Postdoc position – Mucosal Immunology and microbiota research (/o) 913_2023 bei Universitätsklinikum Bonn

The University Hospital Bonn (UKB) is a maximum care hospital with more than 1,300 beds. Our more than 9,000 employees take on tasks in research, teaching and patient care as well as in public health at the highest level. In the science ranking (LOMV) and in the economic result, the UKB is number 1 of the university hospitals in NRW and in 2021 had the third highest case mix index of the university hospitals in Germany.

Postdoc position – Mucosal Immunology and microbiota research (m/f/o)

Available immediately for two years due a project with the possibility of extension.

A postdoc position is available to study the intestinal antibody response to the microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease. We will functionally study the antibody responses to the intestinal microbiota and the antibody function down to the single B cell receptor specificity level. Therefore, we will employ single B cell receptor immunoglobulin gene sequencing, sequence-guided gene synthesis, monoclonal antibody production, antibody binding assays, germ-free, and gnotobiotic mouse models, in vivo bacterial transcriptomics, and host omics analysis. Our aim is to obtain a detailed mechanistic understanding of a subset of human antibodies in ulcerative colitis:

For related previous work see the following links:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03973-7

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-018-0106-2

We offer:

The University of Bonn is a German University of Excellence since 2019. The medical faculty is a hub for internationally recognised immunological institutes and part of the Immunosensation2 cluster of excellence in Germany (www.immunosensation.com). The Department of Mucosal Immunology is newly founded within the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology (www.immei.de).

• Excellent working conditions and competitive remuneration.
• Dynamic, multidisciplinary, and international setting with strong immunology focus.
• Possibility to perform part of the work in Osaka, Japan up to 6 months.
• Participation in national and international conferences.
• The possibility to apply for the internal slots of International School on Advanced Immunology
• Living in an active university city with access to many cultural possibilities.
• Salary according to the German TV-L13 and additional benefits such as a pension plan.
• Although the position is fully funded, we support your applications for career advancement grants or research fellowships.
• Possibility to co-supervise undergraduate students and technicians
• Close supervision in regular meetings
• State of the art equipment and scientific methods
• Core facilities to support your research

Your profile:

• PhD in immunology or closely related field
• Excellent communication skills, because the project is a collaborative effort
• Excellent study or research performance
• Ability to perform part of the work abroad in Osaka, Japan in the laboratory of our collaboration partner
• You possess high scientific integrity
• Profound knowledge and experience in flow cytometry
• The project requires animal experimentation (mice), and previous exposure to in vivo work would be advantageous but is not a requirement.
• Ability to work precisely in the laboratory environment
• Interest to learn germ-free and gnotobiotic animal handling techniques
• Experience and/or interest to perform Ig gene repertoire data analysis using programming languages (mostly R)

Successful candidates can think independently, are eager to acquire necessary new skills, and are excellent collaborators and communicators, as this is a team effort.

We are committed to diversity and equal opportunities. Our goal is to increase the proportion of women