PhD student Medical Microbiology
Content + Source + Freshness • 17 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
PhD research offers a unique opportunity within the HIV-1 field. Its score reflects essential research contributions but also highlights the specialized nature, potentially limiting applicant interest.
- Unique opportunities in HIV vaccine research.
- Develop crucial laboratory skills.
- Contribute to significant scientific advancements.
Pros
- Opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking HIV vaccine research.
- Hands-on experience in advanced laboratory techniques.
- Potential for significant scientific contributions.
Cons
- Highly specialized field with limited applicant pool.
- Temporary position may impact long-term stability.
- Intense research demands may lead to high stress.
Who it's for
Early Career Researchers • Temporary Research Position
Good fit
- Early career researchers in microbiology.
- Individuals passionate about HIV research.
- Candidates with strong lab skills and dedication.
Not recommended for
- Those without microbiology background.
- Applicants seeking permanent positions.
- Individuals preferring non-laboratory research.
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
We are looking for a PhD student to work within the project ‘Polyfunctional antibodies for HIV-1 vaccine and cure research’. HIV-1 continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality around the world with increasing social and economic impact, calling for better prophylactic and therapeutic approaches. A major goal in HIV-1 vaccine research is to induce potent neutralizing antibodies, because they have repeatedly been shown to protect macaques from HIV-1 challenge. Besides their role in virus neutralization, antibodies mediate a vast array of additional effector functions via their Fc domain, including phagocytosis (ADCP), complement activation (ADCL) and infected cell lysis (ADCC). For this reason, the ability of potent neutralizing antibodies to also have Fc-mediated effector functions has emerged as a possible complementary component of their protective effect. As a Ph.D. student, you will study the development of potent antibody responses during natural HIV-1 infection, focusing on different Fc mediated antibody functions, in the Amsterdam Cohort. In particular, you will set up and perform multiplexed Fc assays using Flow Cytometry. In addition, monoclonal antibodies will be isolated and full characterization of the antibodies will be performed to a) determine the target epitope and antibody function (e.g. ADCC, ADCP and ADCL), b) determine the binding kinetics and the affinity for different Fc-receptors and c) test their prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against HIV-1.
