Join the team
Before applying for a scientific position at the IRB, you are encouraged to read the following advice:
Having an outstanding CV is a very good start but it is not sufficient to be shortlisted for interview. Your motivation and career plans are crucial, and they will have high impact on the success of your application.
In your motivation email/letter, which should be written in English and directed to the Group Leader of the laboratory that you are interested in joining, you should clearly explain why you want to join the IRB and why the specific research group. Your application should also include the e-mail address of at least two references.
You should wonder not only what the Institute can do for you but also what you can offer to the Institute. Scientists that are training at the IRB are asked to be self-critical and critical towards their peers. We are aiming to train scientists, not task executors. It is expected that individuals work efficiently, more than long hours, even if the former does not exclude the latter.
If you are shortlisted for interview, make sure to prepare for it. Read our website to learn about the specific research group. Read the group’s recent publications and about current projects. Familiarise yourself with research at the Institute that is ongoing in other groups. If your application is in response to a specific advertisement, start thinking about the project and how you would approach it.
In short, applying for a scientific position at the IRB should not be just one of many applications, but one for which you thoroughly prepare.
International PhD Program in Immunology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
There is no official deadline for applications to the IRB PhD Program: please email your letter of interest and your complete CV, including contact information for references, directly to the relevant Group Leader. See also here for more information.
Postdoctoral opportunities and Early independence
Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships (SPF): The IRB is looking for postdoctoral talent. We invite (prospective) postdoctoral fellows to express their interest in working at the IRB through support by the Swiss National Science Foundation competitive funding-scheme Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships (SPF). Applicants from anywhere in the world can apply to obtain a 12-24 month fellowship in Switzerland (more info).
General eligibility criteria
IRB Application
Eligible candidates are invited to apply by sending to our Grant Office Team:
The applications will be pre-screened and the candidates with positive evaluation will be contacted by the relevant Group Leader for the next steps.
Deadline for the IRB application: September 31, 2024.
Ambizione: The IRB supports talented postdocs in developing their independence. We invite postdoctoral fellows to express their interest in working at the IRB through support by the Swiss National Science Foundation competitive funding-scheme Ambizione. Applicants from anywhere in the world can apply to obtain a four-years grant to conduct, manage and lead an independent project at a Swiss institution (more info).
General eligibility criteria
IRB Application
Eligible candidates are invited to apply by sending to our Grant Office Team
The applications will be pre-screened and the candidates with positive evaluation will be contacted by the relevant Group Leader for the next steps.
Deadline for the IRB application: September 1, 2024.
IRB supports scientists impacted by the war
The IRB stands in sympathy with all those scientists and their families, who are affected by war. In particular, we are supportive of the academics from Ukraine as well as of those from Russia, who speak out against the conflict in Ukraine. If you are a PhD student, postdoc or more senior scientist, who are impacted by the war and working on topics related to the Institute’s research, we encourage you to contact us to inquire for possibilities to be temporarily hosted at the IRB.
Civil Service
Positions as “civilisti” are available at the IRB, for a minimum stay of 3 months. The tasks performed by the civilista and the degree of autonomy will depend on his or her educational qualification and experience. Tasks may involve cell culture, PCR, preparation of reagents or more complex techniques and use of advanced instruments, such as flow cytometry, under the supervision of a PhD student or postdoc. Candidates should directly contact the IRB Group Leader of the laboratory of interest.
Respect
The IRB aims at creating a vibrant, collaborative and inclusive environment, where people safely and freely engage in scientific discussions and discovery. To achieve this goal, interactions among all members of the IRB community should be based at all times on mutual respect. The IRB will not tolerate any inappropriate behaviour that offends personal integrity, personal dignity and hinders equal opportunities. Harassment, bullying, discrimination, threatening behaviours and violence are unacceptable at all levels of employment and the person committing the acts will face consequences, regardless of the status or position. Retaliation against people acting in good faith will also not be tolerated.
If you experience inappropriate behavior at any time, please report it. For more information, please consult your supervisor or HR. The IRB is there for you and will support you.
Gender Equality Plan
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine aims at establishing a culture of respect, promoting diversity and enhancing equal opportunity.
Open positions
There are currently no job vacancies, please check the website at a later date. Prospective interns, students and postdocs may inquire with IRB Group Leaders directly.
