The Mildred Scheel Nachwuchszentrum (MSNZ) for Cancer Research at the University Hospital Würzburg and the University of Würzburg is funded by the German Cancer Aid and brings together life scientists and clinicians to understand the mechanisms of tumour formation and to develop new therapeutic strategies. The centre is located at the Institute for Virology and Immunobiology with fully equipped and modern laboratories, state-of-the-art technology, competitive funding and access to core facilities.
Our centre is looking for enthusiastic young scientists with a background in Life Sciences who are keen to pursue PhD projects centred around the Tumour and Metastatic Microenvironment.
The groups of Angela Riedel (Metastasis, Metabolism and the Microenvironment, www.med.uni-wuerzburg.de/msnz/research-projects/junior-research-groups/riedel-group/) and Leo Rasche (Dissecting Multiple Myeloma and its Microenvironment, www.med.uni-wuerzburg.de/msnz/research-projects/junior-research-groups/rasche-group/) explore cancer cell niches in systems-wide concepts to develop clinically relevant approaches to target the discovered factors. We are particularly interested to understand the principles underlying therapeutic responses and to identify potential alternative therapeutic targets within the
Tumor
microenvironment. A main goal is to characterize the cellular cross-talk between tumour cells, cells of the immune system and the stroma.
Patients with high-risk multiple myeloma experience poor response to therapy or earlier disease relapse. We think that the course of the disease is driven by the interplay of
Tumor
genetics and the bone marrow immune
Tumor
microenvironment. In this project, we are interested in the metabolic mechanisms shaping the immune-cell composition and function in the bone marrow. We will decipher the T-cell metabolic state paired with single-cell
RNA
sequencing and metabolomics analysis.
We are thus looking for highly motivated candidates that have an interest in combining wet lab and computational analysis. Prior knowledge of bioinformatics analysis (e.g., R, Python) is advantageous but not obligatory.
Projects start in December 2023/January 2024 (a later start can be negotiated).
Darauf können Sie sich freuen:
- cutting-edge research in a young team
- close collaboration within the MSNZ and the excellent research environment of the Medical campus
- enrolment in the Graduate School of Life Science with broad research and
skills
training
Ihr Aufgabengebiet:
- combining wet-lab and computational analysis using state-of-the-art methods
- presenting results at meetings and conferences
- providing support and guidance to undergraduate students and technical staff
Ihr Profil:
- Applicants will be expected to have
- an excellent graduate degree in biology, biomedicine, biochemistry, computational biology, bioinformatics, or related discipline
- sound knowledge and interest in cell and tumour biology
- strong lab
skills
- a good command of the English language
We welcome applications from suitably qualified people regardless of race, gender or disability. The University hospital and the University aim to increase the proportion of female employees, therefore applications from qualified women are particularly welcome. Preference will be given to people with disabilities in the case of otherwise equal aptitude. Working language is English, knowledge of the German language can be beneficial, but is not required.
If you would like to hear more about the projects, please get in touch with Dr. Angela Riedel. Please send applications including a cover letter (with a statement of motivation), curriculum vitae, relevant degree certificates and academic transcripts as well as contact details of 2 independent references (one of the referees should be the Master’s thesis
Supervisor
) as a single PDF file via email to Lukasz Lichorowicz (PhD-applications@msnz-wuerzburg.de).
Ansprechpartner:
Dr. Riedel-Lichorowicz, Angela
Versbacher Str. 7
97078 Würzburg
riedellich_a@ukw.de
Die Vergütung erfolgt nach den einschlägigen Tarifverträgen. Schwerbehinderte Bewerber/-innen werden bei ansonsten im Wesentlichen gleicher Eignung bevorzugt eingestellt.