Postdoc: immunology of respiratory infections and vaccination in older adults

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How are older adults protected against infectious diseases: roles for pre-existing immunity and vaccination?

Are you an ambitious researcher ready to contribute to public health by exploring how immunity protects vulnerable populations from infectious diseases? Do you enjoy analyzing existing data and developing new research plans? If so, this post-doc position could be the perfect opportunity for you.

What will you be doing?

As part of the Centre for Immunology of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, you will investigate how immune responses protect against respiratory pathogens like influenza, particularly in older adults. We have performed clinical studies in which we followed the immune response upon influenza-like illness or influenza vaccination in older adults over time. Your main responsibility will be analyzing immune data from clinical studies, such as antibody and cellular responses, identifying factors that contribute to effective immune responses, and proposing follow-up research based on these findings. You'll be focused on how vaccination or infection-triggered immunity evolves over time and which mechanisms ensure long-lasting protection.

Your key tasks will include:

• Analyzing data from clinical studies on immunity and age-specific vaccine responses.
• Designing data analysis plans and advising on laboratory experiments.
• Writing scientific papers to communicate findings.
• Presenting research outcomes at meetings and conferences.

Why choose this role?

This position offers you the chance to contribute to impactful public health research. You’ll be working with an experienced and collaborative team at the forefront of immunology and infectious disease research. You will have access to cutting-edge technology, established expertise, and a supportive environment to expand your skill set. You’ll collaborate with national and international academic groups, offering rich opportunities for networking and development.

Unique aspects of the role:

• You’ll focus on urgent, real-world problems such as protecting older adults from severe respiratory diseases like influenza.
• You’ll work in an interdisciplinary and collaborative setting, with opportunities to influence both public health policy and scientific advancement.

About the centre and department

The Centre for Immunology of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines (IIV) at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) conducts high-impact research on how the immune system responds to vaccines and infections. We focus on protecting vulnerable groups such as infants and older adults. Our Immune Mechanisms – Correlates of Protection (IMC) department identifies biomarkers of protective immunity through clinical studies, contributing to vaccine effectiveness and policy decisions.

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Who are we looking for?

You are a driven and detail-oriented researcher passionate about immunology and public health. You are well organized and because you have affinity with laboratory analysis, you can prioritize and advise on next steps in follow-up experiments.

In addition, you have:

• A PhD in immunology, preferably related to infectious diseases.
• Experience with cellular immunological assays (e.g., flow cytometry, ELIspot, multiplex immunoassay).
• Experience with clinical data analysis and large longitudinal datasets (R proficiency is a plus).
• Familiarity with analysis on age-associated factors that could associate with impaired immune responses.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken.