PhD on HIV Cure with application of FWO fellowship

Website KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

Last date to apply: 24/12/2025
Number of Positions: 01

You will work within the interdisciplinary Molecular Medicine research facility at 0&N5bis, within the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences.
The group is led by Prof. Z. Debyser.
We are seeking a PhD student to work on a new and challenging project to develop a strategy to cure HIV.
The candidate must apply for a PhD grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) in 2026 and therefore meet the FWO selection criteria.
Project
Our research group was widely reported in the news in May 2025 with a breakthrough in research into a cure for HIV.

This media attention followed the publication in Nature Communications. Pellaers E. et al. 2025 Nat. Commun. 16, 4226. 
The doctoral project builds on this. More specifically, we are studying in primary blood lymphocytes how integration site selection impacts the transcriptional activity of the provirus and how we can modulate this with drugs.
The research is translational and patient samples are also tested.

Profile
Master’s degree in biomedical, pharmaceutical, or biochemical sciences. Master’s degree in medicine, bioengineering.

Motivated to work in a group on a new line of research.
Previous knowledge (master thesis) in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, virology, computer science is a plus.
Offer
We offer a supervised PhD project and one year of start-up funding.

The candidate must apply for and defend an FWO grant and therefore be eligible for the FWO criteria.
Interested?
For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Zeger Debyser, tel. +32 16 37 40 29, email: zeger.debyser@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this vacancy until 24/12/2025 via our online application application

KU Leuven strives to be an inclusive, respectful, and socially safe community. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and diverse perspectives are essential in an ambitious research and educational environment. In our pursuit of equal opportunities, we acknowledge the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, among other things, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national origin, skin color, religious beliefs, neurodivergence, disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support services, please contact us at this email address .

Do you have a question about the online application process? Consult our FAQs or send an email to solliciteren@kuleuven.be

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