MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neurodegeneration, Protein Homeostasis, and Transposable Elements at University Medical Center Groningen University Medical Center Groningen in Netherlands

University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) is inviting a motivated postdoctoral researcher to develop an application for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 with Lara Barazzuol and Mario Mauthe.

The proposed project sits at the intersection of neurodegeneration, protein homeostasis, autophagy/aggrephagy, and transposable elements. The research idea is to build a project around how transposable elements and protein homeostasis imbalances contribute to neurodegenerative disease onset and progression. This is a strong fit for researchers interested in cellular mechanisms of disease, protein aggregate clearance, mitochondrial biology, and neurobiology.

Host researchers: Lara Barazzuol, Head of Molecular radiation biology and Principal Investigator at UMCG, and Mario Mauthe, Assistant Professor at UMCG, whose research focuses on cellular recycling, selective autophagy, toxic protein aggregates, and BPAN/WDR45-related neurodegeneration.

Funding: The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is a competitive EU-funded postdoctoral scheme. The call supports excellent researchers and typically funds projects for 12–24 months. The post does not specify a stipend amount, but the fellowship is a funded opportunity rather than a self-funded position.

Eligibility highlights: Applicants must already hold a PhD and be suitable for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship mobility and eligibility rules. The call is open to excellent researchers of any nationality, with international mobility required. The post encourages candidates whose background is close to the advertised topic to reach out.

Application window: The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call is indicated to open in 2026, with a deadline of 2026-09-09 according to the linked call page.

How to proceed: Review the linked MSCA call page and the UMCG researcher profiles. If your research interests align, contact the host researchers and prepare a joint fellowship proposal for submission through the EU Funding & Tenders portal.