Coronary heart disease (CHD) are among the leading causes of mortality worldwide, often viewed through the lens of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and dyslipidemia. However, the risk-trigger-vulnerability model provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding CHD occurrence, distinguishing three key components: (1) risk factors that drive the long-term development of atherosclerosis, (2) trigger factors that precipitate acute coronary events, and (3) tissue vulnerability, which determines the severity of ischemic injury. Recent advances in exposome research offer new insights into how external and internal factors contribute to CHD risk. By integrating the exposome into the risk-trigger-vulnerability model, we aim to achieve a more holistic understanding of CHD, including myocardial infarction (MI), and to develop more precise and personalized prevention strategies. The project is funded by the NWO Gravitation program EXPOSOME-NL (www.exposome.nl), which focuses on the impact of the exposome on cardiometabolic and cardiovascular health.

 In this PhD project, you will examine how long-term exposure to environmental factors influences CHD (e.g., MI) development, considering both external factors (e.g., air pollution, chemicals, and socioeconomic stress) and internal factors (e.g., the microbiome and epigenetics). Furthermore, you will investigate how acute environmental triggers are linked to a rapid increase in CHD risk, again considering both external (e.g., air pollution spikes, temperature extremes, and stress events) and internal (e.g., infections and thrombotic activation) immediate trigger factors. In addition, you will relate the exposome to tissue vulnerability to better understand which factors shape myocardial resilience and to explain why some hearts are more susceptible to MI than others.

 In this PhD project, you will use various data sources, including nationwide registries from Statistics Netherlands and large-scale longitudinal cohort studies, to investigate CHD, MI- and ischemia-related outcomes, intermediates, and risk factors. You will enrich these data sources with relevant environmental exposure data (e.g., derived from existing geo-data registers and Street-View images). The findings of your studies will be published in scientific journals, and you will have the opportunity to participate in (courses from) the Master’s program in Epidemiology at Utrecht University.

 The interviews will take place in the week of 12 January 2026. Questions regarding this vacancy may be sent by e-mail to Dr. Ilonca Vaartjes (c.h.vaartjes@umcutrecht.nl).

The Department of Epidemiology and Health Economics is part of the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at UMC Utrecht. The research project is embedded within the Cardiovascular Epidemiology team, a multidisciplinary group consisting of several PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers. We offer excellent infrastructure for PhD candidates and a stimulating working environment with ample opportunities for personal and professional development.

• You hold a Master’s degree in Medicine, Epidemiology, Health Sciences, or a comparable relevant field.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• You are driven, social,  communicative, analytically strong, and able to work independently.
• You have experience in quantitative research, and in analyzing and managing large datasets.
• You are familiar with environmental data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and with integrating these into health research.
• You have a strong affinity with the subject matter.

• A salary between € 3.108 - € 3.939 gross per month (salary scale OIO), based on full-time employment (36 hours).
• Year-end bonus of 8.3% and holiday allowance of 8%.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 70% of the monthly contribution.
• 100% public transport reimbursement. Are you coming on foot, by bike or by car? You will then receive a reimbursement of € 0.18 per km (by car up to a max. of 40 km one way).
• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.
• The option to select additional employment benefits in exchange for gross salary, such as purchasing a bicycle and memberships.