PhD Positions
We are looking for two PhD students! One plant cell biologist in the Marie Curie Doctoral Network AGILE, which is a consortium from scientists all over Europe, dedicated to train the next generation of plant cell biology microscopists. One molecular plant physiologist in a collaborative project on LEveraging ecological theory for plant robustness Across scales (LEAP). Both deadlines are on the 15th of April, click below for more details.
PhD position #1 Plant Cell Biologist - MSCA-DN 'AGILE'
AGILE - Advanced Training for Next Generation Scientists in Spatio-Temporal Imaging of Plant Cells.
Title of project: Quantifying the light and Temperature driven association of phyB photobodies with chromatin and RNA
Phytochrome B photobodies (phyB PBs) are phase-separated dynamic compartments that form or dissipate in response to light and temperature changes. PhyB PBs regulate transcription, however their functional association with target genes has never been demonstrated. Therefore, we want to use single-molecule FISH and SABER-FISH coupled to N-STORM super resolution microscopy to investigate whether phase separated phyB photobodies are directly associated with light-responsive chromatin loci and transcripts.
Requirements:
- A Master in Biology or Bioinformatics, or equivalent.
- Proven research experience in microscopy imaging, or Bioimage analysis
- A desire to succeed in academia
Helpful skills:
Plant science wet lab skills, confocal microscopy skills, or coding skills in bioimage analysis.
Deadline: 15th of April, start date September 2026.​
Important: Only applicants who have not spent more than 12 months in Germany on their studies within the preceding 36 months are eligible. Any students based in Germany can apply to AGILE projects outside of Germany.
Benefits:
- A true postdoc-level salary
- An awesome network of scientists
- An integrated, tailored training program
- Cutting-edge science in top-class facilities
Environment:
Heidelberg (Germany) is one of the biggest molecular biology hubs in Europe. The Light Signaling and Cell Biology lab of Dr. van Gelderen is a young and ambitious lab with a friendly working environment and many contacts and collaborations within the institute, the Centre for Organismal Studies, and with the rest of Heidelberg University and the EMBL.
Apply before April 15th at:
https://www.msca-agile.eu/
Contact:
kasper.van.gelderen@cos.uni-heidelberg.de
​
GreenRobust Project LEAP1 PhD position in Molecular Plant science (TVL E13 65%)
General framework
Plant Robustness is seen as the ability of plants to maintain function, despite severe perturbations, such as drought, heat or pathogen attack. The goal of the Green Robust Cluster of Excellence is to uncover the principles of plant robustness. LEAP forms a core part of this strategy by investigating plant robustness to heat and drought in the context of plant competition and relatedness, and whether knowledge of their trade-offs and synergies enables predicting population-level robustness to perturbations.
LEAP (LEveraging ecological theory for plant robustness Across scales: trade-offs and synergies among robustness traits in individuals for Population stability) is an ambitious, collaborative, and interdisciplinary project among seven groups within the framework of the GreenRobust Cluster of Excellence. LEAP will study molecular, physiological and morphological (incl. biomechanical) mechanisms of plant robustness to drought, heat, and competition with other plants. Our approaches range from molecular and individual levels to population-level robustness.
We are looking for 2 PhD students, one in plant evolutionary ecology (with Karl Schmid, Hohenheim; Oliver Bossdorf, Tübingen; Detlef Weigel, Tübingen), one in molecular plant science (with Kasper van Gelderen, Heidelberg; Gabriella Mosca, Tübingen and Waltraud Schulze, Hohenheim), and 1 Postdoc in plant evolutionary ecology (with Katja Tielbörger, Tübingen, Gabriella Mosca, Tübingen). All positions have a running time of three years.
Requirements
We are looking for highly motivated candidates who are eager to work in a collaborative environment across three universities and across disciplines (molecular plant science, plant evolutionary ecology and biomechanics). For all three candidates, we are looking for people who value and excel in interdisciplinary and collaborative work, are quick learners, and who are flexible in their thinking. Most importantly the candidates should have a passion for (plant) science and a career in academia.
PhD position I: Plant Evolutionary Ecology: The successful candidate will have a Master degree in Biology, Plant Biology, Plant Ecology, or a related field. Sh/e should have solid experience in experimental design, especially for greenhouse studies with plants, biostatistical analyses, population genetics, and scientific writing and presentation skills.
PhD position II: Molecular Plant Science: The successful candidate will have a Master degree in Biology, Plant Biology, Plant Ecology, or a related field. Sh/e should have experience with methods and concepts in molecular plant biology, experimental plant biology, computational methods, and scientific writing and presentation skills. Knowledge of bio-mechanics and FEM is a plus.
Postdoc position: Plant Evolutionary Ecology: This is a position with a coordinating role, conceived for an experienced Postdoc to prepare her/him/them to transition to a PI position in the future. The successful candidate will have a PhD in Plant Science, Plant Ecology or equivalent, have experience with designing and analyzing large-scale greenhouse experiments and publishing the results in peer-reviewed journals. Understanding of molecular plant sciences, plant biomechanics and computational approaches would be desirable. The postdoc should be eager to work within a larger international and interdisciplinary group. Additional expertise related to the topics of the two PhD projects is welcome, too.
What we offer
You will have the opportunity to work with world class research groups across fields, within the Greenrobust framework https://greenrobust.de/. LEAP is a unique chance to make a mark in plant molecular and ecological science within a large team of passionate scientists in a world-class collaborative research environment among research groups from Tübingen University, Hohenheim University and Heidelberg University. Besides an exciting research topic, the PhD students and the PostDoc will have access to an extensive network and training program within the GreenRobust Cluster of Excellence, and access to first class instrumentation and facilities. The PhD students will be part of an interdisciplinary PhD school with a structured supervision and training concept.
For more information on the positions, you may contact:
- Prof. Karl Schmid: karl.schmid@uni-hohenheim.de (PhD position I)
- Dr. Kasper van Gelderen kasper.van.gelderen@cos.uni-heidelberg.de (PhD position II)
- Katja Tielbörger katja.tielboerger@uni-tuebingen.de (Postdoc Position)
All three Universities seek to increase diversity in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified academics from underrepresented groups to apply for these positions.
Disabled candidates will be given preference over other equally qualified applicants.
Please send your application including a letter of interest, CV and a list of publications as a single pdf-file to eve-office@biologie.uni-tuebingen.de. Please also make sure that two letters of reference will be sent to the above address independently. Please indicate clearly to which position you will apply by naming your pdf file as follows: LEAP PhD I_your name.pdf, LEAP PhD II_your name.pdf, LEAP PostDoc_your name.pdf, respectively.
The deadline for applications is April 15, 2026. The start of the positions is envisaged for July 1st, 2026.