PhD Position in Plant Biology: Heat Shock Factors, Temperature Sensing, and Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops in Germany

PhD position in Plant Biology at the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) in Großbeeren, Germany, in the research group Temperature Sensing in Plants. The project is part of a DFG-funded study titled “A modular prion-like domain code for the activation of the heat shock factors in plants”.

The research focuses on how heat shock factors (HSFs) sense temperature in Arabidopsis thaliana, with particular attention to intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), prion-like domains (PLDs), and liquid-liquid phase separation. The post builds on recent findings about HSFA1 transcription factors and temperature-dependent phase separation, and is well suited to candidates interested in plant stress signaling, molecular plant biology, protein biochemistry, and gene regulation.

Tasks include cloning and construct creation, experimental design, plant growth and survival assays under heat stress, protein biochemistry and purification, plant physiological measurements, molecular biological investigations such as gene expression analyses, and analysis/publication of results in international journals.

Applicants should hold a Master’s/Diploma in biology, food chemistry, biochemistry, biosciences, or a related field. The ad asks for knowledge of plant stress signaling, cloning and plant biology, temperature signaling, molecular biology methods, statistical analysis, MS Office, and strong English skills. The institute also values independence, responsibility, organisation, teamwork, and readiness to work in an international environment.

The position is fixed term for three years, with salary according to TV-L E13, 65%. The doctorate can be pursued at the University of Potsdam. The application deadline is 2026-07-05.

To apply, email a PDF application to [email protected] including a motivation letter, CV, academic certificates, two references, earliest starting date, and reference number 09/2026/1. For questions, contact Prof. Dr. Philip Wigge at [email protected].