PhD in Protein embeddings and computational modelling

We are looking for a candidate with:

a Master in Bioinformatics

outstanding grades, competitive to obtain FWO funding

strong interest in protein modelling, protein Large Language Models

experience in High Performance Computing

Interest in teaching

Recently, Large Language Models of proteins have greatly enhanced the possibilities of Machine Learning in protein biology. We can now build accurate prediction models of protein structures but also other protein features such as their temperature stability and molecular function. The research group has developed the Fold First Ask Later pipeline that annotates the protein function of phage proteins (viruses that infect bacteria), for which the majority of functions are unknown. The current project goes beyond this pipeline and aims to study the function of microproteins and post-translational modifications encoded by phages. These go beyond the current capabilities of protein-LLMs. The candidate will de...