Join the search for the molecular origins of life

The Laboratory of Space Biology and Astrobiology is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher and a PhD Student for the NCN OPUS project “The Origin and Evolution of Prions.” The project investigates whether prion-like proteins may represent ancient mechanisms of biological information transfer.

Postdoc start: May 1, 2026 PhD start: September 1, 2026 AGH University of Krakow NASA Ames • Stanford collaboration
Networking form View positions

Project overview

This project builds on discoveries made in collaboration with NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University identifying prion-like systems in archaea. The next step is to test whether conserved protein aggregation mechanisms may represent ancient forms of biological inheritance predating modern genetic systems.

Open positions

Postdoctoral Researcher May 1, 2026

Lead experimental work combining molecular biology, microbial genetics, protein aggregation studies and evolutionary analysis.

Employment: full time contract at AGH University of Krakow
Duration: 36 months
Salary: up to 11,666.67 PLN per month (gross)
  • PhD in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics or related field
  • Experience in molecular biology and microbial genetics
  • Science communication or outreach activities
  • Biophysics or phylogenetics experience is an advantage

PhD Student September 1, 2026

Experimental and computational work identifying and characterizing ancient prion-like proteins.

Support: PhD scholarship supplement
Amount: 2,000 PLN per month (gross)
Duration: 36 months
  • MSc in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology or related field
  • Interest in molecular evolution and protein biology
  • Experience in molecular biology or microbiology is an advantage

How to apply

The official recruitment will be conducted by AGH University of Krakow. If you are interested in the project, please fill out the networking form and we will inform you when the official call opens.

Networking form:
forms.gle/TvUjC6ajuSz61Tmk9

Informal inquiries:
Tomasz Zajkowski