Postdoctoral Fellowship (04) at Utrecht University, Netherlands

As a Postdoctoral Researcher in the group of dr Marino, you will play a central role in advancing the group’s research through the development and application of state-of-the-art immunopeptidomics/proteomics workflows for antigen identification, quantification, and validation. Your work will directly contribute to translational and precision medicine initiatives, with a particular focus on the discovery of clinically relevant targets for cancer immunotherapy. 

In this role, you will support the team by driving mass spectrometry-based method development and contributing your expertise to a range of proteogenomics and immunology-related projects. Beyond providing technical leadership, you will proactively introduce innovative ideas, establish new research directions, and spearhead initiatives that strengthen the group’s scientific capabilities.

You will have the opportunity to make a significant impact by developing novel workflows that enable the identification, accurate quantification of antigens and associated mechanisms of T-cell recognition. These discoveries will support the development of next-generation vaccine-based therapies, ultimately contributing to improved outcomes for patients with cancer. 

Finally, you will be involved in many different multicentered and multidisciplinary collaborations, with both industry as well as academia and medical institutes. This will increase your exposure and expand your own professional network supporting your future scientific career. 

This project aims to bridge chromatin engineering and epigenomics to study epigenetic regulation of transcriptional processes. Potential approaches will involve manipulation of epigenetic marks in embryonic stem cells, investigating changes in epigenetic landscapes and transcription upon controlled manipulation, and/or engineering of synthetic chromatin states. You are encouraged to bring in your individual ideas and expertise to the current project and furthermore to develop new project ideas.

As a Postdoctoral Researcher in the group of dr Marino , you will play a central role in advancing the group’s research through the development and application of state-of-the-art bioinformatics workflows for antigen identification, quantification, and validation. 

You will support the whole team in data analysis and visualization for different proteogenomics projects. You will organize and merge multi-omics data (in collaboration with our partners at Princess Maxima Center) using AI/ML techniques, implement antigen data analysis and discovery processes, and contribute to the maintenance of data infrastructure in collaboration with internal team members and other multidisciplinary teams.

In this role, you will also take the lead in developing new ideas and initiatives that advance the group’s research. This position will significantly impact the team by developing innovative bioinformatics pipelines, and by pinpointing and measuring the most immunogenic antigens for integration into vaccine-based therapies aimed at improving outcomes for patients with cancer.

Finally, you will be involved in many different multicentered and multidisciplinary collaborations, with both industry as well as academia and medical institutes. This will increase your exposure and expand your own professional network, supporting your future scientific career. 

You will work closely with Professor Frank Biermann, Associate Professor Rakhyun E. Kim and other colleagues to help build at Utrecht University a strong network for research and collaboration on planetary politics. This initiative aims to bring together numerous researchers who study the political, institutional, legal, ethical, and societal dimensions of planetary change, especially in a rapidly shifting geopolitical context.

The position combines academic coordination, network-building, fund-raising, and research. It is especially suited to someone who enjoys connecting people and ideas, developing new academic initiatives, and helping an emerging research community grow. While the role includes opportunities to develop your own academic profile and may contribute to coauthored publications, its main focus is to create the conditions for a vibrant, interdisciplinary research community within and beyond Utrecht University.