The Vall d´Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) Seeks a “Predoctoral Position (PhD Student) – FPI Fellowship Application”
Reference:2026-027-01
Application deadline: 01/05/2026
Number of vacancies: 1
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate to join our Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Group as a fully funded PhD student. The successful applicant will become part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team focused on developing novel and improved cancer immunotherapies
Research Group
Immunotherapies harness the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer. Alongside surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, immunotherapy has become a fourth pillar of cancer treatment. Our group focuses on understanding naturally occurring T-cell responses to cancer and leveraging these insights to develop more effective and personalized immunotherapies.
Our research explores strategies to identify and exploit tumor-reactive T cells circulating in peripheral blood, enabling minimally invasive monitoring and therapeutic development. We combine experimental and computational approaches, including single-cell profiling, high-throughput screening, and ctDNA-based neoantigen discovery, to better understand immune responses and resistance mechanisms.
Through these efforts, we aim to expand the reach and efficacy of T-cell-based therapies across multiple cancer types and contribute to the next generation of precision immunotherapy.
Our group is actively involved in translational and clinical research. In close collaboration with clinical teams, we are conducting early-phase clinical trials evaluating neoantigen-selected tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with advanced cancers
Candidate Profile:
University degree in Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or a related discipline
Master’s degree in Immunology, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Biomedicine, or a related field
Strong interest in T cell immunology within the context of cancer and translational research
Previous experience in techniques such as:
Flow cytometry
Cytotoxicity assays
Single-cell sequencing
Cell culture
High-throughput screening (HTS)
Animal experiments
Highly motivated, proactive, and able to work both independently and collaboratively
Good command of English
Additional information:
We offer:
📈The possibility of developing your professional career in a competitive environment.
ð§ To be part of a center that is constantly developing, pursuing excellence in research and collaborating with leading teams.
ð«±ð»âð«²ð¾We offer and promote a diverse and inclusive environment, and welcome all people equally, regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation.
ðª´We care about our environment and understand the importance of sustainability. We have the GreenVhio program, which you can be a part of.
Conditions:
ðP re-doctoral contract El contrato laboral de la beca PREP2024-002713 está financiado por el MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER
ðï¸Full-time position, 37.5 hours per week.
ð¶Salary according to qualifications and experience following VHIO pay scales.
ð³Flexible remuneration program (includes restaurant vouchers/cards, transport, medical insurance, and âbaby daycareâ voucher).
â°Flexible working hours and measures to balance work, family, and personal life, and promote gender equality, as established in the VHIO collective agreement.
ðºï¸24 days of holidays and 6 personal days.
ðFully subsidized Catalan, Spanish, or English courses.
ðââ¡ï¸Take advantage of doing sports at great prices with Urban Sports Club
ð©ºYouâll have access to weekly physiotherapy sessions at the office, offered at a reduced price for the team.
Vall dâHebron Institute Oncology (VHIO) endorses the Requirements and Principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers promoted by the European Commission and follows Equal Opportunities policies.
On 10th April 2018 VHIO was awarded the âHR Excellence in Researchâ logo. Our Institute was consequently granted permission to use the HR Excellence in Research Award logo as demonstration of its stimulating and favourable work environment in line with the Charter & Code.
Under the leadership of Josep Tabernero, the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) has established itself as a cancer research center of proven excellence internationally. It is thanks to Josep's directorship and VHIO's optimal organizational structure based on a purely multidisciplinary and translational model that VHIO talents continue to anticipate and tackle the many unresolved questions in combatting this multifaceted and heterogeneous disease.
Located within the Vall d´Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, our researchers closely collaborate and interact with Vall d´Hebron University Hospital physician-scientists. Translational science and clinical research are therefore tightly connected which promotes superb interaction and teamwork which, in turn, accelerates the bench-bedside-bed cycle of knowledge. This privileged environment affords VHIO direct access to patients as well as the entire spectrum of oncology professionals who care for them, and a second-to-none appreciation of how cancer science can translate into more powerful, targeted treatments and better practice for the care of patients.
VHIO's pioneering model and programs, coupled with its belief in combining strengths through cross-border collaborations, continue to spur advances in reversing cancer resistance, halting metastatic spread and more effectively treating even the most undruggable tumour types.
VHIO's translation toward precision oncology.
