PhD Vacancy at KU Leuven | Apply Now
PhD vacancy opportunities in Europe continue to attract talented researchers, and KU Leuven is now offering an exciting fully funded PhD position in Protein Embeddings and Computational Modelling. This bioinformatics job provides candidates with the opportunity to work on advanced protein Large Language Models, computational biology, and phage research while pursuing a PhD degree in Belgium.
- Job Position: PhD Researcher in Protein Embeddings and Computational Modelling
- Company Name: KU Leuven
- Job Reference ID: BAP-2026-326
- Location: Leuven, Belgium
- Application Deadline: June 29, 2026
About the Company
PhD vacancy opportunities at KU Leuven provide access to one of Europe’s leading research universities. The research group Computational Systems Biology is part of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and the Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems (M2S). The research group is led by Prof. Dr. Vera van Noort and focuses on computational biology, systems biology, bioinformatics, and protein research.
PhD Vacancy Description
PhD vacancy candidates will join a research project focused on Protein Large Language Models and computational protein biology. Recently, Large Language Models of proteins have greatly enhanced the possibilities of Machine Learning in protein biology. Researchers can now build accurate prediction models of protein structures and predict other protein features such as temperature stability and molecular function.
The research group has developed the Fold First Ask Later pipeline that annotates the protein function of phage proteins (viruses that infect bacteria), for which the majority of functions are unknown. The current project goes beyond this pipeline and aims to study the function of microproteins and post-translational modifications encoded by phages. These challenges extend beyond the current capabilities of protein-LLMs.
The selected candidate will develop novel computational tools to study these biological questions and write scientific publications based on the findings. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with phage biology and biotechnology wet laboratories to validate computational discoveries and create a closed systems biology research cycle. In addition, the candidate will assist with practical sessions in Bioinformatics courses, guide bachelor and master students with thesis work, and complete training requirements of the Arenberg Doctoral School. The research output will result in a PhD degree from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering.
Qualifications
PhD Vacancy applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Master’s degree in Bioinformatics.
- Outstanding academic grades that are competitive for obtaining FWO funding.
- Strong interest in protein modelling and protein Large Language Models.
- Experience with High Performance Computing (HPC).
- Interest in teaching and student supervision.
PhD Vacancy – Key Responsibilities
PhD Vacancy responsibilities include:
- Develop novel computational tools for studying protein function, microproteins, and post-translational modifications.
- Apply Protein Large Language Models and computational modelling approaches.
- Conduct research in protein biology and phage biology.
- Collaborate with biotechnology and phage biology wet labs.
- Validate computational findings through experimental collaborations.
- Write and publish scientific research papers.
- Assist in practical sessions for Bioinformatics courses.
- Guide bachelor and master students during thesis projects.
- Complete doctoral training requirements through the Arenberg Doctoral School.
What KU Leuven Offers
- PhD vacancy applicants will receive:
- Fully funded 4-year PhD position.
- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge protein AI and computational biology research.
- Collaboration with multidisciplinary research teams.
- Academic and professional development through doctoral training.
- Research leading to a PhD degree from KU Leuven.
