The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) unites the Medical Faculty of Georg-August University and the University Hospital in an integration model. With over 9,700 employees, the UMG and its subsidiaries are one of the largest employers in the region. More than 60 clinics, institutes and departments stand for high-quality patient care, excellent research and modern teaching.
Göttingen as a city of science is located in the center of Germany and the University Medical Center Göttingen is integrated into an attractive network of university and non-university scientific institutions.
Our goal as University Medical Center Göttingen is professional equality for all genders. We strive to equalize the gender ratio in areas where there is underrepresentation. The University Medical Center Göttingen is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled people and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal suitability, applications from severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the relevant regulations. We kindly ask you to indicate a disability/equal status in your letter of application in order to safeguard your interests.
The Institut für Molekularbiologie of the University Medical Centre Göttingen is looking for a new position to 01.01.2025
PhD position (f/m/d)
part time, hours per week, limited for 2 years
Remuneration according to TV-L
Our research group is located in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University Medical Centre Göttingen. The goal of our research is to understand how the pool of translation-competent ribosomes is maintained in human mitochondria and the mechanisms underlying the detection and elimination of defective mitochondrial ribosomes. Mitochondrial ribosomes synthesize the core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system and are therefore crucial for the production of cellular energy. Accumulation of non-functional mitochondrial ribosomes is associated with severe early-onset diseases where patients often suffer from neuropathy, blindness and cognitive impairment. We aim to understand i) how non-functional ribosomal particles are detected, ii) how they are eliminated, and iii) how mitochondrial ribosomes are interconnected with the quality control machineries.
To address this, we combine biochemical and cell biological approaches as well as mass spectrometry and structural biology, which is conducted in collaboration with other research groups on the Göttingen research campus. Göttingen is an international student city located in the center of Germany, where besides the University and University Medical Center a number of renowned institutes such as the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences are located, providing a stimulating collaborative environment. The project is integrated in the collaborative research centre 1565 funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) facilitating the conduction of multidisciplinary projects and the exchange of different expertise.
For recent examples of our research, see:
Lavdovskaia et al. (2024) Nat Struct Mol Biol., PMID: 38992089
Nadler et al. (2023) Biol. Chem., PMID: 37377370
Nadler et al. (2022) Nat. Communications, PMID: 36302763
Lavdovskaia et al. (2022) Trends Cell Biol., PMID: 34635384
Hillen et al. (2021) Nat. Communications, PMID: 34135319
Lavdovskaia et al. (2020) Nucleic Acids Research, PMID: 33264405
work in a stimulating, international and collaborative environment
drive and develop your own research project and participate in collaborative projects
apply a broad spectrum of advanced methods in biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology
as we offer different projects, the applicant will either deal with large data sets (sequencing and mass spectrometry results) or will purify ribosome complexes for structural analyses supported by local facilities or in collaboration with other research groups on the campus
present research results at national and international scientific conferences
you are a motivated and enthusiastic scientist who can work independently but also in a team
you should hold a BSc and MSc degree in life sciences such as molecular and cell biology, biochemistry or related subject
you should have background and interest in mitochondrial biology and/or gene expression
either previous experience in bioinformatics and handling large data sets or in structural biology are advantageous
fluent English language skills (written and spoken) are required
a project within a high-impact research field embedded in the collaborative environment of the Göttingen Campus including several supportive facilities and inspiring research consortia
fixed termed position for 2 years with further anticipated extension (max. 2 additional years) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)
salary will be in accordance to the German Public Sector Collective Agreement (TV-L 13)
Our goal as University Medical Center Göttingen is professional equality for all genders. We strive to equalize the gender ratio in areas where there is underrepresentation. The University Medical Center Göttingen is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled people and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal suitability, applications from severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the relevant regulations. We kindly ask you to indicate a disability/equal status in your letter of application in order to safeguard your interests.