Careers

Join an interdisciplinary team building communities between living and synthetic matter!

The research group led by Prof. Andreas Walther at JGU Mainz seeks applicants for several PhD and postdoctoral positions within the ERC Advanced Grant ProtoEco “Protoecologies between Artificial Cells and Mammalian Cells”.

The overarching objective is to establish whether artificial cells can coexist, communicate and cooperate with mammalian cells in structured 2D and 3D environments. Rather than treating artificial cells as isolated mimics of life, ProtoEco will build biohybrid micro-communities that exchange metabolites, energy and signals. Projects span polymer- and DNA-based artificial cells carrying enzymatic reaction networks and molecular computing circuits, their interfacing with mammalian cells in tissue-like assemblies, and adaptive signalling concepts for therapeutic models. This work aims to establish design principles for emergent, adaptive, collective and homeostatic behaviour in synthetic–living consortia.

• Master’s degree (PhD positions) or PhD (postdoctoral positions) in chemistry, synthetic biology, biomaterials, bioengineering or cell biology
• Practical experience with artificial cells, DNA nanotechnology, reaction networks, microfluidics, cell culture or quantitative microscopy
• Enthusiasm for interdisciplinary, high-risk/high-gain research

For more information about the positions and application requirements, visit the Walther Lab website and, more specifically, this link.

Applicants are advised to send their CV, motivation letter and transcripts to Prof. Andreas Walther (walther-application[at]uni-mainz.de).

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the positions are filled; the first team members will be recruited by the end of November.