PhD position in Translational Cell Biology (f/m/d)

Organisation/Company Medical School Berlin Department Human Medicine Research Field Medical sciences » Health sciences Researcher Profile Other Profession Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 23 Mar 2026 - 17:00 (Europe/Berlin) Country Germany Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

PhD position in Translational Cell Biology (f/m/d)

MSB Medical School Berlin – University of Health and Medicine is a private, state-accredited university located on Rüdesheimer Straße. Students can complete the state examination program in human medicine and numerous accredited Bachelor's and Master's degree programs. MSB is part of the IRO Group, which also includes MSH Medical School Hamburg, HMU Health and Medical University Erfurt, HMU Health and Medical University (headquartered in Potsdam with campuses in Düsseldorf/Krefeld and Munich), and BSP Business and Law School in Berlin and Hamburg. Our cooperation partner in medical education is the Helios Clinic Berlin-Buch.

At the Institute of Translational Medicine for Health Care Systems (ITM) and in the Potsdam-based research labs, a

PhD position in Translational Cell Biology (f/m/d)

will be available from September 1st, 2026 . It is a fully funded position for doctoral research for four years. The salary is based on the German salary scheme for the public sector (TV-L, 65%).

Project description: Neuro-degenerative disorders are alarmingly increasing in the developed world and pose a severe burden on patients, carers and the society. Despite progress in improving our understanding of the causes of disease and a very active research community doing their best to translate these findings into therapeutic programs, only symptomatic treatments exist currently. A key problem is that drug targets have been proposed, yet, it has proven very challenging to translate these into drug development programs. Dysfunction of mitochondria is a hallmark of PD and other neuro-degenerative disorders. For instance, genetic forms of PD are caused by defects in the machinery that clears damaged mitochondria, namely Pink1 and Parkin. Also, PD-like disorders are caused by recreational drugs or pesticides that cause mitochondrial damage. Accordingly, the up-regulation of mitophagy (clearance of damaged mitochondria) has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy.The Ketteler lab has recently developed novel enhancers of mitophagy and demonstrated an enhanced degradation of mitochondria in various cell and disease models (Tsefou et al. Biochem J 2021 Dec 10;478(23): .doi: /BCJ . Zaman et al. BioRxiv 2024; doi: ). In this PhD project, we will validate these molecules and interrogate their mechanism of action using confocal microscopy, protein chemistry, high-content imaging and high-throughput screening methods combined with drug design and development. Compounds will be tested in standard cell lines as well as patient-derived cells and three-dimensional models of the disease.

Requirements

• You hold a Master's degree in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• Knowledge of confocal fluorescence spectroscopy, Western blotting, and protein analysis is desirable but not required.
• You work independently and possess excellent communication, organizational, and teamwork skills.
• You are highly committed and intrinsically motivated.
• Your written and spoken English skills are excellent.

We offer

• An attractive research environment with close collaboration within the team
• National and international research networks
• Opportunities for further developing your scientific and methodological skills
• Contributing and shaping your own research interests to build your academic profile
• The opportunity to gain experience in academic teaching
• A challenging role with corresponding responsibility and creative freedom
• A dynamic and rapidly growing environment in an up-and-coming private university
• 30 days of paid vacation (based on a 5-day work week)

How to apply:

Please combine all application documents (motivation letter, CV, grade reports from bachelor & master degree, as well as contact details of two to three references) into one pdf document and submit them at latest by March 23rd, 2026 to:

We look forward to receiving your application!