Postdoctoral Researcher Laboratory of RNA Viruses

International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw

Organisation/Company International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw Department Laboratory of RNA Viruses Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Chemistry » Biochemistry Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions PhD Positions Country Poland Final date to receive applications 15 Jan 2026 - 23:55 (Europe/Warsaw) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 2 Feb 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe (other) Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

The Laboratory of RNA Viruses (website) at the International Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IIMCB), Warsaw, led by Dr. Stefan Bresson, is seeking a highly motivated, creative, and independent Postdoctoral Researcher to join our team for an exciting project funded by the European Innovation Council.

You will join the VirHoX Hop-on project titled "Optimizing molecular tools for Vir Ho-Seq with smTIRF and Ribo-Seq", supported by the HORIZON-WIDERA programme. This project integrates IIMCB as a widening partner into the VirHoX consortium, strengthening virus-host discovery technology through single-molecule validation and translational profiling.

About the project:

VirHoX aims to address a major challenge in virology: linking newly discovered viruses to their host species. Viruses infect species from all domains of life and employ a staggering array of replication strategies. Despite this diversity, viruses universally rely on host ribosomes to translate viral proteins. The VirHoX project aims to exploit this conserved interaction between viral mRNA and host ribosomes to directly assign orphan viruses to their host species.

Your role will focus on Work Package (WP) 10 (Ribo-seq development for analysing phage infection), which broadens the scope of the VirHoX project to include detailed characterization of translation in diverse virus-host systems. In this project, you will establish culture conditions for representative archaeal and bacterial species and their associated phages. The primary model species will be the extreme halophile Haloferax volcanii and the opportunistic human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii.

You will use high-throughput techniques such as Ribo-seq to analyse viral and cellular translation during the course of infection.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Establish culture conditions for Haloferax volcanii and Acinetobacter baumannii and their associated phages.

2. Implement ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) in the aforementioned host-phage systems.

3. Actively contribute to project development, including proposing and testing novel research hypotheses.

4. Collaborate closely with VirHoX consortium partners. This will include periodic meetings and research exchange visits.

5. Prepare manuscripts, present results at scientific meetings, and contribute to funding applications.

6. Mentor junior researchers and contribute to training activities within the consortium.

Specific Requirements

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a related field.
• Strong publication record, demonstrating expertise relevant to the project.
• Experience in molecular biology and biochemical techniques.
• Experience working with bacteria, archaea, and/or phages will be highly advantageous.
• Familiarity with computational approaches for data analysis is a plus.
• Ability to design and execute experiments independently and interpret results critically.
• Proactive approach, strong analytical skills, and a collaborative attitude.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral.

Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Chemistry » Biochemistry Years of Research Experience 4 - 10

What we offer:

• Full-time employment contract, initially for 6 months, with the possibility of extension until the end of the project.
• Competitive salary starting from 9700 PLN gross/month.
• A dynamic and supportive research environment within an internationally recognized institute.
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