Doctoral Candidate position HORIZON-MSCA-DoctoralNetwork SPACE-MEL 3D multiomics KU Leuven in United Kingdom

KU Leuven is offering one PhD position within the HORIZON-MSCA-DoctoralNetwork SPACE-MEL project: Doctoral Candidate position HORIZON-MSCA-DoctoralNetwork SPACE-MEL 3D multiomics. The fellowship is based at the Single-Cell Spatial Proteomics Unit within the KU Leuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO), in Leuven, Belgium, under the supervision of Prof. Francesca Bosisio and Prof. Asier Antoranz Martinez. The project is embedded in a rich interdisciplinary environment spanning KU Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven and VIB, with access to advanced infrastructure for pathology, spatial biology, microscopy, sequencing, single-cell multi-omics and large-scale data analysis.

The PhD project focuses on developing 3D spatial multi-omics workflows for melanoma to translate established 2D findings into three-dimensional tissue structures. Research objectives include optimizing 3D multiplex immunohistochemistry and RNA-based spatial profiling in thick tissue samples, developing disease-specific 3D RNA/protein panels, and building an automated 2D-to-3D analytical pipeline. The work combines wet-lab experimentation, imaging/microscopy, bioinformatics, and computational analysis, with a strong translational focus on tumour microenvironment organization, immune-tumour interactions, and spatial biomarkers in melanoma.

The candidate will work with technologies and workflows including cleavable antibody tags, RNA-scope probes, and high-throughput image analysis. The host lab offers access to platforms such as BondRx, Zeiss Axioscan, AKOYA PhenoCycler, Lunaphore COMET and DISSCOvery software. Secondments are expected at AlpenGlow Biosciences Inc. and Stellaromics Inc. in the United States, where the candidate will receive training in advanced 3D tissue imaging, spatial transcriptomics and translatomics, and benchmark the developed workflow against industrial technologies. A willingness to travel and spend time abroad is essential.

This is a 36-month PhD scholarship within the MSCA Doctoral Network. For Belgium, the gross doctoral allowance is stated at approximately €3,120.64 per month for a single fellow with no dependent family members, adjusted by the MSCA country correction coefficient. Training activities, travel and accommodation for annual meetings and network events are covered by the grant, and bench/consumables costs are covered by the institutions.

Eligibility requires a Master’s degree in Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, Bioinformatics or a related field. Candidates must not already hold a PhD and must comply with the MSCA mobility rule. Required experience includes wet-lab skills, organoids, live tissue work, imaging/microscopy, and bioinformatics analyses involving molecular, single-cell and/or spatial-omics data. Python programming is required, and scverse experience is a plus. Strong English proficiency is required, including an English test unless exempt. Applications must be submitted through the KU Leuven platform by 2026-08-23 at 17:00 Central European time.