Apply now to join our team as a doctoral candidate and become part of the CRC/SFB 1755 CASCAID "Cellular and Systems Control of Autoimmune Disease”. CASCAID is an interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Centre funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

CASCAID is dedicated to developing novel strategies for sustained drug-free remission in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases with a focus on arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel diseases by identifying and characterising dysregulated immune-cell networks and tissue programmes.

CASCAID offers a unique clinically anchored and internationally connected collaborative research environment. Erlangen is one of the leading centres for clinical centred research in the field of immunology in Europe and offers access to all state-of-the-art technological platforms.

This project investigates the gut–joint–brain axis in arthritis, aiming to elucidate bidirectional signaling pathways that drive chronic inflammation, joint destruction and neuroinflammatory sequelae across these interconnected organs. A major focus lies on advanced bioinformatic analyses of multimodal omics data derived from patient biopsies and murine models, with the goal of identifying conserved mechanisms linking gut barrier dysfunction to central immune activation. The project integrates transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data to establish mechanistic connections between intestinal permeability, synovial pathology and neuroinflammation. Acting as a central bioinformatics core, this work unifies multiple laboratory projects, enabling cross-cohort harmonization and predictive modeling of therapeutic targets. Ultimately, the insights gained will support the development of precision, disease-modifying therapies for arthritis by targeting the gut–joint–brain axis.

Doctoral researchers in CASCAID will be integrated into LIFE@FAU graduate school, which teaches soft and hard skills beyond the research work in the host laboratory and offers a unique infrastructure for team building and exchange opportunities for doctoral students. Doctoral candidates are further supported by a thesis mentoring committee and will benefit from career development support.

Your tasks:

• Independent analysis and interpretation of human and murine omics datasets
• Analysis of single-cell sequencing data (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics
• Basic analysis of bulk RNA-seq data
• Interpretation and integrative understanding of proteomics and metabolomics datasets
• Development and application of bioinformatic workflows for multimodal data integration
• Collaboration with experimental researchers to translate computational results into biological insights

Essential experience/qualifications:

• Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in a relevant field (e.g., Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Life Sciences)
• Basic knowledge of immunology
• Strong background in bioinformatics
• Proven experience with programming languages R and Python
• Ability to work independently and analytically in a multidisciplinary research environment

We offer:

• Employment in accordance with TV-L (collective agreement for the public sector) based on DFG standards
• The opportunity to make a significant research contribution to publication-oriented projects and to write high-quality manuscripts
• Excellent access to state-of-the-art technologies
• Support in presenting your work at international conferences to exchange ideas with the international scientific community
• A strong network of internationally renowned collaborators

Further information:

Prof. Dr. Mario Zaiss Research Group Leader Telefon: 09131 85-33794

Applications:

Universitätsklinikum Erlangen Department of Medicine 3 Prof. Dr. Mario Zaiss Ulmenweg 18 91054 Erlangen

Bereitgestellt in Kooperation mit der Bundesagentur für Arbeit.