Computational biologist / Bioinformatician

The BloodBuilder (Pina) Lab is recruiting a computational biologist / bioinformatician to join our newly-established team at the Department of Research at Sanquin.

Sanquin for life

Working at Sanquin means saving people's lives. Not just only once, but every single day. We do this with blood products and methods that are safe and available to everyone who needs them. We continuously monitor the quality of our blood products and medicines. And we investigate new technologies of lab-based blood cell production, which in the future can enhance the scale and the reach of our products. We need you to help us do this.Research & Sanquin

In the Netherlands, hundreds of thousands of people donate blood at Sanquin. Sanquin is the Dutch blood bank; it is also the Institute for knowledge and innovation in the area of blood. Specifically, the Research Department looks for new ways to generate, preserve, expand and deliver blood cells to the people that need them, when they need them. We do this in a collaborative and friendly working environment where every Sanquiner feels valued and has the opportunities they need to develop.

In the BloodBuilder (Pina) Lab, our overarching goal is to recapitulate physiological production of blood stem cells in the lab, to eventually deliver an off-the-shelf solution for stem cell transplantation that is not only dependent on donors. We are specifically interested in the crosstalk between epigenetic and signalling mechanisms at the point of blood stem cell specification, as it happens in the embryo. The Lab employs in silico and in vitro avatars of blood production to dissect and implement physiological regulation of blood stem cell emergence and expansion.

Do you want work at place that really matters? Then become a Computational Biologist / Bioinformatician within the Blood Builder (Pina) Lab and work with us.

How does your day look like?

You will work interactively with post-doctoral wet lab researchers in the Pina Lab, and collaborate closely with the bioinformatics team at Sanquin, coordinated by John van Dam. Specifically, you will integrate spatial transcriptomics and single-cell multi-omics of primary tissues and 3D cultures with live cell imaging of transcriptional activity, to model blood stem cell development and dissect critical regulatory networks.

You will participate in weekly multi-lab and multi-disciplinary progress meetings, and have the opportunity to attend and present at a regular schedule of external and internal seminars.

Where will you be working?

You will work at Sanquin headquarters in Amsterdam, in the heart of the Health and Innovation District, with close links with the neighbouring Dutch Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Amsterdam University Medical Centre.

You will be embedded in the Pina Lab, which is currently split between the Sanquin and a UK team, with a total of 3 post-doctoral and 3 pre-doctoral researchers, and a research assistant. The Pina team at Sanquin works together with the de Haan Stem Cell Biology Lab, co-funded by an ERC Synergy Grant, which also has partners at the Eindhoven University of Technology, and in Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona (SP) and Abo Akademi, Turku (FIN). Both Labs are embedded in the Anemia Medical Priority of Sanquin.

You will work primarily onsite to maximise productive interactions with both experimental and computational colleagues. Occasional remote working can be considered as directed by the project. The position is full-time (36 hours/week) and is available from 01/10/2025, for an initial period of 30 months.

Where do you add value?

The ideal candidate will have a background in biotechnology, bioengineering or biophysics and experience in single-cell analysis using genomics and/or imaging platforms, at MSc or PhD level. They will be proficient in programming in R, Python and/or Matlab, and have specific interests in pipeline development and/or computational modelling. Prior professional experience in Academia or Industry is desirable.

What do you bring to the job?

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• MSc or PhD in Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Biophysics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related area;
• Computational and wet lab experience;
• Programming skills with proficient use of R, Python and/or Matlab;
• Excellent communication in English (both oral and written).

DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS

• 1+ year/s work experience in R&D, in Academia or Industry settings
• Experience in single-cell analysis using genomics and/or imaging platforms
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills, including detailed record-keeping;
• Demonstrable capacity to work independently and as part of a team;
• Flexible approach to work and research priorities;
• Experience in scientific writing and/or research communication.

What has Sanquin to offer you?

You will be working in a large, complex and dynamic environment. Sanquin is continuously pushing itself in any innovative way possible. In addition, we offer you the following perks:

- Starting salary ranging €3.389 - €4.986 Euros/month + end of the year bonus (13th month with full calendar year);

• A self-development budget (2,000) which you can set-up for yourself;
• A wide range of proper secondary benefits including 27 days leave (based on full-time employment), a travel allowance and a pension plan with pension fund ‘Zorg & Welzijn;
• You can find out more about our terms of employment at:

www.sanquin.org/working-at/who-we-are/employment-conditions.

Got excited?

For more information, please contact Cristina Pina (PI; [email protected]). Is this the role for you at Sanquin? Then apply immediately with your CV and motivation using the application button below (a pre-employment screening and/or Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) can be part of the procedure).

Please note that the selection will be made in the last two weeks of August and the interviews will take place in te first two weeks of September.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated..