PhD in Synthetic Biology and Living Therapeutic Materials INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials in Germany

PhD opportunity in Synthetic Biology and Living Therapeutic Materials at INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Germany.

This opening is for a doctoral researcher (f/m/d) in the Department of Materials Synthetic Biology. The project sits at the intersection of synthetic biology, biomaterials, and medical science, with a focus on developing next-generation living therapeutic materials for controlled and effective in vitro drug delivery.

The successful candidate will work with engineered microorganisms and living therapeutic systems, exploring how material environments shape biological function. The role is embedded in the Leibniz Science Campus on Living Therapeutic Materials (LSC-Lifemat), an interdisciplinary and international consortium involving synthetic biologists, materials scientists, microbiologists, and clinicians.

Research tasks include molecular cloning (such as Gibson assembly and restriction enzyme cloning), generating and analyzing engineered bacteria for therapeutic applications, protein production/purification/characterization (IMAC, SEC, SDS-PAGE, Western blot), assessing bacterial longevity and viability using FACS, microscopy, and spectrophotometry, collaborating on in vivo testing in zebrafish models, and contributing to data analysis, figures, publications, meetings, and conferences.

Eligibility highlights: a master’s degree in biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, or a related field (or near completion), strong practical cloning experience, experience with prokaryotic protein expression and purification, a solid background in microbial culture and bioprocesses, self-motivation, and very good written and spoken English.

Funding and conditions: the post is a PhD position at INM with close supervision, mentoring, access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, and support for scientific publishing and conference participation. The post description does not specify a stipend amount or tuition coverage.

Application: submit a motivation letter, CV, university transcripts and grades, publication list if available, and contact details of two academic references via the application system. Deadline: 2026-05-31. Questions can be directed to Dr. Veronika Vetýšková or Prof. Wilfried Weber.