Postdoctoral Position: Cancer-Immune Interactions in Interconnected Human Organoid Systems
We are seeking an exceptional Postdoctoral Researcher to spearhead research on how cancer fundamentally alters immune responses against vaccines using next-generation human tissue and organoid models. Current vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer benefit only a subset of patients, partly due to our limited understanding of how tumors systemically impair immune responses. Meanwhile, traditional animal models often fail to capture the complexity of human immune-cancer interactions. This position represents a unique opportunity to pioneer the development of organ-on-a-chip systems that link tumor microenvironments with immunological tissues, addressing this critical knowledge gap in vaccine development and clinical translation. Supported by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, an ERC Starting Grant, and the DFG Emmy Noether Program, our lab provides a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. The postdoctoral position is part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation-funded “ImmuneMPS” consortium, which aims to develop microphysiological systems to advance understanding of cancer–immune interactions. The consortium brings together six research groups in Tübingen with complementary expertise in microfluidics, organoid generation, onco-immunology, and bioinformatics. If you’re excited about developing the next generation of cancer-adapted vaccines, we encourage you to apply.
Your Mission: As part of the Systems Immunology Lab, you will:
* Engineer multi-organ microphysiological systems with tumor organoids and lymphoid tissue models
* Investigate systemic immune dysfunction in cancer patients and its impact on vaccine efficacy
* Develop personalized vaccination strategies by modeling patient-specific tumor-immune interactions
* Integrate omics approaches with microphysiological modeling
* Interpret data, write manuscripts, and present findings at conferences and seminars
* Collaborate across disciplines with engineers, clinicians, and computational biologists in Tübingen and within our international network (US, CH, NL)
Key publications from our group
* Wimmers F, et al. Multi-omics analysis of mucosal and systemic immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after birth. Cell 2023. Link
* Wimmers F, et al. The single-cell epigenomic and transcriptional landscape of immunity to influenza vaccination. Cell 2021. Link
* Wimmers F, Pulendran B. Emerging technologies for systems vaccinology – multi-omics integration and single-cell (epi)genomic profiling. Curr Opin Immunol 2020. Link
Essential Qualifications
* PhD in Immunology, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, or related field
* Proven expertise working independently with organoids, primary immune cell culture, or microfluidics
* Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals
* Experience with flow cytometry and/or single-cell technologies
* Highly Desirable Experiences: Cancer immunology, organ-on-a-chip, computational skills, vaccine development
Benefits for you.
* A diverse and challenging job with a stimulating, high-profile research project
* A fully funded multi-year postdoc position (remuneration according to TV-L salary scale 13)
* Training in wet-lab & computational work; intensive mentoring within the ImmuneMPS consortium
* Excellent wetlab, organoid, and computational infrastructure in a thriving biotech hub
* Make one of the most picturesque, enjoyable, and ecological towns your home ( BBC & ZEIT )! Tübingen has a long history of academic excellence (founded in 1477; DNA was discovered here ; linked to 11 Nobel laureates) and is an innovation center in medicine and machine learning.
About Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
The Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen is an international and interdisciplinary research institution and has been awarded the status of a University of Excellence. Tübingen is home to six internationally recognized research clusters, including in cancer immunology ( iFIT ), machine learning and AI ( ML ), and infection medicine ( CMFI ). The University Hospital has a strong track record in translational research and houses innovative clinical centers (Comprehensive Cancer Center, German Cancer Consortium, National Center for Tumor Diseases).
Start date : flexible, roughly between Nov '25 and Feb '26
How to apply: Please send your CV (max. 3 pages), a cover letter motivating your interest in the position (max. 2 pages), and the name and address of 3 references to Dr. Florian Wimmers ( molmed@ifib.uni-tuebingen.de ). Please mention " Postdoctoral Position: Cancer-Immune Interactions " in your subject line.