Junior Research / Technology / Clinician-Scientist Group Leaders (m / f / d)

Human Microbe Alliance for Universal Health (HUMAN) program

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), is offering positions for

Junior Research / Technology / Clinician-Scientist Group Leaders (m / f / d)

in the field of infection research

with W1-professorship and tenure options)

HZI is Germany’s largest academic institution dedicated to infection research. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest research organization, and a member of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). In the newly established HUMAN program, we cooperate with our regional university partners, the Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover.

For the newly established HUMAN program, we seek exceptional professionals to join us on our journey to understand the complex interplay of humans and microbes in the fight against infectious diseases. We are recruiting early-career researchers to develop independent research programs committed to research excellence, translation, and EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion). The program offers positions for a wide talent pool of Foundational Researchers and Clinician-Scientists in :

• Pioneering foundational infection research to set news paradigms in the understanding of human health and infection resilience affected by immunity, microbial colonization, cell biology across scales, age, socio-environmental determinants, behavioral factors, medication, vaccinations, or genetic and epigenetic factors.
• Technology-oriented research to develop and deploy transformative technologies enabling measurements and / or perturbations of physiological and disease processes of human tissues and microbial entities. To use microbial effector and resilience mechanisms shaped by millions of years of microbial evolution as blueprint for engineering human and planetary health.
• Clinical research with a focus on infection biology to tackle patient-oriented questions and pioneer solutions for human infection resilience and health of tomorrow.

Research and technology areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to, microbiology, phages, virology, immunology, vaccinology, AI and systems biology, spatial OMICS, drug research, digital epidemiology, precision infection medicine, RNA-biology, human tissue engineering, One Health research, or synthetic viral and bacterial engineering. Hypothesis-driven, clinical and foundational research as well as the development of breakthrough technologies are welcome to enable interdisciplinary and transformative scientific discoveries.

Requirements :

You are a highly qualified junior scientist with an international track record holding a PhD, MD or DVM. Postdoctoral training and early-stage independent research are welcome, but we will also consider outstanding applicants immediately after their PhD / MD / DVM. You enjoy taking on a leadership role and guiding master's and doctoral students.

We offer :

Your Junior Research / Technology / Clinician-Scientist Group will be funded for a period of 5 years. Funding covers the group leader position, personnel as well as consumables and start-up lab equipment. The positions come with options for tenure and junior professorships at local universities such as the Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Technische Universität Braunschweig or the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Based on an external review, successful group leaders will be offered an extension of the group for up to 4 years and a permanent position as group leader at HZI.

We offer competitive salaries and access to cutting-edge infrastructures and research networks. You will benefit from dedicated research support, onboarding and granting offices, mentorship as well as PhD and post-graduate programs.

Our offer includes :

• An attractive and varied job in a future-oriented research institute with an international environment in Braunschweig and Hannover, one of Europe’s most research dense regions
• A culture of appreciation and promotion of equal opportunities
• Extensive training and continuing education opportunities
• A family office to support family and career, including childcare offers

We are committed to principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We expressly welcome applications from qualified women. People with severe disabilities and equivalent professional qualifications who are suitable for the position are given preference. In order to protect your rights, we ask you to reference the degree of disability in your cover letter or resume.

Starting date : 1st March 2025, initially limited for five years.

Working time : 39 hours per week

Place of work : Braunschweig or Hannover

For further information, please contact Katrin MacLeod, phone ,

email : .

How to apply :

When sending us your application documents, please confirm that you have read our and that you agree to the processing of your personal data. Please use the text module in our for this purpose. Without these declarations we cannot consider or process your application and will immediately delete any application documents already received after the application deadline.

Please include with your application a cover letter, a complete CV, a list of publications, a separate outline of previous achievements and future research interests (max. 2 pages), a completed application form (), an outline of how EDI will be implemented in your future laboratory (max. half a page) and the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of three referees. Please refrain from sending a photo.

Please send your complete application documents, quoting the reference number 092 / 2024 , to the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Human Resources Department, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany or by e-mail to . If you send your application in electronic form, please combine it into a single (1) pdf document .

We look forward to receiving your application!

About HUMAN :

HUMAN is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony. The program is based on an integrative approach that applies novel technologies, systems biology, medical / life sciences and informatics to understand, predict and therapeutically influence the mechanisms underlying health and disease.

The HUMAN program is linked to and benefits from the BMBF-funded Microbial Stargazing (MICROSTAR) program. MICROSTAR focuses on microbes, their effector mechanisms and their adaptation strategies in competition with other organisms. Together, HUMAN-MICROSTAR applies a holistic and comprehensive approach that has the potential to provide groundbreaking insights and new solutions for human health in the context of its microbial environment.