Postdoc (f/m/x) in HCMV antibody research – Institute of Virology (KHS-37012)

Your tasks

• Designing and executing research studies focusing on the isolation of HCMV-specific antibodies and characterization of the humoral immune responses against Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV)
• Performing experiments within third-party funded projects in a biosafety level S1-S3
• Conduction of immunologic and virologic assays and methods, including primary cells, cell culture, virus cultures, PCR, cloning, flow cytometry, ELISA, and microscopy
• Optimization and development of novel assays to isolate and characterize HCMV-specific antibodies
• Correspondence with high ranking national and international collaborative partners
• Ensuring highest standards of quality through keeping detailed experimental protocols and records and writing research reports
• Participation in the preparation and submission of manuscripts and funding applications

Your Profile

• You hold a PhD, M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree in molecular biology, virology, immunology, or equivalent with a visible publication record
• Experience in handling of infectious agents, experience with HCMV or other herpes viruses is beneficial
• Experience with immunological methods (e.g., FACS, qPCR, ELISA)
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and solve problems
• Structured, solution-oriented and determined
• Execution of experiments in a highly detail-oriented and reliable manner
• Communicative and cooperative in working with interdisciplinary research teams (doctoral students, post-docs, technical assistants, physicians, collaborators)
• Excellent English communication skills, both spoken and written
• Professional project management experience would be beneficial

Our Offer

• A highly committed research group with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, physicians, technical assistants and project managers
• Diverse, challenging, and relevant work in an interesting, dynamic, and high-quality research environment
• Full access to state-of-the-art technology platforms and facilities to carry out cutting edge translational research
• National and international collaborations, both academic and with industry
• Personal development within the group and through further training
• A supportive and friendly work atmosphere

Your future with us

Working at the University Hospital Cologne and the Medical Faculty means helping to shape the future - the future of medicine, of patients and, of course, your own future. You benefit from 59 clinics and institutes as well as numerous other departments and facilities and more than 10,000 jobs. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne and the University Hospital Cologne assume important social tasks in research, teaching and patient care. A close network with many university and non-university partners guarantees an internationally successful science and the excellent education of our students.

Your future in detail

We are a highly dedicated, translational, and internationally well-connected research group focused on the fundamentals of the human immune response to infectious agents and their translation into clinical practice. The insights we gain serve to develop novel approaches for the prevention and treatment of infections.

Our team is passionate about understanding the antibody response to HCMV?a widespread virus that poses a serious health risk, particularly to immunocompromised individuals and newborns (Zehner et al. Immunity 2023). We aim to elucidate the molecular interactions between HCMV and its host and to uncover how the virus evades the immune system. These findings will help us identify new therapeutic targets. Additionally, we place special emphasis on isolating and characterizing antibodies against HCMV and studying their significance in protecting healthy individuals.

In our projects, we primarily work with human samples and employ a wide range of molecular biology methods. Promising antibodies can then serve as a basis for subsequent clinical studies. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies (e.g. Gieselmann et al. Nat Protoc. 2021), state-of-the-art BSL-1 to BSL-3 laboratories and several excellent core facilities and in-house services as well as interdisciplinary collaboration, we strive to develop innovative therapeutic approaches. Your contribution to our group's highly relevant research outcomes will significantly advance the development of new strategies for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Suggested further literature and previous work: Korenkov and Zehner et al. Immunity 2023, Kreer and Zehner et al. Cell 2020, Ehrhardt and Zehner et al. Nat. Med. 2019.

Contact:Dr. Matthias Zehner
+49 221 478-15124

Application deadline: 03.11.2024

Postal address:Universitätsklinikum Köln AöR
PA11
Geschäftsbereich Personal
50937 Köln