PhD Position in Chemical Biology and Phage Display for Small Biomolecule Discovery Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poland

PhD position available in Chemical Biology at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (IChF PAN), Warsaw, Poland.

This call is for a doctoral position in the newly established Department of Chemical Biology within the EU-funded Horizon Europe ERA Chairs project PERFECTION (“In search of PERFECTION: the phenomenon of unnatural amino acids in chemical biology for biological and medical applications”). The project leader is Prof. Marcin Drąg, and the auxiliary supervisor is Dr. Łukasz Krzemiński. The research topic is “Integrated phage display platform for discovery of small biomolecules”.

The project focuses on developing an orthogonal screening phage display platform for the discovery of small biomolecules that bind diverse molecular targets. The work includes single-domain antibodies and peptides with potential use as detection elements and as protein/enzyme inhibitors for research, diagnostics, and therapy. The broader department mission includes cutting-edge chemical tools, modified peptides, and unnatural amino acids in chemical biology and translational research.

Research activities include design, synthesis, and analysis of compounds; in vitro cellular experiments; data analysis and interpretation; managing collaborations; reporting to the PI; and manuscript writing. The position is embedded in a multidisciplinary environment with chemists, engineers, and biologists, and offers collaboration with academic and industrial partners.

Eligibility highlights: a Master’s degree in Chemistry or a related discipline, good English, knowledge of chemical synthetic techniques, willingness to learn and perform in vitro chemical biology experiments, strong motivation, commitment, and teamwork. The candidate must be a PhD student in Warsaw-4-PhD or apply for the July 2026 recruitment to that school for continuation beyond the initial contract period.

Funding: full-time employment contract with a gross salary of about 4,810 PLN/month. After admission to Warsaw-4-PhD, an additional doctoral stipend of about 3,466 PLN/month may be available, subject to prior stipend history and the statutory maximum period. The planned contract duration is 48 months, starting in May 2026 and no later than August 2026.

Application deadline: 2026-05-06 at 12:00 (Europe/Warsaw). Applications should be sent via the apply button or by email to [email protected] with the subject line “Rekrutacja 19/2026”. Required documents include a CV, at least one independent opinion, a one-page motivation letter, a scan of the master’s diploma, and a declaration of familiarity with the institute’s competition rules.