Recruitment

PhD opportunities in cancer research

Eligibility criteria

As part of the Horizon Europe MSCA-DN Project, all applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria

Doctoral Candidate

Mobility Rule

General requirements

Candidate profile

You hold or are about to obtain a Master’s degree in a relevant field

You are motivated to pursue a doctoral degree through an individual research project

You demonstrate a strong academic track record

You have a solid scientific background, possibly with prior relevant research experience

You are open to international mobility, in line with the MSCA-DN framework, and are willing to participate in international meetings, training sessions, and secondment

You are enthusiastic about sharing your research findings through impactful posters, compelling presentations, and high-quality publications in international journals and conferences and to the general public

Fluent in English, both spoken and written

Steps to join the EURECA programme

Recruitment process overview

Positions

Available PhD opportunities

MSCA and EURECA

Are you a highly motivated early-stage researcher with a passion for molecular biology, RNA, and cancer research?

Do you aspire to work in a dynamic, international, and interdisciplinary research environment?

EURECA – The European Epitranscriptomics of Cancer Academy invites applications for 14 doctoral positions across Europe, offering a unique opportunity to be part of a cutting-edge training network in cancer epitranscriptomics, the study of RNA modifications and their and their impact on cancer initiation, progression, and treatment.

EURECA is an innovative and interdisciplinary Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) funded by the European Union. Coordinated by Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), the network brings together 21 academic, clinical, and industrial partners from across Europe. Each doctoral candidate will undertake a cutting-edge research project, receive structured training, and benefit from international mobility through secondments at partner institutions to acquire the skills, knowledge, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to drive breakthroughs in cancer biology and contribute to the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapeutics.

Recruitment will be carefully executed and monitored in accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers and in the DN mobility rules, establishing open and efficient recruitment procedures, which are tailored to the type of positions advertised. The recruitment procedures will be open, efficient, transparent, supportive and internationally comparable.

EURECA aims for a representative gender balance amongst the researchers to be recruited, based on an equal opportunity policy during the recruitment phase. The vacancies description will explicitly encourage the application of female researchers. Moreover, female candidates will be selected in preference should a female and a male candidate achieve the same evaluation results.

Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

  • Recruitment should be open, efficient and transparent
  • Selection should be by gender balanced and trained panels
  • Transparency of procedure for candidates
  • Merit should be judged both qualitatively and quantitatively, balancing a good range of criteria
  • Career breaks and other multidimensional career tracks should not be penalised
  • Recognition of mobility experience
  • Recognition of qualifications
  • Seniority (‘the levels of qualifications required should be in line with the needs of the position and not be set as a barrier to entry’)

 

The 14 doctoral positions (DC1,2,3 etc.) are funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Doctoral Network EURECA (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01-01). The 36-month1 employment contract will follow the conditions and salary adapted to the life cost in each host country, set by the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (European Commission Decision C(2025) 2779 of 14 May 2025)2.

The monthly gross salary will comprise a gross living allowance, mobility allowance (€710/month) and if applicable a family allowance (€660/month).

Living Allowance: This gross amount is EUR 4010 per month corrected with the country of employment factor and minus all compulsory deductions under national legislation such as employer and employee social security contributions and direct taxes). The correction coefficient is applied to ensure equal treatment and purchasing power parity for all employed researchers.

Mobility allowance: This monthly gross amount of EUR 710 is an addition to the living allowance and should normally be paid at the same time. It is intended to cover the costs associated with the fact that the DC has moved to a different country to take up the position. Furthermore, it is for private use; therefore, it is not meant to cover any expenses related to the project (such as secondment costs, travel costs for attending a conference, etc.).

Family allowance: If the DC has or will acquire family obligations during the action duration, it is entitled to an additional gross “family allowance” of EUR 660 per month. For the purposes of the MSCA, family is defined as “persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country where this relationship was formalised) or dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher”.
Amounts indicated for living allowance, mobility allowance, and family allowance are gross amounts before taxation and compulsory deductions. Additional information can be found in Information Note for MSCA doctoral networks.

1 Or 48-month if the organization has secured funding for the forth year.

2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2023-2024/wp-2-msca-actions_horizon-2023-2024_en.pdf; page 118.

DC1

The ribomethylation (Nm) epitranscriptome in PCa: targeting the ribosome

DC2

Understanding and manipulating the ADAR-editome in cancer

DC3

Exploiting epitranscriptomics for cancer diagnosis and management

DC4

A portrait of 5-methylcytosine’s role in prostate cancer

DC5

Investigating the material state of the nucleolus in Cancer

DC6

Novel ONT algorithms and library preparation strategies to study the epitranscriptome in liquid biopsy

DC7

Exploiting epitranscriptomics for glioma diagnosis and management

DC8

Exploring m6A relevance in cancer

DC9

Development of epitranscriptomic analysis of RNAs in liquid biopsies and profiling of normal and cancer patients

DC10

Integrative analysis of the circulating transcriptome for the discovery of PCa biomarker signatures in liquid biopsies

DC11

Systematic characterization of A-to-I RNA editing neoantigens in tumours

DC12

Translated mutations and their interplay with the epitranscriptome

DC13

The epitranscriptome of PCa progression (Nm, A-to-I)

DC14

rRNA epitranscriptomic in glioblastoma (GB) heterogeneity and plasticity

Field of research and keywords

Medical and health sciences Clinical medicine Oncology Cancer Prostate cancer Glioma Glioblastoma Neuroblastoma Natural sciences Biological sciences Genetics RNA Epitranscriptomics RNA modifications RNA editing m6A m5C Nm 2'O-methylation Translation Oxford Nanopore Technology NGS

Official EU resources and documentation

Guidance for MSCA Doctoral Fellows from the Publications Office of the European Union

Equal opportunities statement
DC Recruitment for EURECA will be carefully executed and monitored in accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers and in the MSCA DN mobility rules as specified in the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025. EURECA aims for a representative gender balance amongst the researchers to be recruited, based on an equal opportunity policy during the recruitment phase.