PhD on HIV Cure with application of FWO fellowship

You will work within the interdisciplinary Molecular Medicine research facility at 0&N5bis within the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences.
The group is led by Prof. Z. Debyser. The facilities are state of the art and we provide a renowned training environment.
We are now looking for an ambitious and highly motivated PhD student to work on a new and challenging project to Cure HIV infection.
We do ask that you apply for an FWO fellowship in 2026.
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Project

In May 2025, our research group received extensive news coverage for a breakthrough in research into a cure for HIV. This media attention followed the publication in Nature Communications. Pellaers E. et al. 2025 Nat. Commun. 16, 4226. The doctoral project builds on this. More specifically, we are studying in primary blood lymphocytes how integration site selection impacts the transcriptional activity of the provirus and how we can modulate this with drugs. The research is translational, and patient samples are also being tested.
Profile
Master's degree in biomedical, pharmaceutical or biochemical sciences. Master of Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, Bioengineering. Motivated to work in a group on a new line of research. Previous knowledge (master thesis) in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, computer science and/or histology are assets.
Offer
We offer a PhD project, supervision and bench fees.
We can fund already the first year, but application and defense of a FWO fellowship in 2026 is required.
Candidate should be eligible for FWO criteria and have a Master Degree of a EU university.
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Zeger Debyser, tel.: +32 16 37 40 29, mail: [emailprotected].
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