Job Offers

PhD position (f/m/d) available in Single-Molecule Biophysics of DNA repair at the University of Würzburg, Germany

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student with interest and experience in single-molecule biophysics, DNA repair, protein biochemistry, and protein-DNA interactions. The project will be strongly interdisciplinary and will be in close collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Philip Tinnefeld at the LMU in Munich, Germany, building on our recent development of the novel single-molecule methodology GETvNA (graphene induced energy transfer on vertical nucleic acids, published recently in Nature Methods: https://rdcu.be/dZyyO). The PhD project at the University of Würzburg is more biologically oriented and will involve protein preparations and biochemical as well as biophysical characterisation of the working mechanism of the essential DNA repair protein AGT (O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase). The overall project will comprise on the one hand state of the art applications in single-molecule biophysical methodology and on the other hand medically relevant insights in DNA repair mechanism, protein-DNA interactions, and protein biochemistry. Two PhD projects (one at the University of Würzburg, one at the LMU in Munich) will be closely intertwined and will profit from a high degree of collaboration with frequent visits between the Universities.

The project duration for PhD students is 3 years. The working language is English. The PhD student will also become a member of the Graduate School of Life Sciences of the University of Würzburg.

The ideal candidate will have a background in biophysics or biochemistry (experience with single molecule experiments and data analyses would be a bonus) and possess a Master’s degree, as well as good communication skills and proficiency in English language.

Submit your application including a letter of motivation, your CV, a short abstract about your master thesis, as well as contact details of your master thesis advisor and one additional reference (professor or group leader who will be able to assess your scientific strengths) by 15 April 2026 to Ingrid Tessmer (ingrid.tessmer@uni- wuerzburg.de). We will start reviewing applications immediately, but will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.

Please send copies of documents only. For cost reasons, application documents cannot be returned. Documents will be destroyed as soon as the selection procedure has been completed. If you enclose a postage-paid envelope, the application documents will be returned to you by three months after the end of the selection procedure.

The Nanoscale Bacteriology Lab, led by Dr. Christoph Spahn, is looking for a PostDoc to study the intracellular organization of intracellular pathogens during infection.

Our research focusses on understanding the subcellular organization of bacteria and their response to antimicrobial compounds. We combine super-resolution microscopy (Spahn et al., 2018), drug treatments (Spahn et al., 2025) artificial intelligence (Spahn et al., 2022) and biochemical approaches to understand both fundamental concepts of bacterial cell biology and antibiotic action. Recently, we started to investigate how secretion alters the intracellular organization of pathogens (Ermoli et al., 2025).

In the advertised position, the successful candidate will investigate bacterial secretion during host-pathogen interaction. We will employ a combinatorial approach using live-cell imaging, multicolor super-resolution microscopy and genetics to gain fundamental knowledge about the dynamics of effector protein secretion and the effect on both host cells and pathogens.

Qualification profile:

As a PostDoc applicant, you have completed a PhD in life sciences or related fields.

Essential qualifications

• Enthusiasm for science/basic research
• A strong background in the field of life sciences
• Experience in infection biology and/or molecular biology of bacterial pathogens
• Experience in bacterial and mammalian cell culture
• Experience in advanced microscopy and image analysis
• Curiosity to learn new techniques and explore novel ground
• Excellent team spirit and willingness to teach students
• Fluent English

Optional qualifications

• Experience in programming or with AI
• Experience in biochemistry

What we offer:

At Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, more than 30,000 people from over 100 countries come together to study, research, teach and work. As a central institution of the University, the Rudolf Virchow Center is a modern research center with more than 100 international scientists investigating the molecular causes of health and disease. It has been established as a unique institution for translational bioimaging combining all existing imaging core structures and microscopy facilities.

The Rudolf Virchow Center is a highly competitive international research institute with an outstanding infrastructure. We have in-house access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and to an extensive range of modern biophysical and cell biological equipment. We are integrated into a stimulating cross-disciplinary environment that includes our partners at the Biocenter, the physics department, the Max Planck Research Group in Systems Immunology, the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the University Hospital in Würzburg.

Würzburg is located in the beautiful, wine-growing area of Franconia, in proximity of Frankfurt (1 hour by train) and Munich (2 hours). We have a lot of sun and many festivals in the summer, as well as impressive historical buildings and recreative nature.

The salary is commensurate with training and experience according to Collective Agreement for the Public Service of German Federal States TV-L (100%).

You will have access to both national and public-service pension schemes (VBL), health care, and are entitled to 30 days of holiday in addition to 13 annual public holidays in Bavaria. Our Welcome Center supports international candidates in finding accommodation as well as in administrative matters - and the University of Würzburg offers support for researchers with children, including flexible working hours and childcare.

The position is secured until end of 2028.

Interested?

Applications including a cover letter, a detailed CV (2 pages max), a short summary of past research projects with publications (3 pages max), copies of certificates, and the contact information of two referees, should be sent via email as a single pdf file (not exceeding 10 MB). Applications will be screened continuously until the position is filled.

The University of Würzburg is an equal opportunity employer. As such, we explicitly encourage applications from qualified women.

Please send your application to:   

Christoph.spahn@uni-wuerzburg.de with Cc to Inka.robinson@uni-wuerzburg.de

If you want to know more about the individual project and/or have further questions about the position, please contact me via the mail above.