PhD student (f/m/x) for somatic genetics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Site: Ulm We are looking for you to join us full-time for a position that is initi ally limited to two years, with the option for extension. The position will be based at the DZNE Ulm site, which studies the under lying mechanisms of disease causation with a parti cular focus on amyo trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease. Using next-generation sequen cing, we have identified Mendelian disease genes that cause auto somal-dominantly in herited ALS. We have developed inno vative disease models based on these findings (e.g. Freischmidt et al., Nat Neurosci, 2015, Brenner et al., Brain, 2018; Brenner et al., J Exp Med, 2024). We will bring these analyses to the next level by study ing the contri bution of somatic (mosaic) muta tions that may occur during develop ment or aging to ALS. To this end, we are offe ring a PhD position to employ tar ge ted deep sequencing or single cell-resolved detec tion of mosaic mutations with low allele fre quency in human post-mortem tissue to gain further insights into the role of genetic mosa ics in neuro degeneration. Another aim of this pro ject will be the develop ment of in vitro-models for somatic mutations for functi onal studies or the develop ment of diagnostic approaches for ante-mortem detection of, and poten tial testing of thera peutic inter ventions against, somatic mutations in neuro degenerative diseases such as ALS. Your role in detail Perform and analyze deep sequen cing experiments on auto psy material from ALS patients Make use of our established spatial transcrip tomic expertise to study mosaic muta tions and their down stream consequences in brain tissue Learn and employ iPSC-based techniques Perform functional experi ments on genetic mosaics and test thera peutic approaches in vitro Development of user-friendly tools for data analysis and tracking of experiments Prepare and write manus cripts for publication in inter national scientific journals Oral presentation of results on local, national and inter national conferences Interface between scientists working in the lab and bio informatical analysis Your qualifications Master's degree in biology, mole cular medicine or a related field Technical knowledge on the field of cell bio logy, geno mics and sequen cing and its impli cations on data analysis would ideal Strong willingness to learn new tools for data analysis A keen interest in neuro degenerative diseases English language is a prerequisite We are looking for highly motivated candidates who are open-minded, creative team-player, enthusiastic, have strong analy tical skills, think criti cally and with good social skills. The successful candi date will be assisting to coordinate and direct the project. There fore, excellent communi cation skills and team wor king skills are mandatory. Review of appli cations will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. What our employees value Innovation and internationality - a forward-looking infra structure, modern laboratory and office equipment, software tools and the opportunity for inter national exchange with your colleagues from 65 nations Family-conscious corporate culture - because we know that family is important, we support you with parent-child-offices, family services and day care co-operations Work-life balance - we reconcile work and private life with flexible working hours, 30 days' holiday (on top free on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) and sub sidised job / Germany ticket options Personalised onboarding - for a good start to your new pro fessional challenge Focus on development - excellent publication opportunities and great potential for the further develop ment of your own research profile Health promotion - through our extensive range of company health pro grammes, in cooperation with Sozialwerk.Bund Remuneration and conditions according to TVöD-Bund - including annual special payment, capital-forming bene fits and VBL supplemen tary pension scheme The DZNE is an equal opportunity employer. It is committed to employing disabled individuals and especially encourages them to apply. Please submit your application online via Application deadline: 05.01.2026