Postdoc (f/m/x) position

• Isolation of murine tissue samples for sequencing and metabolomic approaches
• Isolation and culture of mouse primary cells as ex-vivo system
• Perform diverse sequencing methods (EU-, ATAC-, ChIP-, Cut&Break-seq)
• Independent data analysis
• Preparation of results for publications and presentations

• A Ph.D. degree with advanced training in molecular and cellular biology, animal genetics and/or pathology
• Advanced experience in mouse genetics and tissue handling, and cell culture is essential
• FELASA-B certification (or equivalent) is required
• Strong expertise in sequencing techniques and data handling
• A research background in physiology, metabolism or aging is a plus
• Ability to independently drive research projects and animal experiment proposals (according to german law)
• High level of motivation, enthusiasm, resilience and positivity
• Ability and willingness to work in a collaborative team
• Excellent communication in English (written and speech)

Have we awakened your interest? Please submit your application (including a detailed CV, list of publications, at least two letters of reference and a brief statement of research interests) online.

What we have to offer is a vibrant work environment with strong affiliation within the FOR5504 research unit. This offers the opportunity of mentoring and interactions with several global scientific leaders in their respective fields. In addition, the highly collaborative research environment in Cologne provides us with access to state-of-the-art core facilities, including the entire OMICS-spectrum and imaging techniques.

Working at the University Hospital Cologne and the Medical Faculty means helping to shape the future - the future of medicine, of patients and, of course, your own future. You benefit from 60 clinics and institutes as well as numerous other departments and facilities and more than 12,000 jobs. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne and the University Hospital Cologne assume important social tasks in research, teaching and patient care. A close network with many university and non-university partners guarantees an internationally successful science and the excellent education of our students.

As part of DFG-funded, research unit FOR 5504 on ‘Physiological causes and consequences of genome instability’ we are looking for a full-time (38.5 hrs/week), highly qualified and passionate candidate (f/m/x) for a postdoctoral position (TVL-E13, 100%) in the affiliated subproject ‘The impact of chronic genome instability on tissue homeostasis and how reduced diet alleviates DNA damage-driven functional deterioration’ in the research group of Prof. Jan Hoeijmakers within the CECAD research center, Cologne, Germany (department: Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease, Prof. Schumacher).

The subproject aims at gaining a completer insight of the impact of genome instability (GI)-related transcriptional stress (TS) on systemic aging and underlying mechanisms. The group further aims to characterize the genomic, transcriptional and metabolic burden of increasing GI and TS in different postmitotic tissues and to examine the effects of dietary-restriction-induced metabolic redesign.

To achieve this, state-of-the-art mammalian GI models will be employed in combination with multi-OMICS- and high-throughput sequencing approaches, and in-vitro and ex-vivo techniques.

Selected publications:

1. Gyenis A, […], Hoeijmakers JHJ, Pothof J. Genome-wide RNA polymerase stalling shapes the transcriptome during aging. Nat Genet. 2023 Feb;55(2):268-279. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01279-6. Epub 2023 Jan 19. PMID: 36658433; PMCID: PMC9925383.
2. Schumacher B, Pothof J, Vijg J, Hoeijmakers JHJ (2021). The central role of DNA damage in the ageing process. Nature. 2021 Apr;592(7856):695-703. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03307-7. Epub 2021 Apr 28. PMID: 33911272.
3. Lans H, Hoeijmakers JHJ, Vermeulen W, Marteijn JA (2019). The DNA damage response to transcription stress. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2019 Sep 26. doi: 10.1038/s41580-019-0169-4. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31558824  
4. Milanese C, […], Hoeijmakers JHJ, Mastroberardino PG (2019). DNA damage and transcription stress cause ATP-mediated redesign of metabolism and potentiation of anti-oxidant buffering. Nat Commun. 2019 Oct 25;10(1):4887. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12640-5. PMID: 31653834
5. Vermeij WP, […], Vijg J, van Steeg H, Hoeijmakers JHJ. Restricted diet delays accelerated ageing and genomic stress in DNA-repair-deficient mice. Nature. 2016 Sep 15;537(7620):427-431. doi: 10.1038/nature19329. Epub 2016 Aug 24. PMID: 27556946; PMCID: PMC5161687.