EUROPE: 15 PhD positions in the MSCA Doctoral Network DECODES: Deciphering the Splicing Code in Human Disease

GA No. 101312753

Alternative splicing (AS) is a fundamental post-transcriptional mechanism that enables a single gene to generate multiple protein isoforms, dramatically expanding proteomic diversity. Dysregulation of AS is now recognised as a hallmark of human disease, contributing directly to cancer progression, neurodegeneration, metabolic syndromes, and numerous rare genetic disorders. Despite major technological advances, the translation of AS biology into clinical benefit remains limited by critical gaps in mechanistic understanding and by the absence of an integrated framework capable of driving discoveries from molecular insight to therapeutic intervention.

DECODES, coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela, has been conceived to meet this challenge. It unites leading European scientists with highly complementary expertise to establish a coherent, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral research programme that bridges fundamental RNA biology with clinical and industrial translation.

Embedded in a fully international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral environment, DECODES will equip 15 Doctoral Candidates with state-of-the-art research expertise, comprehensive transferable skills and entrepreneurial competencies through structured coursework and immersive industrial secondments.

The 15 positions are distributed among the DECODES beneficiaries as follows:

• DC1 @University of Southampton (UK) – Prof. Diana Baralle
• DC2 @University of Basel (Switzerland) – Prof. Dr. Mihaela Zavolan
• DC3 @University Pompeu Fabra (Spain) – Prof. Manuel Irimia
• DC4 @Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) (Portugal) – Prof. Maria Carmo-Fonseca
• DC5 @Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) – Zurich (Switzerland) – Prof. Dr. Frederic Allain
• DC6 @Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (HMGU) (Germany) – Prof. Michael Sattler
• DC7 @University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) – Prof. Marta Varela Rey
• DC8 @University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) – Prof. Ashwin Woodhoo
• DC9 @IMol Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland) – Prof. Maciej Ciesla
• DC10 @Centre for Genomic Regulation (Spain) – Prof. Juan Valcárcel
• DC11 @Southern Denmark University (Denmark) – Prof. Brage Storstein Andresen
• DC12 @University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) – Prof. Ashwin Woodhoo
• DC13 @Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands) – Prof. Annemieke Aartsma-Rus
• DC14 @Astra Zeneca Sweeden (Sweden) – Dr. Christian Leon
• DC15 @University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) – Prof. Maria Isabel Loza García

Benefits

• DECODES fellows will be employed according to the rules applicable to Doctoral Candidates in the 2025 MSCA Doctoral Networks Working Programme and the general regulations of the relevant recruiting participant.
• The financial package will include the monthly allowances applicable under the 2025 MSCA Doctoral Networks Working Programme, during 36-month contracts, subject to the applicable country correction coefficient and the conditions defined by the relevant host institution.

Eligibility criteria

• Supported researchers must be Doctoral Candidates (DCs), meaning that they must not already hold a doctoral degree nor have successfully defended their doctoral thesis at the date of recruitment.
• Recruited researchers may be of any nationality and must comply with the MSCA mobility rule.
• Secondment Readiness: Candidates must be fully willing and able to relocate internationally for secondments (research stays) at other academic or industrial partner institutions within the network.

Recruitment calendar

• Call opening: August 25, 2026.
• Deadline for applications: October 1, 2026.
• Remote evaluation results: October 10, 2026.
• Interviews: October 10–31, 2026.
• Notification to candidates: November 15, 2026.
• Start date of the fellowship: January–December 2027, according to the individual position and host-institution arrangements.

APPLY HERE -> https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/461377