The Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD) at LMU, Munich is mostly financed by foundation funds. Its activities range from basic research to the conduct of clinical trials. The ISD employs around 150 staff, doctoral students, scholarship holders and visiting scientists from abroad.
Scope of duties
This is a scientist role at the Mesoscale Hub of the DFG-funded Excellence cluster for Systems Neurology () with a strong “science enabler” and project-driver focus. You will run and evolve our tissue clearing and light-sheet imaging pipeline, support and manage collaborations across SyNergy, and help translate data into robust, quantitative insight. The primary responsibility is to support and drive collaborative SyNergy projects; in addition, the role includes scientific contributions to a defined research topic aligned with the Mesoscale Hub, with co-authorship on resulting publications.
1. Implementation of tissue-clearing projects in collaborative projects with the SyNergy Excellence Cluster
2. Help with data analysis and data visualization
3. Methods development
4. Development of new analysis pipelines in collaboration with our AI team
5. Lab support: Maintenance of cutting-edge light-sheet microscopes
6. (Optionally) support with writing new animal experiment licenses
7. Troubleshoot data acquisition and integration with LIMS, cloud and on-prem systems
Our requirements
8. Strong background in tissue clearing and or fluorescence microscopy
9. Hands-on experience with light-sheet systems and 3D imaging workflows
10. Proficiency with 3D visualization tools such as Imaris and or arivis Vision4D; experience with BigStitcher or similar for large volumes
11. Practical knowledge of atlas registration and quantitative analysis in cleared tissues
12. Working knowledge of image analysis and automation is welcome
13. examples: Fiji ImageJ, Python for batch processing, napari, basic ML or deep learning toolchains
14. Advantageous but not required
15. FELASA B and experience coordinating animal experiments
16. Experience with VR-based annotation tools and 3D proofreading
17. MSc or PhD in life sciences, biomedical engineering, optical physics, or a related field
18. Excellent communication skills in scientific English
19. Service mindset, strong organization, and the ability to keep multiple collaborations moving
Our offer
20. We are a highly collaborative team at the interface between LMU and Helmholtz Munich.
21. Our mission is to understand complex biology in 3D by combining tissue clearing, light-sheet and advanced microscopy, high-throughput analysis, and AI. The Mesoscale Hub serves SyNergy investigators with end-to-end support: experimental design, clearing and staining, 3D imaging, atlas registration, quantitative analysis, secure data handling, and training.
22. Our culture is team-driven, international, and interdisciplinary, with biologists, engineers, physicists, and computer scientists working side by side on ambitious projects.
23. Our pioneering work has been recognized by high-profile scientific journals including Nature Neuroscience, Cai…Ertürk 2018, Cell, Pan…Ertürk 2019, Cell, Zhao…Ertürk 2020, Cell, Bhatia…Ertürk 2022, Cell, Kolabas…Ertürk (2023), Nature Biotechnology, Mai…Ertürk (2024), Nature Biotechnology, Luo…Ertürk (2025), and has been featured in prominent media outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
24. To learn more about our ground-breaking work, visit our website at>Remuneration is based on the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Länder (TV-L) including all allowances customary in the public sector.
25. How to apply
26. Primary contact: Prof. Ali Maximilian Ertürk
27. Please send a single PDF including your short cover letter, CV, two to three referees, and earliest start date