of cells? Do they cause cells within the intestine to signal to each other? Given the novelty of the AI-driven cell tracking approach, you will have a unique chance to address such questions first. In addition, the organoid field is currently undergoing a massive expansion yet generally lacks the physics-inspired dynamic methodology that you will help advance.

**Our group -** We form a lively and close-knit research group of about 10 PhD students and postdocs, which work together in small teams on various projects in a highly supportive and social atmosphere that extends to the other research groups at the AMOLF institute, which is housed in a modern building in the east of Amsterdam.

**Qualifications**:
We are looking for outstanding experimental physicists, chemists, or biologists with demonstratable interest in quantitative biophysics questions, experience in programming and/or machine learning, handling of complex data, and who thrives in a diverse, collaborative, and supportive environment. Excellent verbal and written English skills are essential.

**Work environment**:
**Our group -** We form a lively and close-knit research group of about 10 PhD students and postdocs, which work together in small teams on various projects in a highly supportive and social atmosphere that extends to the other research groups at the AMOLF institute, which is housed in a modern building in the east of Amsterdam.

**Working conditions**:

- The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
- Funding is available to attend regularly international conferences.

**More information?**:
For further information about the position, please contact

Prof. dr. ir. Sander Tans

tans AT amolf.nl

Dr. Jeroen van Zon

J.v.Zon AT amolf.nl

**Application**:
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

- Resume;
- Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.
- Online screening may be part of the selection._

**Diversity code**:
AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

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