Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programs grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.
ABOUT VIB-UGENT CENTER FOR MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
The VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology (CMB, https://cmb.sites.vib.be/en) focuses on the development of new and innovative molecular tools and technologies to challenge human health problems. The Center translates its novel technologies and insights to widely applicable research tools, vaccines, diagnostics, and biopharmaceuticals. Our research pushes the boundaries of biomolecular and bioinformatics research and engineering technologies.
Next-generation sequencing has become the foundation of clinical genetic testing, enabling the identification of germline (inherited diseases and cancer predisposition) and somatic (sporadic tumors) variants that inform disease risk, prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making. However, the widespread adoption of sequencing technologies has also led to the identification of a rapidly growing number of Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS). This poses a major challenge for accurate clinical interpretation and reporting.
Functional assays have been recognized in international guidelines as an important type of evidence for VUS classification. However, traditional approaches that assess variants individually are labor-intensive, fragmented across laboratories, and difficult to integrate. Multiplexed Assays of Variant Effect (MAVEs), comprising multiple emerging and rapidly evolving technologies such as Deep Mutational Scanning (DMS), enable the simultaneous functional assessment of thousands of variants. MAVEs provide a powerful and scalable source of functional evidence that can help in resolving the VUS challenge.
Our laboratory at the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology specializes in developing innovative interactomics, proteomics, and genome engineering strategies to analyze protein complexes and their dynamics in a cellular context. Over the past decade, we have developed a versatile mammalian DMS platform that has now evolved into a universal “landing pad” system adaptable to a broad range of functional assays and screening applications, enabling diverse biological questions to be addressed in a scalable manner.
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team starting January 1st, 2027. The main research focus will be to take a leading role in completing an ongoing mammalian DMS study of IFNAR1, a key receptor in the interferon-mediated antiviral response. This includes generating remaining datasets, performing integrative analyses, and driving the final stages of dissemination through manuscript preparation and revision. Genetic deficiencies in IFNAR1 are associated with severe viral infections and adverse reactions to live-attenuated vaccines, highlighting the clinical importance of accurate variant interpretation.
In addition to this core project, the candidate will contribute to expanding the application of the universal landing pad platform, including DMS for variant interpretation in cancer-associated genes (e.g., BRIP1) and additional high-throughput screening efforts. Reflecting the growing scope of the platform, this position also includes a project management component, involving collaboration with the staff scientist, coordination with technical staff, supervision of master’s students, and supporting incoming PhD students and postdoctoral researchers during their onboarding phase through knowledge transfer and skill development.
