15 PhD positions in the MSCA Doctoral Network ORFeus: decoding the dark proteome Prinses Máxima Centrum in Netherlands

ORFeus is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network funded by Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101309891) and coordinated through a consortium of 15 research groups across eight European countries. The network is recruiting 15 PhD candidates to investigate the dark proteome—small open reading frames (smORFs) and the microproteins they encode, which are often missed by standard annotation and proteomics but may play important roles in cellular regulation, disease, immune recognition, diagnostics, immunotherapy, and drug development.

The projects span a broad range of topics and methods, including ribosome profiling and translatomics, long-read and single-cell sequencing, mass-spectrometry proteomics and immunopeptidomics, evolutionary and comparative genomics, protein design, and machine learning. The network has a particular focus on cancer biology, but also includes discovery-oriented and computational projects aimed at uncovering smORFs, understanding their function, and exploring their biomedical relevance.

Each doctoral candidate will work on an individual project at a host institution and enroll in a PhD programme leading to a doctoral degree. The positions are supported by a supervision structure that includes two academic supervisors from different ORFeus groups, plus an industry supervisor and an independent academic advisor. Each project also includes a secondment of around three months with an industry or research partner, giving candidates the opportunity to apply their work in a broader research or translational setting.

The available projects are hosted by institutions including the University of Southampton, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin), University of Oslo, The Institute of Cancer Research (London), University of Freiburg, Hubrecht Institute (Utrecht), University of Leeds, Hospital del Mar Research Institute (Barcelona), Ghent University, University of Dundee, University College Cork, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology (Utrecht), Netherlands Cancer Institute (Amsterdam), and the University of Lausanne.

Applicants should have, or soon obtain, a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, or immunology. A good level of written and spoken English is required. Candidates must also satisfy the MSCA eligibility rules, including the mobility rule and the requirement not to already hold a doctoral degree. Project-specific technical skills vary between vacancies, and the detailed requirements are listed in each individual project description.

The positions are full-time employment contracts for 36 months with full social security coverage. These are salaried posts, not scholarships or stipends. Salary is determined by the MSCA Doctoral Network rules and depends on the host country, with the exact gross amount provided in each project description.

Applications open on 1 October 2026 and close on 22 October 2026 at 23:59 CET. Applicants may apply to up to three projects, ranking them in order of preference. Each application requires a short motivation statement, a summary of relevant technical experience, a CV, and an overview of bachelor’s and master’s grades; reference letters are not required initially. Shortlisted candidates will have an introductory call followed by interviews, with final selection taking place in December 2026. The planned start date is 1 March 2027, with some flexibility depending on the host institution.