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Project Description

The PhD candidate will assist in the development of a direct-from-sample diagnostic system that differentiates ”killers” and “colonisers”. The work will centre on the diagnosis of bacterial infections, where distinction between pathogens and colonising, contaminating bacterial flora is key. 

In this work, consecutive and optimised versions of the instrument and the biochemical assays will be tested in real life clinical settings. From a more fundamental perspective, diagnosis of other infectious syndromes will be included. 

In addition, expertise on adhesin biology as available in the Stradivarius network will be used to optimise and refine our diagnostic tests. The study of bacterial enrichment through adhesin and ligand affinity assays will be piloted.

The work is in close collaboration with other both academic and industrial clinical microbiology and infectious diseases R&D groups in and outside the Stradivarious network. The position offers the opportunity of internships with both academic and industrial partners.

Methods will include the experimental clinical validation and verification of new generations of the diagnostic platform. Clinical studies will be performed in various healthcare settings, allowing new applications of the platform to be developed.

Mandatory requirements

The candidate must have at the time of admittance to the programme:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in Biology, Microbiology, Medicine, or Biomedical Engineering, or related fields.

• Documented experience in at least one of the following areas:
  • Microbiological culture and handling techniques.
  • Working in a medical laboratory environment.
  • Working with BSL-2 pathogens.
  • Development of microbiological diagnostic tools.

Personal skills:

We are an international team of researchers from very different scientific and cultural backgrounds. Our colleagues should have:

• Good language and communication skills

• The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams

• The ability to work independently on complex projects (from planning and execution to results presentation)

• The ability to work with non-standard scientific equipment (including setup, testing, and potentially smaller modifications or repairs)

In addition to the eligibility criteria (see below in "How to Apply"), we anticipate that the successful candidate will be admitted to the PhD programme at Goethe University, Frankfurt, and so will need to fulfil the doctoral requirements listed here: Goethe-Universität — Doctorate.

Supervisors: Alex van Belkum and Ardjan van der Linden: https://shanxmedtech.com/

Hosting institution: ShanX Medtech (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) with PhD enrollment at Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) (https://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/en?locale=en)

Technical information:

• Position location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

• Application deadline: January 6th, 2026

• Interviews: February 9th and 13th, 2026 (be available both days)

• Project start date: September 1st, 2026

• Duration: 3 years

How to Apply

Find the eligibility and application requirements below.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must not have been awarded a doctorate previously.
• Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the recruiting institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the date of recruitment. See: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/doctoral-networks ‘What does the funding cover’
• Candidates must have a high level of English proficiency (demonstrated eg by TOEFL, IELTS certification) or by having been educated in an English-speaking country to age 18.
• Candidates must meet all eligibility criteria as outlined in the individual research project descriptions.
• Candidates must meet the entry requirements of the institution to which they apply.

Application Requirements
The candidates will be selected based on the quality of the application, expertise, work experience, and qualifications. In the first instance, an expression of interest should be lodged containing the following documents (in English) consolidated into one single PDF file. As mentioned above, it will increase your chances if you apply to more than one project.

• A current cv (resumé) (max 2 pages).
• A short cover letter, no more than 600 words, that covers the following:
  1: your motivation and key research experience/achievements that demonstrate independent thinking and your ability to complete a PhD. Evidence the skills you claim with the documents you give us.
  2: the original working title of your MSc or BSc thesis.
  3: The first scientific memory that you have (max 250 words)
• A clear statement if and how and what AI tools you used. We recommend you do not use them.
• The table of contents of your thesis
• A research outline (max 500 words) related to the DC topic in which you suggest how you can meet and develop further the research project described in the project advertisement. Be specific: where in your attached certificates can we find proof of the necessary qualifications for the given position?

The following items will be submitted in separately in the application form.

• We suggest you apply for up to 3 PhD positions in StraDiVarious. If you do, list two other choices in order of preference. (You do not need to provide further information.)
• Details of 2 referees (names, contact details) who can provide additional information about your qualifications.
• Official Academic Record - Bachelor's and Master’s Certificates and Transcripts.
• We expect that, since a Master’s Degree is required, you will either have completed it at the time of application, or will do so with the requisite grades and be able to provide a degree certificate by July 1st, 2026. In such a case, acceptance is conditional.
• Demonstration of English-language proficiency (official certificates from language tests, or based on your schooling and where you grew up).
• If we suspect unreported use of AI-generated text, we reserve the right to check using AI-text detection tools and summarily reject the application. This is consistent with our no-tolerance policy towards plagiarism.