Experienced VHH Scientist Nanobody Discovery & Engineering

Cortalix BV; Groningen; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock option plan

Job summary

Cortalix BV in Groningen, The Netherlands, is seeking an experienced Scientist – VHH Nanobody Discovery & Engineering to contribute to the discovery, optimization and characterization of next-generation VHH nanobodies for internal programs and international client projects.

The role covers phage display, ribosomal or mRNA display, library design, affinity maturation, expression and purification, and the integration of AI-assisted sequence analysis, automation and robotic workflows across diverse

Qualifications

• Hands-on VHH experience essential and ability to contribute to discovery & engineering activities.
• PhD or equivalent in a relevant life science field with several years of practical VHH/nanobody experience.
• Experience with VHH library construction, screening and/or selection methods.
• Experience in recombinant protein expression, purification and characterization.
• Strong cloning and protein engineering skills; familiarity with AI-supported workflows is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery and optimization of VHH nanobodies for internal programs and client projects.
• Design and optimize immune and synthetic nanobody libraries.
• Perform affinity maturation and characterization using experimental and in silico approaches.
• Develop and implement recombinant expression in bacterial, yeast, and cell-free systems; purify and characterize proteins.
• Apply binding analysis (ELISA, SPR, BLI) and use FACS and cell-based assays as needed.
• Contribute to integrating AI, NGS-guided selection and automation into workflows.

Skills

VHH discovery

Protein engineering

Molecular biology

English communication

AI/NGS workflows

Education

PhD in Molecular Biology

Tools

Phage display

Ribosomal display

mRNA display

ELISA

SPR

BLI

Job description

Experienced VHH Scientist Nanobody Discovery & Engineering

Job description: Experienced VHH Scientist 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.

For this position, we are specifically looking for an experienced scientist with demonstrated hands-on experience in VHH nanobody discovery and engineering. Prior practical experience with VHH discovery is an essential requirement for this role.

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

For this position, hands-on VHH experience is essential. We are looking for an experienced scientist who can contribute directly to our VHH discovery and engineering activities with limited training.

Ideally you have:

• A PhD (or equivalent experience) in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or a related discipline.
• Several years of hands-on experience specifically in VHH/nanobody discovery and engineering.
• Practical experience with VHH library construction, screening and/or selection using phage display, ribosomal display or mRNA display.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression, purification and characterization.
• Hands-on experience with protein characterization techniques such as ELISA, SPR and/or BLI.
• Strong molecular cloning and protein engineering skills.
• 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?

If you have substantial hands-on experience in VHH nanobody discovery and engineering and are interested in joining Cortalix, we would like to hear from you.