Fungal pathogens pose serious threats to public health and agriculture. They can even be responsible for the extinction of species, thereby shaping whole ecosystems. For their defeat, it is vital to uncover their infection strategies. Thereby, their Achilles’ heel can be identified for the development of novel fungicides. We investigate the role of RNA-binding proteins during pathogenic development of the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis (Sankaranarayanan 2023, PloS Path). We discovered that the multi-KH domain protein Khd4 is essential for infection. This RNA-binding protein regulates the stability of target mRNAs that function during regulation of intracellular membrane trafficking (Sankaranarayanan 2023, PNAS). The aim of this project is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms. To this end we combine RNA biochemistry with microbial genetics and live cell observation. In particular, we aim to use innovative RNA proximity labelling approaches to understand regulation at the transcriptome-wide level. S. Sankaranarayanan$, S. Kwon$, K. Heimel, M. Feldbrügge (2023) The RNA world of fungal pathogens. PLoS Path, 30: e1011762. S. Sankaranarayanan, C. Haag, P. Petzsch, K. Köhrer, A. Matuszynska, K. Zarnack, M. Feldbrügge (2023) The mRNA stability factor Khd4 defines a specific mRNA regulon for membrane trafficking in the pathogen Ustilago maydis. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 120: e2301731120. A Master degree in biology/biochemistry or related life sciences Practical experience in molecular biology, biochemistry and/or microbiology Experience in eukaryotic microorganisms, plant pathogens, RNA biochemistry and/or fluorescence microscopy is desirable A strong motivation in experimental work, literature search, and scientific writing Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English and in communicating in an interdisciplinary research environment Participation in teaching of microbiological courses is expected We cover broad research interests: 1. Microbial RNA biology 2. Microbial Interaction, and 3. Microbial Biotechnology for optimal training and development of PhD students. International and interdisciplinary research environment with a renowned faculty Excellent training and research environment with state-of-the-art research equipment and the opportunity to integrate into our research networks such as the Collaborative Research Centre 1535 \"Microbial Networking,\" the Cluster of Excellence CEPLAS “Smart Plants,” and the Graduate School \"Molecules of Infection.\" Comprehensive administrative support for international students The pay grade is 13 TV-L 65% The employment is initially limited to one year with an option for prolongation. It is a qualification position in the sense of the Act of Academic Fixed-Term Contract (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG), which is to promote the scientific qualification of the employee. Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf aims at increasing the percentage of employed women. Applications from women will therefore be given preference in cases of equal aptitude, ability and professional achievements unless there are exceptional reasons for choosing another applicant. Applications from suitably qualified severely disabled persons or disabled persons regarded as being of equal status according to Book IX of the German Social Code (SGB - Soziales Gesetzbuch) are encouraged.