PhD Position - TCR Discovery and Cellular Immunotherapy

Your position

Despite the success of EBV-specific T-cell therapies in selected malignancies, therapeutic efficacy remains limited in tumors expressing only a restricted repertoire of viral antigens. This project aims to identify novel tumor-reactive T-cell receptors (TCRs) that can be translated into next-generation adoptive T-cell therapies.
The successful candidate will develop patient-derived tumor models and combine them with cutting-edge technologies including CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, immunopeptidomics, single-cell multiomics, and functional immunology. The project is embedded in a translational research program that develops virus-specific T-cell therapies with clinical application through close collaboration with clinicians, GMP manufacturing facilities, and clinical trial units. It therefore offers a unique opportunity to gain expertise across the entire translational pipeline – from mechanistic discovery to cellular therapy development and clinical implementation.

Your responsibilities
As part of this interdisciplinary project, you will:

• Establish patient-derived in vitro tumor models from EBV-positive malignancies.
• Engineer HLA-defined target cells using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.
• Isolate and characterize tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from patient samples.
• Perform single-cell profiling of immune cell transcriptomes and TCR repertoires.
• Reconstruct and functionally validate candidate TCRs to determine antigen specificity, HLA restriction, and anti-tumor activity.
• Perform advanced immunological assays including multicolor flow cytometry, T-cell expansion, cytokine secretion, proliferation, and cytotoxicity assays.
• Integrate functional, genomic, and transcriptomic datasets in collaboration with computational scientists.
• Present research findings at laboratory meetings and international conferences.
• Contribute to high-impact publications and collaborative research projects.

Your profile

Required:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline.
• Strong interest in cancer and infection immunology and translational research.
• Hands-on laboratory experience in cell culture, molecular biology, and immune assays.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical thinking and willingness to learn new experimental and computational techniques.
• Good written and spoken English.

Desirable:

• Cancer biology, cellular immunology, or viral immunology
• Multiparameter flow cytometry, immune phenotyping
• CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing
• Single-cell sequencing technologies or immunopeptidomics
• Transcriptomic or genomic data analysis (R/Python)

We offer you

• A fully funded PhD position within an ambitious and collaborative research environment.
• Access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
• Training in cutting-edge technologies, including genome engineering, single-cell multiomics, TCR discovery, and advanced immune profiling.
• Close supervision by experts in immunology, genome engineering, and translational cancer research.
• Opportunities to present research internationally and publish in high-impact journals.
• A stimulating multidisciplinary environment with strong clinical and translational collaborations.
• Career mentoring.