UKSH - CK PhD position (m/f/d) Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology - RU5042 "miTarget"

We are one of the three largest university clinics in Germany and with more than 16,000 employees, the largest employer in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. We perform university medical research and teaching at 51 clinics and 26 institutes at our medical faculties in Kiel and Lübeck.

The Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB) focuses on the understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory disease, particularly inflammatory bowel disease, and has contributed to the molecular elucidation how interactions between environmental factors such as the microbiome and host factors such as IBD risk genes transform into chronic intestinal inflammation.

Start in our team

The Immunogenetics and Bioinformatics group of Prof. Andre Franke at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB), Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (CAU) offers a PhD position limited for 4 years. The preferred starting date is July 1, 2024.

The position focuses on next-generation technologies for antigen discovery in chronic inflammatory diseases. This involves the development and application of bioinformatics tools for the analysis of genomic diversities of bacterial and fungal candidates and antibody specificities in IBD. To complete these studies and to investigate the interaction between the intestinal microbiome and the human host, advanced technologies for high-throughput sequence analysis will be employed. Overall, we aim to define the functional and causal relationships of autoimmune processes in IBD with a specific focus on microbial antigens, finally leading to the identification of therapeutic interventions. 

What we offer

• Placement in pay group E13 TV-L (Public Sector Collective Agreement),  if the requirements of the collective agreement are met
• Weekly working time is 28,75 hours/week (75% of a full-time position) with the possibility to prepare a PhD thesis
• Many attractive employee discounts on various online platforms and at various companies 
• Free in-house training and further education to give you the best possible support
• You can find more UKSH benefits here: Benefits (uksh.de)

What to expect

• Being a part of the DFG-funded Research Unit miTarget – “The Microbiome as a therapeutic target in inflammatory bowel disease (https://www.mitarget.org/), a stimulating and dedicated collaborative research environment with a structured PhD program
• Computational analysis of high-throughput sequencing data as well as applying high-throughput technologies and molecular biology work
• Working at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB), which hosts one of the four national German DFG-funded sequencing centres and is embedded in multiple high-profile research efforts, including the two DFG Excellence Clusters “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation" (PMI) and ROOTS
• The opportunity to interact with colleagues both nationally and internationally and experienced bioinformaticians, to further improve her/his study
• Courses for additional certificates (e.g. soft skills) and visits of international conferences are supported

What you bring along

• A completed academic degree (Master or Diploma) in bioinformatics, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, informatics or a related field 
• A background in bioinformatics, and/or microbiome research is preferred
• Self-motivation, the desire to succeed and complement the internationally competitive research activities of the group
• Very good knowledge of the English language, both written and orally, is expected
• An interest in the development and application of new bioinformatics tools

We look forward to receiving your application by May 30, 2024, quoting the vacancy number 24231.

The UKSH has been certified as a family-friendly institution and is committed to further improve the compatibility of work and family life. The University supports the employment of disabled persons. Persons with disabilities will, with appropriate qualifications and aptitudes, be employed preferentially. The UKSH has set the goal to reach professional equality between men and women. The University aims to increase the number of women among the faculty staff and therefore explicitly encourages the application of female scientists.