PhD Position: Unravelling the genetics of congenital heart disease using large-scale genomic approaches

Unravelling the genetics of congenital heart disease using large-scale genomic approaches

WKZ is seeking a PhD candidate to study the genetic architecture of congenital heart disease – the most common birth defect worldwide. An exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research bridging genomics, bioinformatics, and clinical care.

What you will do

• Conduct large-scale genetic association studies in CHD
• Analyze genetic variants using state of the art bioinformatic tools
• Integrate genetic findings with expression data from cardiac development to identify causal genes and biological pathways.
• Develop and apply polygenic risk scores to predict cardiovascular and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
• Design and implement bioinformatic pipelines to support these analyses.

Where you will work

You will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team within the Departments of Pediatric Cardiology and Clinical Genetics, working closely with a national and international network of pediatric cardiologists, clinical geneticists, embryologists, and bioinformaticians.

Our research is conducted in collaboration with Amsterdam UMC and the Hubrecht Institute, focusing on large-scale genomics and functional validation of novel CHD genes. Neurodevelopmental and neuroimaging outcomes are studied in partnership with the Department of Neonatology. By integrating genomic and transcriptomic data, our goal is to advance both the scientific understanding and clinical management of congenital heart disease.

What you bring

• A Master’s degree in Bioinformatics, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Genetics, or a related field.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Experience with genetics, biostatistics, and the analysis of NGS and array genotyping data (preferred).
• Experience with Python, R, and Bash (preferred).
• Familiarity with sequence alignment tools, variant calling, and handling large-scale genomic and multi-omics datasets (preferred).

What we offer

• Depending on your educational background, you will be appointed either as a PhD candidate (see salary in the vacancy) or as a physician-researcher (scale 10)
• Year-end bonus of 8.3% and holiday allowance of 8%.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 70% of the monthly contribution.
• 100% public transport reimbursement. Are you coming on foot, by bike or by car? You will then receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km (by car up to a max. of 40 km one way).
• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.
• The option to select additional employment benefits in exchange for gross salary, such as purchasing a bicycle and memberships.

We believe in the power of a diverse team with space for different skills, expertise, social and cultural backgrounds. We are curious about you!