Ahmed Ghallab

Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) in Dortmund is offering a PhD position in the Department of Toxicology within an interdisciplinary research environment that combines ergonomics, immunology, toxicology, psychology, and neuroscience. The project focuses on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis and more severe liver disease. The research aims to clarify how bile macropinocytosis contributes to disease progression, and to identify mechanisms that could be targeted to slow or prevent the worsening of liver injury. The doctoral researcher will work on an in vivo project using mouse models of MASLD progression. The work includes preparing and characterizing mouse models, carrying out therapeutic intervention experiments, collecting tissue and blood samples, and processing biological material for downstream analysis. The project also involves histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of liver tissue, biochemical analysis of blood samples, and gene expression studies. In addition, the candidate will contribute to data analysis and present findings in departmental seminars. The research uses modern methods and infrastructure, including functional intravital imaging , ELISA , real-time quantitative PCR , and immunoblotting . The advertised position is embedded in a research program supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), and the department highlights access to well-equipped cell and molecular biology laboratories, confocal and two-photon microscopy, and a mouse facility with reporter strains for liver cell types. Prof. Ahmed Ghallab is listed as the contact person for this opportunity.