PhD Candidate: The Impact of Indoor Air Pollution on Lung Health in a Changing Climate

Welcome to Maastricht University! 
Do you want to contribute to healthier living environments and help uncover how climate change affects respiratory health? We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join the international CLEAR-IT consortium, where you will investigate how indoor air pollution contributes to the development of chronic lung diseases.

PhD Candidate: Unravelling the Impact of Indoor Air Pollution on Lung Health in a Changing Climate

• Our goal: You contribute to a future where chronic lung diseases can be detected earlier and prevented more effectively. This position aims to generate new knowledge that supports healthier indoor environments in the face of climate change. Ultimately, your work will help reduce the global burden of respiratory disease.
• Your colleagues: You will be part of the international CLEAR-IT consortium, a multidisciplinary collaboration focused on understanding how indoor air pollution drives chronic lung diseases. In this role, you will be based at Maastricht University, where you will work closely together with the research group of Prof. Dr. Flemming Cassee (RIVM, Netherlands) and collaborate with our consortium partners in Dusseldorf (Germany) and Leicester (UK). The close collaboration with the RIVM might include a few short research stays at their institute in Bilthoven (Netherlands).

Chronic lung diseases (CLDs) are among the leading causes of illness and death worldwide and place a major burden on patients, healthcare systems, and society. Many CLDs originate early in life but remain undetected for years, limiting opportunities for prevention and early intervention. Understanding how environmental exposures contribute to these diseases is therefore essential for developing new strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

One of the most important environmental risk factors is the airborne exposome, which is the collection of all inhaled environmental exposures throughout life. Within this exposome, climate change is increasing the presence of so-called super pollutants in both outdoor and indoor environments. Although these pollutants are associated with poorer respiratory health, the biological mechanisms through which they damage the lungs remain largely unknown.

In this PhD position you will work within the in vitro work package, where you will expose advanced human lung cell models to realistic mixtures of climate change-related super pollutants. Using state-of-the-art experimental approaches, you will investigate how these exposures affect lung biology and identify molecular mechanisms and biomarkers associated with disease development.

Your findings will be integrated with clinical and in vivo data generated by consortium partners, providing a unique opportunity to contribute to translational research that bridges fundamental science and clinical application. Ultimately, your work will help improve the early detection, prevention, and diagnosis of chronic lung diseases caused by indoor air pollution in the context of climate change.

This PhD position offers the opportunity to work in an international, interdisciplinary research environment, collaborate with leading experts in respiratory health and environmental sciences, and contribute to research with direct societal impact.

What you do
During this PhD project, you will carry out the following activities:

• Performing cellular experiments in the laboratory of our department, in close collaboration with that of the National Institute of Public Health and Environment (RIVM), to determine the response of advanced in vitro lung models to a variety of (mixtures of) super pollutants.
• Analyzing your laboratory data, including the performance of statistical tests, and drafting scientific publications based on your results.
• Presenting your results, as well as discussing future research activities within your project, during regular consortium meetings as well as at scientific congresses.
• Closely collaborating with the other consortium partners (based in Düsseldorf Germany and Leicester UK) to integrate their in vivo measures into your in vitro laboratory set-ups.

Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you. 

What you bring 
We’re not looking for checkboxes; we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?

We are looking for a proactive and motivated candidate with strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. You are able to work independently and accurately, while collaborating effectively in an international and interdisciplinary research environment. A strong commitment to scientific excellence, attention to detail, and the ability to connect with researchers from different disciplines are essential for this position.

Furthermore, you bring: 

• A completed Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences or a related field.
• Experience with, or a strong interest in, working with cellular models.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills in English.
• Experience with designing and executing laboratory research, preferably involving cell culture models and molecular biology techniques including RT-PCR, ELISA’s and western blotting.
• Knowledge of respiratory toxicology and environmental exposures or related research areas is an advantage.
• Experience with data interpretation is an advantage.

What we offer
At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer: 

• A 12-month contract (1,0 FTE) with the prospect of a 3 year extension based on mutual satisfaction.
• A gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and € 3.881 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus. 
• 29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours. 
• Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work from home. 
• Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas. 
• A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with. 
• A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities. 
• An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe. 

Other benefits

You will work in a multidisciplinary research environment with excellent supervision from both basic science and translational researchers, in close collaboration with an international consortium team of renowned scientists and clinicians in the respiratory field. The position offers the opportunity to perform experiments in Maastricht and at the RIVM, gaining experience in respiratory toxicology and in designing optimal in vitro experiments. You will also have opportunities to build an (inter)national network, participate in national and international scientific conferences, and prepare for a future career in basic or translational clinical research.

About the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML)
FHML is committed to health in the broadest sense: from molecule to human, and from healthcare to prevention. We train healthcare professionals and researchers through innovative educational programmes and conduct groundbreaking research in health and well-being. As part of Maastricht UMC+ (MUMC+), our international and interdisciplinary community forms a unique collaboration between university and academic hospital, where education, research, and care come together.

Interested? 
Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Dr. Agnes Boots at a.boots@maastrichtuniversity.nl. The end date of the publication is 30 August 2026. 

Please note that a job shadowing day may be included as part of the selection procedure.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University
At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow. 

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.