Postdoc Vascular Biology in Huveneers lab at Amsterdam UMC

Blood vessel formation and maintenance are essential for development and tissue health. Endothelial cells in the vessel wall are connected by molecular junctions that safeguard vascular integrity. Recent discoveries show that mechanical tension at these junctions can generate protective signals, enabling blood vessels to adapt to changes in blood pressure. In vascular diseases such as hypertension and arterial stiffening, these connections weaken, leading to increased vessel permeability and leakage. In this postdoctoral project, you will investigate how endothelial cells sense and respond to changes in mechanical forces. You will use bioengineering approaches such as optogenetic tools, substrate stretching/stiffening/flow platforms and 3D vessel‑on‑chip models to precisely control mechanical cues, identify key molecules that regulate endothelial adhesion, and visualize their functional roles using advanced microscopy and quantitative analysis.

Position: Postdoctoral researcher
Duration: 3 years
Funding: ZonMW Vici grant (PI: Dr. Stephan Huveneers)
If you’re passionate about vascular biology, mechanobiology and cutting‑edge bioengineering and imaging techniques, we encourage you to apply.