Ph.D Student (f/m/x) positions for the DFG Transregio SFB 259 Aortic Disease in Köln

The successful candidate will join a dynamic research lab and will participate in the analysis of molecular and immunological mechanisms regulating vascular remodelling and aneurysm formation in Marfan’s Disease. In the particular project, we are focusing on Marfan Syndrome, an autosomal-dominant hereditary connective-tissue disorder caused by a mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene (Fbn1) and the modulation of the elastic-fiber scaffold of the vessel wall leading subsequently to aneurysm formation.

Applications are invited from candidates who recently obtained their Diploma/Master’s degree. The applicant should have a strong background in molecular biology and enthusiasm to study basic mechanisms of disease processes. Applicants should also be interested in immunological research and have basic knowledge of immunology. Experience in flow cytometry is a plus. The successful candidate will be actively involved in mouse work and previous experience is desirable, but not mandatory. 

All projects within the aim to address the underlying resident and non-resident molecular and cellular mechanisms of aortic disease, with a particular focus on aortic valve stenosis, aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection. To date, the only treatments available for aortic disease have been surgical, invasive, and reactionary, thus, earlier indicators of disease are desperately needed. With this in mind, projects were selected for this consortium to collaboratively address the following fundamental questions:

1) What are the key cellular players in the innate and adaptive immune processes that are involved in aortic disease?

2) Which danger signals, mediators, and cytokines govern the pathological interaction between circulating cells and resident cells?

3) Which specific signaling pathways in interstitial smooth muscle cells drive aortic disease?

4) How do resident cell death pathways influence aortic wall inflammation and extracellular matrix composition?

Working at the University Hospital Cologne and the Medical Faculty means helping to shape the future - the future of medicine, of patients and, of course, your own future. You benefit from 59 clinics and institutes as well as numerous other departments and facilities and more than 10,000 jobs. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne and the University Hospital Cologne assume important social tasks in research, teaching and patient care. A close network with many university and non-university partners guarantees an internationally successful science and the excellent education of our students.

We offer a stimulating scientific environment (, , ) on the campus complemented by numerous national and international collaborations of the group. Besides excellent supervision, the position offers participation in the of the natural sciences faculty, University Cologne or  of the medical faculty, University of Cologne. Applicants will have access to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity for collaborations in an excellent scientific setting within and beyond the SFB TRR259. Methods to be used include: molecular biology, immunofluorescence, imaging, transgenic mouse models and cell lines, biochemistry, cell biology, high-modality flow cytometry, bulk and single cell RNA sequencing.

Further information is available .  

Have we awakened your interest? Please submit your application (including a detailed CV, list of publications, two references and a brief statement of research interests) via the application platform of the University Hospital of Cologne.