PhD Position in Peptide-Based Drug Discovery (Industry Collaboration, w/m/d)

The four-year project is co-funded by Novo Nordisk and will be supervised by Prof. Nathalie Grob (ETHZ) in cooperation Novo Nordisk, offering a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of academia and industry, leveraging cutting-edge technology to make a real-world impact in peptide drug discovery. Short research visits (< 3 months) at the Novo Nordisk research site in Copenhagen and access to high-throughput instrumentation are planned throughout the project. It will be a great advantage for candidates to have prior experience in peptide synthesis, mammalian tissue culture, and mass spectrometry.

To benefit the project, the candidate will be able to integrate into a multidisciplinary team and efficiently combine independent work with collaborative exchange and discussions. The project will include chemical synthesis of peptides, experimental development of a drug discovery technology, and biophysical and cellular evaluation of bioactivity.

The ideal candidate will hold a recently completed MSc degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Pharmacy or Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Biology, Cellular Biology, or related disciplines, and bring experience in several of the following areas:

• Peptide synthesis
• Mammalian cell culture
• Protein biochemistry
• Mass spectrometry
• Bioinformatics and programming

A successful applicant is passionate about science and collaboration with a strong motivation and an intrinsic interest in drug discovery and development. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively in English as working language in a multidisciplinary environment.

The candidate must be able to start the project by 01. October 2025. Moreover, the successful candidate requires authorization to work in Switzerland and to travel to Denmark for short-term projects (under 3 months) without needing additional permits.