Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented scientists the chance to work on cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Biomedicine & Ageing”. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory. The research group of Johannes Mayer offers the following PhD project: Dendritic cells in the skin perform diverse functions. Acting primarily as sentinel cells, they form a critical bridge between the innate and adaptive immune system. Their ability to detect and respond to virtually all pathogens ensures rapid immune activation, while also modulating longer-term immune responses. Specifically, they play key roles in pathogen recognition, antigen uptake, processing and presentation, but also contribute to tissue homeostasis, tolerance to commensal microbes and wound healing. To carry out these diverse and complex tasks efficiently, dendritic cells have evolved into specialized subsets, each characterized by distinct phenotypic and functional properties, as well as distinct activation and interaction potentials and localization. Thus, type 1 dendritic cells are known to cross-present antigens and activate CD8 T cell responses, Langerhans Cells are associated with Tolerance and homeostasis, plasmacytoid DC contribute to the defense against viruses, while type 2 dendritic cells drive CD4 T helper cell differentiation, influencing the balance of Th1, Th2 or Th17 immune responses. Recent advances in single cell profiling have identified additional Dendritic cell populations, including transitional tDC and type 3 Dendritic cells. Yet, their functional role in tissues is incompletely understood. We hypothesize that these Dendritic cells have a unique functional profile and are located within defined locations within the skin to facilitate specialized interactions. Understanding type 3 dendritic cells biology in the context of health and disease will allow us to develop targeted therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating their activity for improved clinical outcomes. PhD project: Type 3 Dendritic cell immunology and functionality in the skin In our previous work we have developed a number of tools to study skin dendritic cells on a single cell level. This includes single-cell RNAseq datasets and analysis tools, large high-dimensional flow cytometry phenotyping panels and a collection of transgenic mouse models specifically engineered for the reporting, lineage tracing, or conditional deletion of defined dendritic cell subsets, providing powerful genetic tools for dissecting cell-specific roles in vivo. Using and optimizing these tools to study Type 3 Dendritic cells in mouse models of health and disease will be critical to characterize their unique biology and location. This work will be essential for elucidating their functional role in skin immunity and homeostasis, and evaluating their therapeutic potential in modulating immune responses in dermatological diseases. This PhD requires a strong background in immunology, previous experience with the complex phenotyping of immune cells and proficiency in working with in vivo animal models, including handling, experimental design and tissue sampling. If you are interested in this project, please select Mayer (DC3) as your project preference in the IPP application platform. Are you an ambitious scientist looking to push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start! All you need is: Master or equivalent Interactive personality & good command of English 2 letters of reference We offer Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a lively international environment, with English as our working language Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis A lively community of more than 200 PhD students from 44 different countries