Postdoctoral Researcher in Antifungal Natural Product Discovery

Postdoctoral Researcher in Antifungal Natural Product Discovery

Position starting on (or upon agreement) as a full‑time (100%) post‑doctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute. The role is fixed‑term for 2 years and funded through the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.

The junior research group of Dr. Luzia Gyr at the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" focuses on antifungal natural product discovery using a microbiome‑inspired co‑cultivation approach with the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. The robotic platform JenXplor, combined with microscopy, is used to analyze changes in growth and morphology, and promising interactions are further characterized to identify bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential.

Responsibilities

• Perform high‑throughput experiments and computational analysis independently within the postdoctoral research project.
• Analyse project results, generate figures for publications, and write scientific manuscripts for publication.
• Present findings at local, national, and international meetings and conferences.
• Collaborate closely with experimental and computational researchers in the group and within the cluster.
• Assist in training and supervising other researchers (e.g., doctoral candidates, MSc students).
• Contribute to a friendly, welcoming, and collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• A PhD in biological science, microbiology, biochemistry, or closely related disciplines. Candidates in the final stages of their PhD are encouraged to apply.
• Experience with fungal and/or bacterial co‑cultivation and microscopy (desired).
• Strong background in natural product discovery, including genome mining, metabolomics, and compound isolation techniques.
• Interest in laboratory automation and high‑throughput experiments.
• High level of curiosity, self‑motivation, enthusiasm, and attention to detail.
• Cooperative personality actively seeking to contribute to an interdisciplinary and inclusive Microverse community.
• Very good written and spoken English communication skills.

What We Offer

• A highly communicative atmosphere within an energetic and interdisciplinary scientific network.
• Structured training program offered by the Jena School for Microbial Communication, with comprehensive mentoring and soft‑skills courses for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.
• Vibrant city life in Jena – a young, lively city with a vibrant cultural agenda.
• Dedicated management team providing support on non‑scientific topics such as onboarding, family life, and career development, including events on diversity and collaboration.
• Remuneration according to the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV‑L) at salary scale E13, including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.

To promote gender equality in science, applications by women are particularly welcome. Candidates with severe disabilities will be given preference in the case of equal qualifications and suitability.

Application deadline: . Please apply through our online portal.