Postdoctoral Researcher 'AI & Structural Modeling of T-cell Recognition for Cancer Immunotherapy'
- Application Deadline: Sept. 30, 2026
- Nijmegen
- On-site
Job description
Host: Structural Bioinformatics Group, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Project background
Cancer immunotherapy can direct a patient's own T cells to recognize tumor-specific neoantigens and destroy tumor cells, but its promise is held back by high cost, long development times, and the risk of toxicity against healthy tissue. At the heart of these challenges lies the TCR specificity problem: understanding how T-cell receptors (TCRs) recognize peptide antigens presented by MHC molecules.
This curiosity-driven project develops cutting-edge AI technology for 3D TCR–pMHC modeling to improve neoantigen identification, TCR specificity prediction, and TCR design. The project is funded by an NWO (Dutch Research Council) Open Competition M grant. The successful candidate(s) will work within a well-connected international consortium, including leading academic groups in AI, 3D modelling and T-cell immunology, leading TCR discovery and TCR-biologics companies, a cancer vaccine research group running clinical trials, and the national super-computing center SurfSara.
What we offer
- A 1-year postdoc position with the possibility of extension, in a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment bridging AI and cancer immunotherapy.
- Training and career development opportunities.
- The chance to help shape a newly funded research line with real clinical impact, within an international network of academic and industry partners.
Place of work
The Netherlands is one of the leading research hubs for cancer immunotherapies. Radboudumc (Radboud University Medical Center) is one of the country's leading hospitals and university medical centers in the Netherlands, with active research programs in cancer immunotherapy, including cancer vaccines and CAR-NK cell therapy.
Our bioinformatics group offers a supportive, collaborative environment, and our trainees go on to PhD, postdoc, and engineering positions at leading institutions such as Oxford, the Max Planck Institutes, the Netherlands eScience Center (NLeSC), and pharmaceutical companies.
Skills & Requirements
Profile
We are looking for 1 or 2 highly motivated postdoctoral researchers to join our effort in AI for protein structure modeling in cancer immunotherapy design.
Profile A — AI
- PhD in machine learning, computer science, computational science, or a related field.
- Strong experience with deep learning (e.g., PyTorch), ideally geometric/graph neural networks, equivariant models, or generative models.
- Interest in applying AI to molecular or biological problems; prior structural biology experience is a plus but not required.
Profile B — Structural bioinformatics / computational biophysics
- PhD in structural bioinformatics, computational biophysics, computational chemistry, or a related field.
- Experience with protein structure modeling, molecular interactions/energetics, and tools such as AlphaFold, Rosetta, or MD simulations.
- Solid programming skills (Python); familiarity with machine learning is a plus.
For both profiles, we value:
- A strong publication record and scientific independence.
- Good collaboration and communication skills, and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary, translational research.
- Fluency in English.
Good to know
- Starting date: November 1, 2026
- This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!
About the company
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where our research groups strive for innovative solutions that make impact on health and healthcare. We challenge the status quo to overcome current and future health challenges. Our goal is to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our focus is on prevention, sustainability, and meaningful care, which we achieve through our in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, clinical science, public health research, medical technology and data science. Our approach is centered on breakthroughs that can truly enhance personalized healthcare and public health.
At Radboudumc, a comprehensive range of research programs provide the compass for our research efforts. Each program has a clear goal, where collaboration within and outside our organization is highly valued. We integrate care, education and research in partnership with our patients to ensure that our research programs have significant impact on health and healthcare. We invite you to join us in our mission to create a healthy future for all.
Li Xue | Contact Person
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