CLOSED: 4 PhD fellowships available within the PAVax network

Call for 4 PhD fellowships within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN project PAVax: A training network for the design of new synthetic carbohydrate-based vaccines to combat antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

Skills/Qualifications

The candidates must have a Master/Engineering Degree in Chemistry (Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry). A suitable background for the open position includes Synthetic Organic Chemistry. A background in Chemical Biology will be appreciated. In case of equal qualification, candidates with background in Synthetic Carbohydrate Chemistry will be preferred.

The candidate should have excellent communication skills in English (both in speaking and writing). A recognized international certificate in English (TOEFL, TOEIC, etc) would be a plus. He/She should be able to work both in a team and independently, should demonstrate initiative and should be proactive in the project.

Eligibility criteria

At the time of recruitment, applicants must fulfill the following rules:

Experience eligibility requirement:
Eligible applicants must have a Master/Engineering degree and must be in the first four years of their research careers (full-time equivalent research experience) and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree.

Mobility eligibility requirement:

  • ESR1 and ESR2: applicants can be of any nationality but, at the time of recruitment, may not have resided or carried out their main activity in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date. 
  • ESR3 and ESR4: applicants can be of any nationality but, at the time of recruitment, may not have resided or carried out their main activity in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date. 
Application Procedure

Applications for the PhD positions ESR1 and ESR2 should be addressed to Dr. Roberto Adamo. Applications for the PhD positions ESR3 and ESR4 should be addressed to Dr. Jeroen Codée.

All application should be sent at j.e.van.krimpen@lic.leidenuniv.nl with the subject “application PAVax” before the deadline (31st May 2020).

The application must be accompanied with the following documents in PDF format:

  •  a letter giving reason for his/her motivation for the position
  • an updated CV of at most 3 pages; the CV must be without gaps, in order to easily check the mobility and experience requirements. CVs that either do not clearly show the applicant’s past experience, or have gaps, will be considered ineligible.
  • two written recommendation letters (in English) e.g. from your Master thesis supervisor and/or lecturer and the referees contact details
  • the copy of the degree (usually the Master Degree)
  • transcripts of records (document indicating the ranking and marks within the last year at the Master Degree as well as the courses/modules that have been followed) from University/University College.
  • a copy of master’s thesis or any other publication (if available)


Planned start date for all ESRs: 1st September 2020

Applications must be in English and will be evaluated against the following criteria:

  • educational record
  • scientific quality of the applicant’s CV
  • expected individual impact and benefit to the fellow and to the project
  • previous experience in the subject of PAVax research programme

The candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the received documents and the best 2-3 candidates for each position will be invited for a F2F / Skype interview that will take place in June/July 2020.

As an equal opportunity employer Leiden University is committed to increase the percentage of female scientists and therefore especially encourages them to apply.