Project description

The PhD position is part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action – Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) HER-CARE, which stands for Hereditary & Early onset breast cancer: Comprehensive personalized Assessment, early Risk Evaluation, and clinical management.

European countries have some of the highest age-standardized incident rates of early-onset (< age 50) breast cancer in the world. Yet, our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors triggering the pathophysiology of the disease in young women is still limited. Advancing breast cancer prevention and treatment demands a holistic approach towards an accurate and early tumour detection – strongly linked with better clinical outcomes. In such a multifaceted field of research, only a multidisciplinary team of experts can bridge the gaps across genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, clinical research, cancer epidemiology and aetiology, and data science to advance breast cancer research and bring it closer to addressing its unmet clinical needs. HER-CARE is devised to fill in this multidisciplinary gap by bringing together 33 leading research institutions and entrepreneurs from 13 countries to train 15 Doctoral Candidates. For more information please check the project website:

Your role will be to determine how both germline variants as well as somatic mutations in key breast cancer genes affect the structure of the proteins encoded by them. For this a classifier will be build rooted in techniques from the field of AI. Note this is a purely dry lab position, there will not be any wet lab work involved. You will be part of the Biomedical Genomics group at Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG). CNAG is one of the largest sequencing centres in Europe and our mission is to carry out projects in genome analysis that will lead to significant improvements in people’s health and quality of life, which makes the HER-CARE project a perfect fit for us. The CNAG has over 125 professionals and participates in major International Genome Initiatives and EU-funded projects. In the biomedical genomics group, led by Dr. I. Gut (director of CNAG), we work on a diverse set of projects including HetERogeneous sEmantic Data integratIon for guT-bRain interplaY (HEREDITARY), Beyond 1 Million Genomes and BCLLatlas. With the diverse educational backgrounds of the group members there will always be someone who can help you out or knows who to talk to!

Expertise you will gain (in addition to research skills)

Teaching experience:

Supervision of at least 1 bachelor/master student and co-supervision of a practical course.

PhD coursed and training:

100 hours of coursework, participation in the HER-CARE’s network-wide training events and two or more courses at the graduate school.

Communication skills:

At least 2 conference presentations (poster or oral), 2 or more first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals and participation in at least one public outreach activity (e.g., European Researchers’ Night, EuroScience Open Forum, Venture Cup).

International mobility:

During the project you will gain international experience in both academia and industry. You will spend 3 months at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in the Genetic epidemiology of breast cancer group led by Prof. M.K. Schmidt (https://www.nki.nl/research/research-groups/marjanka-schmidt/) and another 3 months in Proteotype Diagnostics Ltd, located in Cambridge, UK, under the guidance of Dr. E. Yates  (https://proteotype.com/).

Essential skills

• A master in Computer Science, Bioinformatics or related field
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• Strong programming skills in R
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• Background in machine learning and/or protein structures
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• Fluent in English

Eligibility criteria specific to the MSCA-DN

• Mobility rule: You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.
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• You must be a doctoral candidate, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. If you have successfully defended your doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree you will not be considered eligible.

We offer

• A three-year full-time predoctoral contract, with remuneration in line with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) funding regulations.
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• The proposed start date would be after the summer, anytime between September 1st, 2026, and January 1st, 2027.

Application Procedure

All applications must be addressed to People Managment - people@cnag.eu

Email subject: 2026-5 CNAG: HER-CARE PhD position

Please, submit your application by 30/June/2026.

To be considered valid, applications must include the following documents:

• A Curriculum Vitae.
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• A motivation letter explaining the applicant’s interest in the position. The motivation letter must also explicitly answer the following eligibility questions:
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• Are you in possesion of a PhD degree?   Applicants who already hold a PhD degree are not eligible for this position.
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• Do you hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent), or will you complete it by September 2026?   Applicants who do not meet this requirement are not eligible for the position.
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• Have you lived, worked, or studied in Spain for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the recruitment date?   Applicants who answer "yes" may not be eligible under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) mobility rules.
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• And contact details for at least two academic or professional referees who may be contacted during the evaluation process.
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• A copy of the applictant's passport (or national identity document).
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• A copy of the applicant’s Master’s degree certificate (or equivalent qualification), or proof of expected completion by September 2026.

Note that the coordinators of the HER-CARE project will also receive a copy of the things listed and will check your eligibility for the position.