Position for a PhD-Student

Position for a PhD-Student available at the Division of Rheumatology

Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Understanding cellular crosstalk as driver of tissue inflammation

The project is funded by the Horizon Europe project “SQUEEZE”.

Application deadline: February 29th, 2024

Start date: March 2024

Duration: up to 4 years

The field: Immunology, Rheumatology, T-cell Biology, Inflammation

The project: Our team is looking for a highly motivated and curiosity-driven student interested in conducting a research project in the field of autoimmunity and inflammation. The proposed project aims to investigate cellular interactions and their transcriptional and epigenetic consequences in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Our translational approach entails state-of-the-art technologies, including transcriptomic and epigenomic analysis, automated image analysis, advanced cell biology techniques and in vivo models. The project will unlock new understandings of the drivers of tissue inflammation and will provide new insights in the pathogenesis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The research group: The project is co-supervised by Michael Bonelli and Leonhard Heinz at the Division of Rheumatology of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. (https://innere-med-3.meduniwien.ac.at/en/unsere-abteilungen/rheumatologie/research/group-of-michael-bonelli). The PhD student will be embedded within the international Horizon Europe consortium “SQUEEZE” which aims to optimize treatment strategies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (https://squeeze-project.eu/). Participation in this project offers unique opportunities to collaborate with international experts in the field and to apply cutting-edge technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, advanced cell biology and immunology. The successful candidate will be part of the N094 “Immunology” PhD Program of the Medical University of Vienna (https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/hp/phd-immunologie/) and will benefit from high quality teaching and training including participation in regular seminars with leading speakers.

The candidate: Applicants should hold a master's degree in molecular biology, medicine, immunobiology or a related discipline. They should also ideally have a documented experience in molecular biology and mammalian cell culture methods. Previous experience with immunological assays, primary cell cultures, flow cytometry and bioinformatics analysis are advantageous.

Application: Interested students should send their application (letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, high school diploma, a brief synopsis of your master thesis and at least two letters of recommendations) to: Michael Bonelli (michael.bonelli(at)meduniwien.ac.at).