Join a mission-driven team tackling a global health priority.

TWINCORE is a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Hannover Medical School (MHH). At TWINCORE, medical and basic scientists conduct joint research in infection research, particularly at the interface between basic research and clinical development. This basic research aims to develop new preventive measures, therapies, and diagnostic procedures for patients, as well as find answers to questions arising from clinical practice.

Are you a passionate scientist with a background in virology or immunology, eager to work at the forefront of vaccine development? Our international and interdisciplinary research team invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to help advance the search for an effective prophylactic hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine .

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects nearly 50 million people globally , and despite the availability of antiviral therapies, many remain undiagnosed or untreated. Each year, over 240,000 lives are lost to HCV-related complications. The World Health Organization has identified HCV as a global health priority (PMID: 39500705). A preventive vaccine is urgently needed to reduce transmission and ease the global disease burden.

Our research is at the leading edge of translational vaccinology , aiming to define the key immune mechanisms that confer protection against HCV and to translate this knowledge into innovative, optimized vaccine candidates (PMIDs: 35015104, 34990590, 33323394, 30439392; patent: WO2024003343A1).

You will contribute to a project funded by the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) , in collaboration with national and international partners, including the Cluster of Excellence RESIST and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research . The focus is on evaluating and selecting the most promising HCV vaccine candidate for clinical translation , based on rigorous benchmarks of efficacy, safety, and feasibility .

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.