Job description: Scientist VHH Nanobody Discovery & Engineering.
Type: 80% – 100%.
Location: MediTech Center, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Date: To be agreed.
Join us in shaping the future of nanobody discovery
At Cortalix, we believe the next generation of antibody discovery will be driven by smart engineering, artificial intelligence, automation and high-throughput technologies.
Over the past years, we have built a unique VHH nanobody discovery platform based on proprietary synthetic and immune libraries, a patent-pending FC8 framework, advanced display technologies and innovative engineering approaches. We are now taking the next step: transforming nanobody discovery into a scalable, data-driven and increasingly automated process.
To support this ambition, we are always interested in meeting talented scientists with hands-on experience in VHH nanobody discovery and engineering.
Whether you are currently working in academia, CRO, biotech or the pharmaceutical industry, we would love to hear from you.
Your role
As Scientist – VHH Nanobody Discovery & Engineering, you will contribute directly to the discovery, optimization and characterization of next-generation VHH nanobodies for both internal development programs and international client projects.
You will work on a broad range of technologies including:
- Discovery of VHH nanobodies using phage display and/or ribosomal or mRNA display
- Design and optimization of immune and synthetic nanobody libraries
- Affinity maturation using experimental and in silico approaches
- Recombinant expression of VHHs in bacterial, yeast and cell-free expression systems
- Protein purification and biochemical characterization
- Binding analysis using ELISA and BLI
- Flow cytometry (FACS) and cell-based functional assays
- Development of nanobody-based applications including therapeutics, molecular imaging, radioligand therapy, CAR-T and multispecific constructs
Depending on your expertise and ambitions, you will also contribute to the further development of our next-generation discovery platform, integrating technologies such as NGS-guided selection, AI-assisted sequence analysis, in silico affinity maturation, automation and robotic workflows.
What you bring
We are looking for scientists who combine scientific excellence with curiosity and a hands-on mentality.
Ideally you have:
- A PhD (or equivalent experience) in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or a related discipline.
- Several years of practical experience in VHH or antibody discovery.
- Demonstrated experience with phage display, ribosomal display and/or mRNA display.
- Experience with recombinant protein expression and purification.
- Hands-on experience with protein characterization techniques such as ELISA, SPR and/or BLI.
- Experience with molecular cloning and protein engineering.
- Affinity with computational biology, AI-supported protein engineering or NGS-based discovery workflows is considered a strong advantage.
- Excellent communication skills in English.
Most importantly, you enjoy solving scientific challenges and helping to build innovative technologies in a dynamic biotech environment.
Why Cortalix?
Joining Cortalix means becoming part of a small, highly specialized and ambitious team developing technologies that can redefine how VHH nanobodies are discovered and engineered.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Work with cutting-edge nanobody technologies.
- Help build one of Europe’s most innovative VHH discovery platforms.
- Contribute to projects in oncology, fibrosis, molecular imaging, radiopharmaceuticals and cell therapy.
- Help develop future discovery workflows combining AI, automation, robotics and high-throughput screening.
- Work closely with international biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
- Grow together with an ambitious company where your ideas can directly influence the future of the platform.
We offer a competitive salary consistent with comparable positions in academia and biotechnology, excellent opportunities for personal development and participation in our employee stock option plan.
Interested?
We are always interested in meeting exceptional scientists with experience in VHH nanobody discovery.
Please send your motivation letter and CV to:
We look forward to hearing from you.
Acquisition by recruitment agencies is not appreciated.