PhD in Immune System Development in Chickens Wageningen University & Research in Netherlands

Wageningen University & Research is advertising a fully funded PhD position in the Cell Biology and Immunology group, working on the NWO-OTP project I-COMP: Improved immune competence of day-old chicks: a head start. The project is a collaboration between WUR, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, and industrial partners HatchTech and Merck Animal Health.

The research focuses on the developing immune system in chickens and how egg incubation conditions may influence immune development, health, and resistance to infections. The PhD candidate will use a multifaceted approach combining immune assays, animal experiments, and quantitative data analysis. The work is embedded in the Jansen group, which studies activation and function of immune cells in veterinary species and develops assays and reagents for fundamental and applied immunology.

The position is supervised by Dr. Christine Jansen and offers a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment with local and international collaboration. The ideal candidate has a MSc in biology, animal sciences, biomedical sciences, or a related discipline, with expertise in cellular and molecular immunology. Experience with cell culture, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy is expected, along with strong interdisciplinary research skills. Article 9 of the Experiments on Animals Act is a pre. English proficiency at C1 level is required, and a recognised English certificate may sometimes be requested.

Funding includes a fully funded PhD with a salary of €3,059/month in year 1 rising to €3,881/month in year 4, plus excellent employment conditions. The contract is initially for 18 months and may be extended for the project duration if performance is satisfactory.

Applications must be submitted via the WUR vacancy page only. Applicants should upload a CV (max 2 pages) and a motivation letter (max 1 page), with a total maximum of 3 pages. The vacancy is open until 2026-07-06, and the intended start date is 2026-09-01.