Anke-Hilse Maitland – van der Zee

This PhD opening is for an arts-onderzoeker at Amsterdam UMC within the Lung Center and the Department of Experimental Immunology. The project focuses on interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis, with the aim of improving earlier recognition and treatment through clinical and translational research . The doctoral project builds on the prospective P4O2 ILD cohort . You will study patients with interstitial lung disease to identify risk factors and biomarkers linked to clinically relevant disease and to the early detection of progressive fibrosis. The advert highlights that current clinical practice often identifies progression only after a longer period, which can mean patients have already experienced irreversible loss of lung function. A key goal of the project is therefore to develop markers that may help predict progression earlier and open the door to earlier treatment. The research also includes work on innovative techniques in the alveolar compartment , including PExA sampling , as well as analyses of material from the Amsterdam ILD (AMILDA) biobank . These data will be used to discover candidate markers and then validate them in the prospective P4O2 ILD cohort. In this role, you will recruit suitable patients, collect and process patient material, and perform laboratory analyses. You will also follow patients during the study and work closely with lung physicians at Amsterdam UMC and partner hospitals. The position is embedded in a multidisciplinary environment with clinicians, fundamental researchers, and translational researchers collaborating within and beyond Amsterdam UMC. The research group is led by Prof. dr. Anke-Hilse Maitland – van der Zee , and the team includes multiple PhD candidates and postdocs working on biomarkers and risk factors in chronic lung disease. The department offers a strong research environment with experienced analysts supporting laboratory work and opportunities to deepen your knowledge through courses and collaboration. You may also have the chance to supervise bachelor and master students in their research projects.