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, www.irb.usi.ch) is a leading center for basic and translational research in immunology. The IRB’s thirteen research groups have interests ranging from understanding basic mechanisms of immunity to the role of the immune system in health and disease, as well as DNA repair and rare diseases.
As part of the IRB’s strategic development, after a successful recruitment during 2023, we are inviting applications for a Group Leader position. We seek outstanding scientists to complement the current research at the Institute while expanding to new research areas. The successful candidate will be an early- or mid-career scientist who will establish research programs employing innovative approaches to investigate biomedically relevant questions related to immunology and/or adjacent disciplines. These may include, but are not limited to:
Your qualifications
Our offer
Application
We look forward to receiving your application by June 1, 2024 as a single PDF, including: (i) curriculum vitae, (ii) list of publications, (iii) names and contact details of three references, (iv) brief description of research accomplishments (one half page), (v) explanation of why you have chosen your area of focus (one half page), and (vi) description of future research focus (3 pages for initial plans, 1 page for long-term vision).
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, national origin, or any other characteristic. Please send your application to: glsearch@irb.usi.ch. Applications sent to different contacts, in other formats, or after the deadline, will not be considered. For scientific questions related to the position, please contact the IRB director, Davide Robbiani (drobbiani@irb.usi.ch).
Attachment
Artificial Intelligences applied to antibody discovery
The Computational Structural Biology laboratory (Andrea Cavalli) at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, Bellinzona, Switzerland) is recruiting a highly motivated postdoc to work on the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI), in particular large language models (LLM), to the discovery of antibodies. The project is funded by a Sinergia grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and will be carried out in a laboratory affiliated to the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB). Preferred starting date is beginning of 2024.
Qualification
Our international team will welcome candidates with a PhD in Computational Sciences, Computational Biology or related fields, with less than 3 years of postdoctoral experience and expertise in development and application of novel AI based methods, such as large language models (LLM). Furthermore, candidates should have strong programming skills (Python) and experience in structural biology.
Interested candidates are kindly requested to send an application containing a cover letter (1 page), CV (1 page), summary of previous research (1 page), and the contact information of two professional references to: andrea.cavalli@irb.usi.ch.
Attachment
The laboratory of Immunobiology at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, Bellinzona, Switzerland) is recruiting a highly motived postdoctoral to work at the interface between Cell Biology and Immunology. Our research focus on understanding the mechanisms of pathogen-derived antigens presentation by the non-classical HLA-E and consequent recognition by CD8+ T lymphocytes.
For additional information on the laboratory of Immunobiology / Dr. Caroline Junqueira, please visit: www.irb.usi.ch/immunobiology
Qualification:
Candidates should have a Ph.D. degree with less than 3 years of postdoctoral experience and expertise in immunology, cell biology, biochemistry, or molecular biology.
Applications for the position should include a CV, one page of research accomplishments, and contact information of two professional references. For more information/applications please contact Dr. Caroline Junqueira (caroline.junqueira@irb.usi.ch). Please write “Postdoc application” and the applicant’s name in the email subject heading.
We invite postdoctoral fellows to express their interest in working at the IRB through support by the Swiss National Science Foundation competitive funding-scheme
Ambizione
Applicants from anywhere in the world can apply to obtain a four-years grant to conduct, manage and lead an independent project at a Swiss institution (more info).
General eligibility criteria
IRB Application
Eligible candidates are invited to apply by sending to our Grant Office Team (grantoffice@irb.usi.ch):
The applications will be pre-screened and the candidates with positive evaluation will be contacted by the relevant Group Leader for the next steps.
Deadline for the IRB application: September 8, 2023
We invite (prospective) postdoctoral fellows to express their interest in working at the IRB through support by the Swiss National Science Foundation competitive funding-scheme
Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships (SPF)
Applicants from anywhere in the world can apply to obtain a 12-24 month fellowship in Switzerland (more info).
General eligibility criteria
IRB Application
Eligible candidates are invited to apply by sending to our Grant Office Team (grantoffice@irb.usi.ch):
The applications will be pre-screened and the candidates with positive evaluation will be contacted by the relevant Group Leader for the next steps.
Deadline for the IRB application: September 31, 2023
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