We are on the lookout for an enthusiastic and motivated scientist to enhance our research and educational initiatives. In the role of Assistant Professor in the Microbiome Engineering group, which is embedded in the Microbiology theme, you will have the chance to establish your own research agenda and contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

One of our main research goals is to investigate how physical context shapes microbial behaviour, from stress responses and gene regulation to metabolic activity and interspecies interactions. By integrating taxonomic identity with functional state and spatial positioning, imaging-based methods provide a unique window into the organizational logic and resilience of microbial ecosystems.

The Microbiome Engineering group investigates how human gut microbes interact with their chemical and physical environment, from nutrients and drugs to intestinal flow and motility. We combine microbial physiology and host modeling to uncover the ecological principles of host–microbe interactions, focusing on spatial structure, metabolic interdependence, and functional adaptation of microbiota in health and disease.

As Assistant Professor, you will contribute novel perspectives on microbial community organization and function using biotechnology, advanced molecular labelling and spatial profiling approaches. Your work may address any ecological system, from host-associated microbiomes to environmental microbial consortia, where molecular aspects of spatial structure and community interactions are key. Your expertise will complement existing expertise in The Microbiome Engineering group and the broader Microbiology Theme and will allow strong collaborations with both experimental and big data-driven research groups within the Swammerdam Institute, ranging from developmental biology to plant biology and neuroscience. Swammerdam Institute researchers also benefit from access to the Van Leeuwenhoek Centre for Advanced Microscopy (LCAM), which offers state-of-the-art imaging capabilities and collaborative support. In addition, various opportunities exist for collaboration at the University of Amsterdam outside the Swammerdam Institute, e.g. within the Amsterdam Microbiome Expertise Centre and the nation-wide Holomicrobiome Institute.