The department of personalized infection medicine led by Prof. Dr. Kathrin de la Rosa at the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), is offering the position of a

You are passionate about science and management? You have the courage to improve yourself and our team? We are looking for you as a new team member to actively support our science and create a productive and pleasant working environment.

The de la Rosa laboratory is searching for a postdoc with strong skills in immunology and/or infectious diseases, optimally with experience in antibody research or a specific pathogen. Our laboratory addresses fundamental questions of human B cell biology and translates them into personalized vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics. Specifically, we develop novel tools to study the repertoire of antibodies and the underlying recombination events. We aim at personalized cell-based vaccines and at improving the safety and efficacy of existing vaccination strategies. The project in question is part of our ERC-starting grant (European Research Council), aiming to engineer B cells and extend the human repertoire with artificial antibodies of superior reactivity.

You will become part of the Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (CiiM), a growing community that will be located in a novel building on the campus of the Hannover Medical School (MHH). The CiiM was founded 2015 as a joint venture of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH) and is the first research institute explicitly dedicated to develop personalized medicine for infections. The departments and groups of the CiiM are working towards the vision of treating infectious patients in an adapted and optimized way according to the specific needs and requirements of each individual. To achieve this, CiiM is dedicated to researching individual characteristics and their impact on susceptibility to infection or treatment success with available therapies. 

Responsibilities:

• Responsibility for the content of a research project on antibodies and new vaccines against infectious diseases
• Application and development of strategies to develop more effective human antibodies that can neutralise pathogens
• Investigating the molecular aspects of the humoral immune response using a combination of molecular biology and genetics
• Development of B-cells for the development of a cellular vaccine
• Science management support, e.g. finance, event organization and day-to-day administrative tasks related to our research activities
• Preparation and presentation of research results, both in English and German  
• Guidance and support of staff, other scientists, students and support staff
• Participation in committees (e.g. EBCnet) 

Requirements:

• Completed scientific university or master's degree and PhD in immunology, systems biology, or other related fields
• A strong track record of productivity, evidenced by first-author publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Considerable experience in (A) immunology or (B) infectious diseases
• Excellent management and communication skills as evidenced by, e.g. activities in scientific communities, reviewing, grant writing, or mentoring of students 
• A personality supporting team science and our lab culture values: Respect, Openness, Sustainability, Adaptability
• Knowledge of MS-Office programs 
• Good written and spoken English language skills

We offer you:

• An attractive and varied job in a future-oriented research institute 
• A state-of-the-art infrastructure and the latest technologies
• Flexible working hours and part-time models
• A corporate culture of appreciation and promotion of equal opportunities
• Extensive training and continuing education opportunities to develop professional knowledge and personal skills
• A family office to support family and career as well as childcare offers
• Interesting additional public service benefits
• Subsidization of the job ticket

People with severe disabilities and equivalent professional qualifications who are suitable for the position are given preference. In order to protect your rights, we ask you to provide us with a clearly recognizable reference to the existence of a degree of severe disability in your cover letter or resume. 

The position is held at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH (HZI) in Braunschweig. The place of employment is Hannover.

The HZI is actively committed to equality, diversity and integration. For this reason, the HZI pursues the goal of professional equality between women and men. The position is suitable for part-time work. 

Starting date: As soon as possible. The contract will initially run for 3 years.
Salary: E13 TVöD Bund
Working hours: 39 hours per week
Place of work: Hannover
Probationary period: 6 months
Application Deadline: 22.09.2024

For further information please contact email: kathrin.delarosa@helmholtz-hzi.de.

How to apply: 

When sending us your application documents, please confirm that you have read our privacy policy and that you agree to the processing of your personal data. Please use the text module in our privacy policy for this purpose. Without these declarations we cannot consider or process your application and will immediately delete any application documents already received after the application deadline.

Please include a cover letter, resume, (employment) references, certificates, and (if available) work samples or reference projects with your application materials. Please refrain from sending a photo.

Please start your motivation letter with 2 sentences explaining why you are the right candidate for our research. Please also specify, why you are interested in science management duties. 

Please send your complete application, quoting the reference number 119/2024, to the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Human Resources Department, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany or by e-mail. If you send your application in electronic form, please provide a summary in one single (1) pdf document.

We look forward to receiving your application!