PhD student position

The

PhD student position (f/m/d)

to interrogate heart failure and cardio-renal crosstalk using cutting edge next generation sequencing technologies, systems biology, and stem-cell derived organ-in-a-dish cardiod models

Operational area: Clinic for Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological, and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II) -Research Group of Dr. med. Konrad Hoeft-
Working hours: Part-Time 26 hours/week
Duration/Term of employment: the position is limited for 4 years in accordance with the WissZeitVG (German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act) with the option of (Website-Link gelöscht) successful applicant will be encouraged and supported to achieve a doctoral degree.
Start date: as soon as possible
Remuneration/Rates: EG 13 (TV-L)

Project Title: Dissection of platelet-macrophage-fibroblast interaction in CKD-driven cardiac remodeling. Hoeft Group

Within this PhD-Project the PhD candidate will interrogate cardiac remodeling and heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. The PhD candidate will learn both (i) the generation and (ii) bioinformatic analysis of cutting edge single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics technologies (10X Genomics Visium HD and Xenium spatial transcriptomics) to study cardiac remodeling in CKD in human tissue. Additionally, the PhD candidate will learn how to generate advanced induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cardiac organoids (organ in a dish) to study and validate novel insights in vitro.

This PhD-Program is meant to build a new generation of scientists that are rigorously trained in both cutting-edge wetlab technologies technologies (iPSC-derived organoids, immunofluorescent staining, confocal imaging) and bioinformatics. We envision that these skillsets (cutting edge next generation sequencing technologies, advanced bioinformatics analysis, novel 3D organ-in-a-dish models) will enable the PhD candidates to excell in either an academic or industry career after finishing their PhD.

This PhD-Project is embedded within the "Sonderforschungsbereich" of the DFG SFB/TRR219 Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Complications in Chronic Kidney Disease ((Website-Link gelöscht) PhD candidates will be part of the integrated Research Training Group (IRTG, (Website-Link gelöscht) of the SFB, which offers a comprehensive training program for PhD candidates. This includes (i) medical-scientist programs, (ii) Peer-to-Peer Mentoring, (iii) lectures series on cardio-renal disease with distinguished external speakers, (iv) soft-skill courses, (v) (hands-on) training for new methodologies and technologies, (vi) summer-schools and (vii) networking events.

Tasks:

• Generation and analysis of state-of-the-art single cell RNA sequencing datasets
• Generation and analysis of state-of-the-art high-resolution spatial transcriptomics datasets (10X Genomics Visium HD and Xenium spatial transcriptomics)
• State-of-the-art bioinformatic analysis of large multi-omic transcriptomic datasets
• Generation and culture of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cardiac organoids
• Analysis of cardiac organoids using in-situ-hybridization, immunofluorescent stainings, confocal microscopy, RT-qPCR and Western blotting

Your profile:

• We seek a researcher interested in novel, cutting-edge next-generation sequencing approaches (single cell RNA sequencing and high resolution spatial transcriptomics), as well as subsequent bioinformatic analysis to interrogate and discover new mechanisms in heart failure and cardio-renal crosstalk.
• Applicants should have a master's degree in biology, medicine, or a related field (e.g., molecular biology, molecular medicine, physics).
• Desirable:
  • Prior experience in bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic sequencing data and/or mammalian cell culture (including organoid culture) is beneficial but not required. We are looking for a highly motivated and curious PhD candidate who is eager to learn new wet-lab and computational methods, takes ownership of a project, and drives it forward with a structured, reliable working style. Strong communication skills in English (Level C1) and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary teamwork are highly valued.
• Motivation and eagerness to learn
• Ability to work independently / self-directed working
• Attention to detail
• High degree of flexibility and resilience in terms of scheduling
• Teamwork

Why choose us?

We offer…

• 30 days of vacation
• A bonus of 3,000 euros for employees who help recruit employees in the care sector
• An attractive company pension scheme from VBL
• Education opportunities, including updating and upgrading 
• Access to public transport
• In-house kindergarten (places subject to availability)
• Staff residences (places subject to availability and by arrangement)
• An onboarding app for new employees
• Extended opening hours in the staff restaurant