Join us! Postdoc position available

Postdoc postion in fungal genetics, pathogenesis, and ecology

The project associated with the position will investigate how the environmental lifestyle of fungal pathogens shapes their virulence in humans. Most human pathogenic fungi have their primary habitat in the environment, but their ecology and its relevance to human disease is largely uncharacterized. This project will systematically identify fungal factors and pathways important for environmental interactions that moonlight as virulence strategies during infection. The methodology will include high throughput through screening of human fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus with other environmental bacteria, fungi, and protists, in vitro infection models, molecular genetics, and NGS data analysis.

Requirements:

• PhD in the biological sciences, bioinformatics, or related disciplines. Applicants in the final stages of obtaining their degree are encouraged to apply.
• Laboratory experience working with bacteria or fungi or molecular biology
• Curiosity, motivation, enthusiasm, and attention to detail

Nice to have, but not required:

• Proficiency using R or Python for statistics and data analysis, familiarity with NGS data analysis. But an eagerness and commitment to learn is more important than previous experience.
• Experience with microbial co-culture setups or designing synthetic microbial communities.

We offer a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and highly international research environment. The group is part of the Excellence Cluster Balance of the Microverse and is tightly connected to other groups at the Friedrich Schiller University and local Leibniz and Max Planck Institutes. Jena is a picturesque university city with a high quality of life surrounded by the nearby Thuringian Forest. It is centrally located for trips to major cities such as Leipzig, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt, and Munich.

Starting date: February 2025 or upon agreement. The position is initially offered for a period of 2 years with the possibility of extension. Salary is paid in accordance with German TV-L (salary agreement for public service employees).

How to apply: please send your application as a single PDF to amelia.barber@uni- jena.de. This file should include a motivation letter (1 page max), your CV, 1 or 2 key preprints or publications, and contact details for 2-3 references. If the majority of your previous research is not publicly available, please submit a 1-page summary in place of the preprints or publications. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.