The Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology at the University of Oldenburg is seeking a highly motivated

PhD student (m/f/d)
(salary according to E 13 TV-L, 65% of regular working hours)

as soon as possible for a limited period of three years. The advertised position is also suitable for part-time work.

The project:

To prevent us from viral infections, host cells are equipped with a panoply of antiviral mechanisms including the group of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that provide a robust first line of defense. However, for hepatitis E virus (HEV) which the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide it remains elusive which ISGs are critical to control HEV infection. Therefore, we have performed a high-throughput screen to identify ISGs with anti-HEV activity. The PhD project will take advantage of these data to focus on a molecular characterization of novel cellular restriction factors and their potential role for HEV pathogenesis.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct experiments under BSL-2 conditions, including cell culture, fluorescence and confocal microscopy, immunoprecipitations, molecular cloning
• Data processing (image analysis and statistical analysis)
• Data presentation 

Your profile:

• An academic university degree (diploma (Uni) / Master or equivalent) in virology, biomedicine, molecular biology or related sciences (human medicine)
• Laboratory experience in the field of molecular or cell biology
• Social competence and excellent team skills
• Motivation and flexibility, a high degree of dedication and productivity
• Excellent communication skills in English 

We offer:

• Working in a highly motivated research group
• Working in a DFG-funded project with multiple collaborators
• Possibilities to attend national and international conferences
• Well equipped BSL-2 facility
• Flexible working hours and workplace design 

The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increasing the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance with Lower Saxony regulations (§ 21 Section 3 NHG) female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal qualification.

In case of any questions, please contact Dr. Volker Kinast ().

Please send your application til 31^st March 2023 (motivation letter, letter of recommendation and CV) as one pdf-file preferred by email to Dr. Volker Kinast ().