Description:

Start: Fall 2026 (flexible)
Location: Berlin, Germany
Duration: 3 years (extension possible)
Salary: TV-L E13 (65%)

The newly establishing Emmy Noether junior research group of Yangfan Peng at the Institute of Cell and Neurobiology , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is recruiting a PhD student to investigate principles of local synaptic connectivity in cortical microcircuits using high-throughput multi-neuron patch-clamp ("multipatch”) in mouse and human acute brain slices. The project will focus on mapping excitatory and inhibitory connectivity and higher-order network motifs to understand microcircuit organization and its cross-species generalizability. See https://penglab.de/ and relevant publications below for further information.

We offer:

• A stimulating research environment with access to state-of-the-art methods
• Extensive training and professional development opportunities
• Opportunities for international and interdisciplinary collaborations
• A collaborative and supportive community with mentoring and supervision
• Access to human cortical brain tissue for slice experiments

Your profile

• MSc. or equivalent in Neuroscience, Biology, or related field
• Strong motivation for cellular and synaptic neurophysiology
• Practical lab experience in in vitro or in vivo electrophysiology
• Experience with immunohistochemistry or transcriptomics desired
• Data analysis skills (Python and/or MATLAB) desired

Please send one PDF containing short motivation letter, CV, and contact information of 2 references to yangfan.peng@charite.de

Relevant publications:
Peng et al., 2019 eLife ( https://elifesciences.org/articles/48178 )
Peng et al., 2024 Science ( https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg8828 )
Planert et al., 2025 Nature Neuroscience ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02134-7 )