Research Assistant (PhD student)

Registration number: fb -wmz-2025

Entry date:

Application deadline:

Salary: E 13 TV‑H

Duration: 42/48 months

Volume of employment: part‑time (65%)

Overview

The University of Marburg, founded in 1527, offers a variety of excellent programs of study for around 22,000 students and confronts the important topics of our time through excellent research across a broad spectrum of sciences. The Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Laboratory for Targeted Cancer Therapeutics of Prof. Dr. Oliver Hantschel is currently accepting applications for two positions as Research Assistant (PhD student).

The two positions are offered for a period of 42 and 48 months and are funded by the ERC Synergy grant CARAMEL. The starting date is 1 April 2026. The position is part‑time (65 % of regular working hours) with salary and benefits commensurate with a public service position in the state Hesse, Germany (TV‑H E 13, 65 %).

The CARAMEL project (Covalent Chaotropic Membrane Transport for Biotherapeutic Delivery) aims to overcome one of the biggest challenges in medicine: efficiently delivering modern biotherapeutics, such as peptides and proteins, into cells—a key hurdle in developing new treatments for cancer and other diseases. This should be accomplished over the course of the next 6 years using superchaotropic boron‑clusters. The CARMEL team will be composed of several PhD students and postdoctoral fellows at the Hantschel lab in Marburg, the Universities in Santiago de Compostela (Montenegro lab), Bremen (Nau lab) and Bern (Luciani lab). The position offers a unique collaborative research environment with generous funding as part of a cross‑disciplinary team in Marburg and includes regular and frequent scientific exchange with the three other project sites. The aim is to create self‑delivering peptide and protein hybrids and establish the fundamental rules governing this transport mode through biochemical screening/characterisation, and quantitative cellular delivery assays in cancer cells.

Responsibilities

• Scientific services in research with the aim of efficiently introducing protein/peptide biotherapeutics into cancer cells using superchaotropic boron clusters and understanding membrane transport mechanisms
• Collaborative research in a multidisciplinary and international environment in the ERC project CARAMEL
• Collaboration on the preparation of scientific publications and presentations
• Project development, documentation, and communication with project partners

Profile

• MSc‑degree or equivalent in a life science, chemical, medical or pharmaceutical field
• High level of motivation and good lab experience of protein biochemistry, cell biology, chemical biology, molecular biology, bioorganic chemistry or pharmacy
• Willingness to work in a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills
• Proficiency in written and spoken English

Benefits

• Dynamic scientific environment in an international and motivated team
• Dedicated and structured mentoring
• Comprehensive and up‑to‑date technical equipment and modern infrastructure
• Ticket for free use of public transport in the state of Hesse, Germany
• Various training and development opportunities
• Company pension scheme

Contact for more information

Prof. Dr. Oliver Hantschel

+49 6421‑28 65021

We support women and strongly encourage them to apply. In areas where women are underrepresented, female applicants will be preferred in case of equal qualifications. As a certified family‑friendly university, we support our employees in balancing family and career. A reduction of working time is possible. Applicants with a disability as described in SGB IX (2 Abs. 2, 3) will be preferred in case of equal qualifications. Application and interview costs can not be refunded.

Please apply by 25 January 2026 using the application button below.