Job Offers

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 31 December 2024 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 who wants to apply cutting-edge microscopy methods to study bacteria. The research group focusses on understanding the subcellular organization of bacteria and how it is affected by antimicrobial compounds. We combine super-resolution microscopy (Spahn et al., 2018), drug treatments (Spahn et al., 2023) and artificial intelligence (Spahn et al., 2022) to understand both fundamental concepts of bacterial cell biology (e.g. transcription-translation coupling) and antibiotic action. As we aim for an interdisciplinary approach, we complement our microscopy with basic microbiological and biochemical methods.

The project will be focused on developing highly multiplexed single-molecule imaging approaches to study molecular machineries involved in chromosome organization and protein secretion. The candidate will explore the architecture of these (supramolecular) complexes and their response to antibiotic treatments.

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 super-resolution microscopy or other advanced microscopy techniques, as well as image analysis
• Experience in microbiology or molecular biology
• Willingness to learn new techniques and explore novel ground
• Excellent team spirit and willingness to teach students
• A good command of English as you will be working in an international team.

Optional qualifications

• Experience in programming and/or 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.

We offer a three year-position starting as soon as possible. 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.

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

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