Postdoctoral Position in Microbiology

University of Antwerp

Department: Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute

Regime: Full-time

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About the Position

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Science / Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute at the University of Antwerp is seeking to fill a full-time (100%) vacancy for a Doctoral Grant in the area of Medical Microbiology under supervision of Sandra Van Puyvelde.

Position

  • You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of medical microbiology. You will carry out high-quality academic research providing a genomics perspective of coli disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

  • You will publish scientific articles related to the research project.

  • You will carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks.

Profile

  • You hold a Master degree in Bio-engineering, Biomedical sciences, Pharmaceutical sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biology, Biotechnology or equivalent degrees or you will have obtained it by the time you start work.

  • You can demonstrate excellent study results.

  • You have experience working with bacterial pathogens in a microbiological and molecular biology lab environment.

  • You hold strong bioinformatics skills, including programming and scripting (R, Python and Bash) and using bacterial bioinformatics tools and databases. You are familiar working on HPC environments.

  • Experience working in international environments and in sub-Saharan Africa is considered as a highly valuable asset.

  • You can work both independently as well as in an international team.

  • You can plan and perform laboratory experiments accurately.

  • You have strong analytical thinking skills, an appropriate problem solving attitude, can systematically approach complex issues and is an excellent planner to meet milestone and deliverable deadlines.

  • Fluency in English is required.

  • Foreign candidates are encouraged to apply.

  • Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.

  • Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.

  • You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What We Offer

  • We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of two years. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed once for another two-year period.

  • The planned start date is 1 May 2026 or as soon as possible after that date.

  • Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.

  • You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.

  • As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.

  • You will do most of your work at Campus Drie Eiken in Antwerp in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.

  • Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to Apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 16 March 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the Apply button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

  • a motivation letter

  • your academic CV

The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be.
If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Prof. Van Puyvelde at Sandra.vanpuyvelde@uantwerpen.be.

Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

Apply