2 three-year PhD candidate positions in Autophagy and Immunology

Berlin-Buch | Max Delbrück Center

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association aims to transform tomorrow’s medicine through our discoveries of today. At locations in Berlin-Buch, Berlin-Mitte, Heidelberg and Mannheim, our researchers harness interdisciplinary collaboration to decipher the complexities of disease at the systems level – from molecules and cells to organs and the entire organism. Through academic, clinical, and industry partnerships, as well as global networks, we strive to translate biological discoveries into applications that enable the early detection of deviations from health, personalize treatment, and ultimately prevent disease. First founded in 1992, the Max Delbrück Center today inspires and nurtures a diverse talent pool of 1,800 people from over 70 countries. We are 90 percent funded by the German federal government and 10 percent by the state of Berlin.

The Simon group seeks to uncover innovative strategies for extending healthspan.
Two PhD candidate positions (m/f/d) according to German pay grade 13, are available from now in the group of Anna Katharina (Katja) Simon at the Max-Delbrück-Center in Berlin in the area of ‘Autophagy in the immune system.’

Job Description

Our society is experiencing rapid aging due to lower birth rates and increased life expectancy. While people are living longer, the quality of life—particularly concerning health—has remained stagnant over the past 15 to 20 years. Elevated clinical frailty in older adults increases susceptibility to stressors such as falls, surgeries, and infections, highlighting the urgent need to improve the number of years spent free from significant disease burdens–also referred to as healthspan.

The Simon group studies the role of autophagy in fate, function and aging of immune cells, investigating immune metabolism, inflammation and immunity. Our work spans molecular and organismal levels, aiming to translate our findings into clinical trials. See Zhang et al, Mol Cell 2019, Alsaleh et al, Elife 2020, Zhou et al Nat Comms 2022, Borsa et al bioRxiv 2024, Piletic et al, bioRxiv 2024 for recent examples. We reviewed this field in Clarke et al, Nat Rev Immunology in 2018.

The MDC offers a highly vibrant scientific environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure for immunological platforms such as flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics, imaging, and in vivo work. Numerous interactions with other groups working in immunology, metabolism, cell biology, and ‘OMICS’ on our Campus in Berlin-Buch are available.

We are seeking two PhD students to join the UNION project, which is funded by the European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The Simon-led projects within the UNION program aim to tackle the decrease in autophagic function in immune cells of aging organisms, both in mice and humans, while evaluating their ability to improve vaccine responses in older adults. The Simon group, in collaboration with the UNION network, seeks to uncover innovative strategies for extending healthspan. Selected candidates will spend several months at partner laboratories within the UNION network, which includes sites in Germany and within the European continent. They will benefit from extensive expertise across various aging-related fields provided by the expert consortium of UNION. Participation in this network will maximize candidates’ future career prospects in science and beyond, as they will have opportunities for advanced training and networking environment, both at the MDC and through programs offered in the UNION network.

Requirements

The recruitment process will adhere to the principles outlined in the European Charter for Researchers.
We welcome applications from DCs of any nationality, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation or age to undertake a PhD, fulfilling the following criteria:

1. Eligible candidates must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.

2. Comply with the mobility rule that eligible candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date (i.e. the starting date indicated in the employment contract/equivalent direct contract.

3. Eligible candidates must have a master’s degree relevant to the chosen position (including biology, medicine, biochemistry, bioinformatics or a related discipline, depending on each PhD project) or its equivalent that would entitle them to a doctorate one month before the labor contract starts, or must hold an official university qualification from a country of the European Higher Education Area with a minimum of 300 ECTs of official university studies.

4. Successful candidates must have a high level of proficiency in written and spoken English, which will be assessed with the motivation letter and the interview, respectively.

A female or minority candidate will be prioritized if two candidates are equally qualified.

We offer

international working environment with communication in English and German
interesting career opportunities and a range of opportunities for further qualification and training
Compatibility of family and career certified by the workandfamily audit (“berufundfamilie audit”)
Support for "New Berliners" through the MDC Welcome & Family Office

You also benefit from:

a remuneration in accordance with the collective agreement for the federal public service (TVöD-Bund), including additional company pension schemes
a secure job
flexible working hours and childcare support
the possibility of mobile working
an idyllic green campus, which is easily accessible by bicycle, public transport or car
free use of Nextbike from the Buch S-Bahn station to the campus
Subsidy for the job ticket as well as discounts in the campus canteen
On-campus health and fitness center
additional health benefits such as flu vaccination, eye test, ergonomics advice at the workplace

Further Information:

Job Type:

PhD student

Team:

Simon Lab

Application Period:

May 18, 2025

Workplace:

MDC Berlin-Buch

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Salary:

Remuneration will be according to the TVöD Bund, depending on the personal requirements, up to the fee group 13.

Desired starting date:

September 01, 2025

Limitation:

Fixed Term
Die Stelle ist auf 3 Jahre befristet.

Contact:

Prof. Katja Simon katja.simon@mdc-berlin.de Dr. Sebastian Hofer sebastian.hofer@mdc-berlin.de
Cell Biology of Immunity
katja.simon@mc-berlin.de

Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

MDC values diversity and is committed to fostering an inclusive, fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equitable consideration for employment based on their experience and qualifications, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or other personal characteristics. We recognize that creating diverse teams that represent a broad range of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds strengthen our work and research. We welcome applications from open-minded people who embrace working together in a diverse environment. Applications from severely disabled people will be given particular consideration.

Application:

Please use our online portal and submit your application including a cover letter, CV (without photo, age and information about your family status) and other relevant attachments.
If you have a foreign degree, please submit proof of the recognition of your Master's degree in Germany with your application. The proof can be determined via the anabin database and can be submitted as a PDF attachment to the application. Further information can be found at Recognition of Degrees and Achievments.
For information on fair mobility, click here: https://www.fair-labour-mobility.eu/.

Apply now