PhD student
Published on: 03.02.2025
The University of Bonn is an international research university with a wide education and research profile. With a 200-year history, approximately 31,500 students, more than 6,000 staff, and an excellent reputation at home and abroad, the University of Bonn is one of the most important universities in Germany and is recognized as a university of excellence.
For the DFG-funded project ‘Exploring Transit Peptides through Photosynthetic Restoration in Chlamydomonas’, Dr. Oliver Caspari’s lab at the Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology is recruiting a
PhD student
for a 3-year research assistant position (65%, ideal starting point in May/June 2025).
Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology
In our group, we are interested in the role of protein import for establishment and maintenance of endosymbiotic organelles, which are fundamental to the biology of complex life. In this project, we specifically aim to elucidate how different transit peptides determine chloroplast protein import in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by using peptide variants to complement a photosynthetic mutation.
Deadline:
14.03.2025
Reference number:
3.3/2025/09
Working time model:
part time (65%)
Starting date:
ideal starting point in May/June 2025
Duration:
fixed-term contract for three years.
Pay grade:
TV-L EG 13
Applications to:
caspari@uni-bonn.de
(in English)
Application documents:
- your CV,
- letter of motivation highlighting your interest in this position,
- certificates (incl. Master/Diploma/PhD thesis),
- your preferred percentage of working time and duration of the contract
Your tasks
- Identifying and reviewing relevant scientific literature
- Designing and performing wet-lab experiments
- Storing, analysing and visualizing data using coding (e.g. R, python)
- Presenting findings internally in lab meetings and externally at conferences
- Preparing research publications in peer-reviewed journals and as doctoral thesis
- Supervising Bachelor/Master students
We offer
- The chance to do your PhD in a young and dynamic group that you can help grow, that will mentor you and that will be invested in your academic success
- A supportive, collegial and international atmosphere in the team and the institute
- A world-class research environment at one of Germany’s top universities
- Possibilities to cooperate with other research groups locally and internationally
- Uni Bonn perks, e.g. sports clubs, career workshops, day care, subsidized transport
- High quality of life in Bonn with easy access to nature, culture and Cologne
- A varied, challenging job with one of the largest employers in the region
- An international, stimulating, well-equipped working environment with an open and constructive atmosphere and the necessary infrastructure for high-quality research
- participation in a university-wide pension system (VBL),
- access to the extensive university sports program,
- easy access to the public transport system due to the central location in Bonn as well as the possibility to use inexpensive parking facilities,
- Remuneration in accordance with TV-L pay grade 13.
Your profile
- You combine high intrinsic motivation and ambition with high work ethics
- You have strong analytical and reasoning skills and are scientifically literate
- You take ownership of your research, managing your own time and resources as well as those of any students you supervise, and seek out support as needed
- To overcome set-backs, you problem-solve and show emotional resilience
- You are able to work well both independently and cooperatively/in a team
- You engage empathically and communicate effectively with coworkers/students
- You are keen to learn new skills, complemented by relevant prior experience in areas such as Molecular Biology (PCR, cloning), Biochemistry (Western Blots), Cell Biology (fluorescence microscopy), Microbiology (microbial handling, transformation), Plant Sciences (photosynthesis, chloroplast biogenesis, algae), data analysis/computational biology (coding, sequence analysis, modelling)
- You hold relevant Bachelor and Master degrees from reputable institutions
- You are proficient in English
Diversity and equal opportunity
The University of Bonn is committed to diversity and equal opportunity. It is certified as a family-friendly university. It aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are under-represented and to promote their careers in particular. It therefore strongly encourages women with relevant qualifications to apply. Applications will be handled in accordance with the Landesgleichstellungsgesetz (State Equality Act). Applications from suitable individuals with a certified serious disability and those of equal status are particularly welcome.

