MSCA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS AT AREA SCIENCE PARK – VIROLOGY GROUP

Organisation / Company Area Science Park Laboratory Virology Unit/LADE Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

We encourage and welcome interdisciplinary and innovative research profiles from candidates of all nationalities regardless of any dimension of diversity , whether gender, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other dimension.

HOST INSTITUTION

Area Science Park (AREA) is a national research institution established in Trieste – IT in 1978 that aims to support high-risk innovation resulting from research developed within its research and technology infrastructures. The Institute of Research for Technological Innovation conducts research activities integrating life sciences, materials science and data science through its research infrastructures and labs (LAGE, LAME and LADE). In addition, it is possible to access advanced facilities and equipment in an open mode, thanks to national and international scientific collaborations such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), the Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium (CERIC-ERIC) and similar.

AREA manages also one of Italy's largest science parks as a unique and multidisciplinary hub, by hosting in its two campuses companies, R&D laboratories,universitystartupsandspin-offs, and researchcentresactive in various scientific and technological fields, mainly Life Sciences, Physics, Materials and Nanotechnologies, IT and Telecommunications, Energy and Environment.

The presence of companies, startups, university spin-offs and research organisations within the Park can support the design of MSCA activities with a strong intersectoral and innovation-oriented dimension.

Lastly fellow can benefit from the integrated regional network of22 institutions, the presence of high-level scientific expertise from all over the world and a wide range ofinternationally recognised research infrastructures located in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, that represents an ideal location for conducting Research & Development activities ( SiS FVG ).

RESEARCH GROUP

The Virology Unit with its expertise in performing experiments in BSL2 and BSL3 , focuses on studies in molecular virology, phenotypic investigation of mutations in viral proteins, and innovative tools for preventing viral infections and in particular on:

• Monoclonal antibodies discovery, characterisation and optimization
• Impact of amino acids substitutions on viral breathing
• Design of viral inhibitors for targeted delivery
• Virus-host interaction

The Virology Unit works in close collaboration with the Computational Biology Unit, composed by experts in AI-driven biophysics and protein language models to study molecular evolution and structure–function relationships.

Access to equipment, working place and multidisciplinary expertise from other laboratories in Area Science Park, depending on the topic, can be offered.

Moreover, AREA is coordinating the national research infrastructure , dedicated to apply advanced technologies and interdisciplinary approaches to accelerate infectious disease studies and pandemic preparedness.

• Virus families: Flavivirus and Coronavirus, other families may be discussed.
• Development of antiviral peptides/monoclonal antibodies
• Investigation of interaction between viral and cellular proteins

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Candidates must be eligible according to the criteria established by the 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral fellowship call (see p. 81-83 of the MSCA Work Programme ).

Besides, candidates should have a:

• demonstrated background in virology, including the handling and cultivation of viral agents. Experience working in BSL3 (Biosafety Level 3) environments is highly preferred
• knowledge of standard laboratory procedures, such as cell culture maintenance, molecular cloning
• strong curiosity and interest in acquiring skills in computational biology, such as sequence analysis software, basic coding (Python/R), or structural modeling.

Concerning personal qualities: responsible, proactive approach and creativity in looking for new approaches and arguments.

DEDICATED SUPPORT SERVICES TO MSCA FELLOWSHIP

AREA offers a broad set of transversal dedicated services supporting MSCA fellows, from the application on and throughout the project lifecycle . These include assistance/support in:

• proposal preparation and project management aligning it with MSCA requirements by the Projects Office and by APRE FVG helpdesk;
• innovation services (patent and market information, entrepreneurship and deep tech start up generation, digital transformation, etc.);
• sustainability of research and project activities in line with the green objectives of the European Union, i.e. MSCA Green Charter by the Sustainability office

SUPERVISOR

Giuditta De Lorenzo, PhD , is a molecular virologist recognised for her contributions to vaccine development against emerging viruses, particularly Zika virus (ZIKV). Her expertise in virology began with rotavirus research at the ICGEB - International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and expanded at the MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, where she led the development and preclinical evaluation of ZIKV vaccine candidates and later, as a member of the G2P-UK National consortium, she investigated the impact of SARSCoV- 2 mutations. She is currently Head of the Virology Unit at Area Science Park in Italy, where she investigates virus–host interactions and also prosecutes her work on vaccine design. In close collaboration with the Laboratory of Data Engineering, she is elucidating the structural dynamic of Flavivirus and its impact on epitope exposure. She has authored 49 research publications with over 2,100 citations, including key studies on ZIKV vaccine design and flavivirus research (De Lorenzo et al., 2020, 2025; Mancini et al., 2023) recognised with awards including the Microbiology Society Outstanding Science Prize (2022), her work reflects a strong contribution to translational virology and vaccine development. In 2023 she was awarded with a MSCA Individual Fellowship. She is strongly committed to a supportive, inclusive and responsible research culture, with particular emphasis on high-quality supervision, mentoring, and professional growth of young researchers

APPLICATION

Please send your expression of interest in making a joint application based on your research interests directly to the supervisor, Dr. Giuditta De Lorenzo (e-mail: ) and send the following documents by the 30 June 2026 :CV; list of publications; proposal summary (reporting full name of the applicant; EU or Global Fellowship and host institution in the third country; estimated duration; tentative title; proposal summary max. 8000 characters (spaces included). 1) Background/context of your proposal Indicate the field of research; justify the relevance of research; present the major problem/challenge/gap your project is addressing; present the solution that your project offers in order to fill that gap; explain why your project is timely and innovative in comparison to the state-of-the-art in the field(s) considered; mention your expertise relevant to the successful implementation of the project. 2) Overview of the proposal - main objectives of your project proposal and briefly explain your methodology, main research steps. 3) Scientific impact - main expected results and indicate expected scientific, economic, societal or other impact of your research. 4) Impact on your career - new competences you expect to acquire throughout the MSCA PF project and expected impact on your career after the end of the fellowship 5) Your motivation to carry out your project at Area Science Park (and at the host institution for the outgoing phase of Global Fellowship)