Job advertisement
Vacancy ID: 024/2026
Closing date: 2026-03-01
The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Libert y, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.
The professorship of the Viral Ecology and Omics (VEO) seeks to fill the position of a:
PhD student bioinformatics:
Viral strategies in the global Microverse
commencing on 01 April 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. We offer a part-time position (75%, 30 hours per week) for four years.
The Viral Ecology and Omics Group ( veo.uni-jena.de ) aims to study the role of viruses in the Microverse. To do this, we combine microbiological and eco/evolutionary experiments with molecular biology, microscopy, (meta-) genomics, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and computational modelling. Our wet lab manager oversees a level S1/S2 wet lab featuring a state-of-the-art laboratory automation system with high throughput automatic plate reader, microscopy, microbiology, and molecular biology facilities. Our dry lab manager supports access to bioinformatics tools and databases on the FSU high-performance compute cluster, which consists of ~100 CPU and 12 GPU nodes, dedicated interactive and visualization nodes, and five high-memory (up to 4TB) nodes with access to global genomic and metagenomic datasets on our 2+ petabyte storage disks. We are embedded in the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse ( microverse-cluster.de ) which combines expertise in life, material, optical and computational sciences.
Your responsibilities:
* With your advisors, design and perform analyses to address the research questions.
* Analyse your results in the context of literature and public (meta-) ‘omics data.
* Take initiative to communicate and discuss your results with wet- and dry-lab group members.
* Report your findings in publications and presentations at international scientific platforms.
* Support Master students and undergraduate project students.
Your profile:
* A MSc in bioinformatics, theoretical biology, or microbiology with extensive coding experience.
* Knowledge of Python, R, Linux, Git.
* Hands-on experience with bacteriophages, metagenomics, phylogenomics.
* Strong motivation, excellent organisational skills, and ability to contribute to a friendly and collaborative working environment in a cross-disciplinary scientific research group.
* Excellent communication in English is required, both written and spoken. Fluency in German and other languages is advantageous.
We offer:
* A 75% funded position (30 hours per week).
* Embedding in a highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary research group that is world-leading in viral and microbial ecology.
* Excellent equipment and infrastructure for both experimental and computational work.
* Affiliation to the Jena School for Microbial Communication, a graduate school offering a comprehensive education programme to train your hard and soft career skills.
* Jena – City of Science: a young and lively town with a vibrant local cultural agenda. Jena is among the most liveable cities in Germany. Situated on the Saale River and surrounded by the famous Thuringian Forest, this city is ideal for lovers of nature and hiking.
* Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) up to salary scale E 13 (depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications), including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.
* 30 days of vacation per calendar year, plus two days off on December 24 and 31
To promote gender equality in science, applications by women are especially invited. Candidates with severe disabilities will be given preference in the case of equal qualifications and suitability.
Are you eager to work with us? Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but no later than the 1st of March 2026. Applications in English should comprise a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vitae including a list of your publications, copies of academic certificates, and names and contact details of two references. Please apply by using our online form.
For further information for applicants and the information on the collection of personal data, please refer to Data privacy and information for applicants