Postdoc GO-CAM modelling of synapse functions in SynGO

Working at Amsterdam UMC

Postdoc GO-CAM modelling of synapse functions in SynGO

Are you excited to work as an experienced scientist in bioinformatics or computational biology for the CNCR in Amsterdam for three years? Apply now!

The project

The project you will be working on is called GO-CAM modelling of synapse functions in SynGO.

Synapses are the computational units of the brain and synaptic dysregulation is central in many brain disorders (‘synaptopathies’), including autism, mental retardation and numerous rare brain disorders. SynGO is a world-wide consortium of leading expert laboratories that have annotated synaptic functions using a new Gene Ontology framework that is now the standard in the field. The consortium has generated a knowledgebase of synaptic genes, built together with the Broad Institute in Boston and the Simons Foundation in New York.

The current project aims to exploit the information in two prior projects (SynGO1-2) to build molecular pathway models (‘causal models’) for synaptic signal transduction pathways using established modeling tools, such as GO-CAMs.

You will work closely together with experts around the world that have defined pathways using prior experimental work and spend substantial time in the labs of these experts ...

About your role

In this role, you will:

• develop and implement gene function and interaction networks into pathway models, likely in GO-CAM;
• translate synapse biology pathways into causal models in collaboration with synapse experts;
• collaborate with interdisciplinary teams around the world to integrate a variety of experimental data;
• add models to the SynGO knowledgebase and guide researchers in the field to use the models;
• publish causal models in the best peer-reviewed journals and provide progress reports to funding sources.

About you

You are a scientist with the following qualifications:

• PhD in molecular (neuro-)biology, affinity with data modeling;
• at least 5 years post graduate experience (preferred);
• proficiency in programming languages (e.g., Python, R) and experience with databases (e.g., SQL);
• prior experience of Gene Ontology annotation, GO-CAMs and connections to GO-CAM communities is an advantage;
• strong motivation to pursue a career in science;
• excellent command of English.

Our offer

• A flying start to your career in scientific research.
• Plenty of room for your drive to shape tomorrow's healthcare.
• Working on large-scale and in-house research, with motivated colleagues from all over the world.
• You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
• A contract for 12 months. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for another 2 years.
• Salary scale 11: € 4.678 to € 6.402 gross based on full-time employment (depending on education and experience) and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Holiday hours: 190,4 per year for fulltime and a possibility to save additional hours.
• Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension.
• For >7 km each way, 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each way.
• Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme. Moreover, you will receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km.

About your workplace

The Department of Human Genetics greatly values team science, which results in a positive collaborative atmosphere and high-level achievements, including acquisition of grants and funding, publications in top-tier journals, and collaborations with the private sector. You will become part of the SynGO consortium core team consisting of two full professors, two assistant professors and one PhD student. In broader sense you will be connected to renowned synapse expert labs around the world, which you will be visiting during the project.

Amsterdam UMC Research BV supports non-profit scientific research. In doing so, we provide researchers with everything they need to excel. Our principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders offer support in the field of project management, finance and human resources. In medical scientific research projects, legal support is also provided.

Amsterdam UMC has an open culture. This means that we hope that everyone feels welcome in our organization and that we strive to offer equal opportunities to everyone. We therefore cordially invite all interested parties to respond to this vacancy.

Note: Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

The start date is between 1 September 2025 and 1 January 2026.

If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact Guus Smit, via guus.smit@vu.nl.