PhD students (all genders) - CRC 1700 “Immune regulation in the liver: from

at  UKE Universittsklinikum HamburgEppendorf

BETTER TOGETHER. FOR LIFE.

At the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), we are committed to excellence in research, education, and comprehensive healthcare across our clinics. Every day, our team of approximately 15,300 dedicated employees works to make the world a healthier place. Our goal is to be one of the leading university hospitals while also being the best employer in our industry.
At UKE, we believe that meaningful and successful work should align with our employees’ personal needs and individual lifestyles. Just as diverse as these needs are, so too is the variety of personalized solutions we offer.

MAIN TASKS

Basic researchers and clinician scientists form functional and interacting research units at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1700 received funding approval from the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the end of 2024. From April 1, 2025, the CRC 1700 will enter its first funding period and we are looking for committed scientists in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, human genetics, virology, oncology, hepatology and immunology to strengthen our ambitious CRC.
The main goal of the CRC 1700 “Immune regulation in the liver: from homeostasis to disease” is an in-depth mechanistic understanding of the complex system of immune regulation in the liver. The liver functions as a central metabolic organ. Due to its anatomical position between the gastrointestinal tract and the rest of the body, it is constantly exposed to foreign and endogenous substances and antigens. In order to prevent an overreaction of the immune system and the resulting chronic inflammation, the liver induces immune tolerance. However, a higher immune tolerance favors susceptibility to viral diseases and the development of cancer. A deeper understanding of immune regulation in the liver is therefore essential in order to understand the fundamental biological principles of the human immune system. The CRC has a translational focus and aims to improve the treatment of acute and chronic liver and bile duct diseases.

YOUR TASKS:

• Conducting and analyzing elaborate and complex experimental studies in the fields of immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, and virology. These will be carried out using the latest methods and techniques from the field of basic and translational research
• Participation in the planning and design of experimental studies, including the planning of collaborations within the CRC, and with national and international partners
• Presentation of experimental results at internal events and national and international congresses
• Participation in the preparation of scientific publications
  We have several positions to fill. These positions are to be filled from April 1, 2025 until December 31, 2028 on a fixed-term basis at a rate of 65% of full time weekly working hours.

Please indicate three project preferences in your application:

• Institute of Inflammation and Carcinogenesis, Prof. N. Gagliani, Project A01 “Understanding the role of tissue-resident memory T cells in autoimmune liver diseases”
• I. Department of Medicine, Prof. J. Herkel & Dr. L. Adlung, Project A03 “The role of TNF in the regulation of hepatic autoimmunity”
• Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology & I. Department of Medicine, Dr. A. Worthmann & Dr. L. Bosurgi, Project A04 “Dictating hepatic immune responses through bile acid-scavenging macrophages”
• I. Department of Medicine, Dr. D. Schwinge, Project A05 “T cells and cholangiocytes: an interaction that governs portal immune regulation and determines bilary inflammation”
• I. Department of Medicine, Prof. C. Schramm, Project B03 “The biliary mucosal interface in hepatic immune regulation”
• I. Department of Medicine, Prof. S. Huber, Project A07 “Using functional genomics to decipher the impact of polymorphisms in the IL2RA locus and other primary sclerosing cholangitis risk loci”
• I. Department of Medicine, Dr. J. Kempski & Prof. S. Huber, Project B01 “Intestinal inflammation modulates liver immune responses”
• III. Department of Medicine, Prof. M. Bunders, Project B04 “ILC development and modulation of cholangiocytes in biliary atresia”
• I. Department of Medicine, Prof. M. Dandri, Project B05 “The role of infected hepatocytes in regulating intrahepatic immunity”
• I. Department of Medicine & Clinic for General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery Dr. A. Giannou, Project B06 “The tolerogenic microenvironment in the liver facilitates metastasis formation”

In addition, further doctoral positions are being advertised at CRC partner sites in Kiel, Berlin, Munich and the University of Hamburg. For further information, please follow the link https://www.uke.de/sfb/crc-1700/index.html to the SFB’s website.