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PhD position (m/f/x) (for 3 years)
Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
Source: Headcount Labs · original listing ↗
Job data: Headcount Labs, ODbL 1.0. Job descriptions belong to their employers.
Source date: 10/30/2026
About this role
Klingt spannend? Das sind wir: The University Hospital Erlangen, founded in 1815, is a center of state-of-the-art research and clinical medicine. More than 10,000 employees from around 50 professions carry out excellent research and care for our patients. Immunomedicine is a major research and clinical focus of the University Hospital Erlangen and the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg. The *Research Training Group (RTG; Graduiertenkolleg, GRK) 2740 "ImmunoMicroTope"*, which has started in January 2022, is a research consortium funded by the *Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft* (DFG, German Research Foundation) and headed by Prof. Christian Bogdan. It is run by 13 outstanding research group leaders located in Erlangen and maintains close cooperations with laboratories in Regensburg and Cologne. The RTG2740 focuses on the *in situ* analysis of the tissue microenvironment, the micromilieu factors and the metabolites that determine the immune response against bacterial, parasitic and fungal pathogens. The overarching goal of the consortium is the characterization of the complex "immunomicrotope" during infections (Bogdan et al., *Trends in Parasitology* 2024 [10.1016/j.pt.2024.07.013](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2024.07.013)). Your tasks: Within the *RTG2740 "ImmunoMicroTope*", Prof. Christian Bogdan offers a PhD position in his young and dynamic research team in the project B2 "Role of sex and microbiota for the curative effect of L-arginine in chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to *Leishmania mexicana* infection". Type 2 nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) converts the amino acid L-arginine (L-arg) and oxygen into nitric oxide, which exerts antimicrobial and immunoregulatory functions. In previous studies, Prof. Bogdan's group has shown that the NOS2 is essential for the T-helper cell 1 dependent control of intracellular pathogens, including the protozoan parasite *Leishmania*. In contrast, the expression of arginase 1 (Arg1) correlated with the progression of disease, pathogen persistence and immunopathology. Moreover, the group observed that the non-healing, chronic course in *Leishmania mexicana* infected female mice was prevented and reversed by external application of L-arg. Currently, it is unclear, whether this effect is sex-dependent and whether it is influenced by the cutaneous and/or intestinal microbiota. The project aims to adress these questions to provide new mechanistic insights into the L-arginine-based therapy of chronic leishmaniasis. For more information, please visit [www.immunomicrotope.de](https://www.immunomicrotope.de/beispiel-seite/project-areas/project-area-b-metabolism/b2-characterization-and-integrative-bioinformatic-modeling-of-metabolic-and-micro-milieu-factors-promoting-leishmania-survival/) and [www.mikrobiologie.uk-erlangen.de/en/research/research-groups/research-group-of-prof-c-bogdan/](http://www.mikrobiologie.uk-erlangen.de/en/research/research-groups/research-group-of-prof-c-bogdan/) .[](http://www.immunomicrotope.de/) Comments: * The program starts on July 1st 2027 * The PhD position is available for initially 36 months * Pay grade is determined according to the qualifications and personal requirements as defined by TV-L E13 * Please provide a single PDF file (last name_first name.pdf) consisting of the following documents in English language: 1. Completed application form (RTG 2740 Application form_PhD; [www.immunomicrotope.de](https://www.immunomicrotope.de/how-to-apply/)) 2. Curriculum vitae 3. Letter of motivation 4. One-page summary each of the bachelor and master thesis 5. Copies of the university entrance exam, Bachelor exam and Master exam 6. Two letters of reference 7. Other credentials and information relevant to the RTG2740 program Please note that applications that do not fulfill these formal requirements, will not be considered. Deadline for application is January 15, 2027. The recruitment symposium will take place at the end of February 2027. Essential experience/qualifications: * Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in life sciences * Excellent academic performance and high level of scientific interest * Practical and theoretic experience in the field of immunology, molecular biology, cell biology and/or parasitology * Knowledge in mammalian cell culture, cell and molecular biology methods (e.g., RNA/DNA isolation, quantitative PCR, ChIP, bulk and scRNAseq, bioinformatic analyses), and fluorescence (confocal) microscopy * Enthusiasm for experimental work and for establishing new experimental methods and techniques * Very good English language skills * Proficiency in MS Office, Excel, Prism, Illustrator * Solid knowledge of bioinformatic programs * Team spirit * Sense of responsibility, initiative, ambition, motivation and determination Additionally beneficial are: * Experience in the field of parasitology * Experience with experimental *in vivo* models * Experience with imaging methods * Experience in bioinformatic analyses * FELASA B certificate We offer: * Participation in the 3-year qualification program of the RTG2740, which combines profound, internationally oriented scientific training with an early exposure to important aspects of translational research * Well equipped lab with access to the latest technologies (e.g., scRNA sequencing; confocal, light sheet and high-resolution microscopy; transcriptomics) and core-facilities * A stimulating, collaborative, and international research environment formed by the FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine ([https://www.immunology.fau.de/](https://www.immunology.fau.de/)), various collaborative research consortia, and the Max-Planck-Center for Physics and Medicine * Continuous supervision and advice by a scientific mentoring committee * Participation in national and international workshops, symposia, conferences, and an international laboratory exchange * All public service benefits, including supplementary benefits from the Federal and State Government Pension Fund (VBL) [Alle Benefits am UKER](/arbeiten-am-uker/ihre-benefits/ "Alle Benefits am UKER")