Your mission
The position is initially limited to 3 years.
Pathogen-related infections cost millions of lives every year. Several new strategies for combatting pathogens involve developing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that act as living therapeutics. However, we must first establish responsible approaches to ensure that GMOs are safe for therapeutic use. The successful candidate will aim to develop safe GMOs for therapeutic use against infectious diseases. The goal is to develop effective treatments against pathogens directly at the site of the infection, while keeping the native microbiome intact. The candidate will develop novel biocontainment tools to render therapeutic microbes safe for potential future applications. The project “TheraSafe” will strengthen our research in synthetic biology and enhance the translational approaches to develop new treatments for infectious diseases.
We seek an excellent and enthusiastic PhD student from 1st of June 2026. Candidates with background in microbiology or synthetic biology and enthusiasm for both translational science as well as novel therapeutic concepts are welcome to apply.
The candidate will be integrated into the Leibniz-HKI, specifically the Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, embedded in an outstanding scientific environment with state-of-the-art research facilities and top equipment. The project will be closely associated with the SynThera consortium, a joint effort from Leibniz-HKI and the University of Jena. The successful candidate is expected to actively collaborate within our interdisciplinary research community.