Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in Space Microbiology

Freien Hansestadt Bremen; Bremen; Hybrid; EUR 40.000 - 70.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Eine innovative Einrichtung sucht einen Doktoranden in der Raumfahrtmikrobiologie, um bahnbrechende Forschung zu leisten. Die Rolle umfasst die Durchführung von Experimenten zur Untersuchung von cyanobakteriellen Reaktionen unter Mars-ähnlichen Bedingungen. Die Position bietet die Möglichkeit, an einem ERC-geförderten Projekt zu arbeiten, das darauf abzielt, nachhaltige Lösungen für die Raumfahrt zu entwickeln. In einem unterstützenden und dynamischen Umfeld werden Sie die Chance haben, bedeutende wissenschaftliche Beiträge zu leisten und gleichzeitig Ihre Karriere in einem internationalen Team voranzutreiben. Wenn Sie eine Leidenschaft für die Wissenschaft und die Raumfahrt haben, ist dies die perfekte Gelegenheit für Sie.

Leistungen

Jahressonderzahlung (Weihnachtsgeld)

30 Tage Urlaub pro Jahr

Flexible Arbeitszeiten

Möglichkeiten zur beruflichen Weiterbildung

Unterstützung durch ein motiviertes Team

Aktives Gesundheitsmanagement

Jobticket für öffentliche Verkehrsmittel

Vielfältige Sport- und Kulturangebote

Qualifikationen

• Abschluss in Mikrobiologie oder verwandten Bereichen erforderlich.
• Starke Motivation zur Mitwirkung an der Raumfahrt notwendig.

Aufgaben

• Durchführung und Analyse von Experimenten zu cyanobakteriellen Reaktionen.
• Beitrag zur Erstellung einer Doktorarbeit und wissenschaftlicher Publikationen.

Kenntnisse

Mikrobiologie

Zell- und Molekularbiologie

Interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit

Englisch (schriftlich und mündlich)

Unabhängiges Arbeiten

Teamarbeit

Ausbildung

Master of Science in Mikrobiologie oder verwandten Bereichen

Tools

Laborhardware

Omics-Technologien

Jobbeschreibung

Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in Space Microbiology

The Center of Applied Space Technology (ZARM) at the University of Bremen is looking for a

Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in Space Microbiology
Salary Scale (German) 13 TV-L

with a full working time (39.2 hrs) at the next possible date.

The project is funded by the European Research Council and the position is for 3 years (according to § 2 WissZeitVG), starting at the latest in January 2026.

Part-time work is generally possible. Details may need to be agreed with the advertising department.

The project

The researcher recruited for the advertised position will be involved in ERC project MarCyano. This project stems from a goal, shared by the world’s major space agencies, of sending humans to Mars within the next few decades. A sustainable human presence there, akin to today’s presence in Antarctica, could indeed generate paradigm-shifting knowledge at an unprecedented pace. One major challenge lies in providing the food, oxygen and other necessary consumables: these cannot be shipped from the Earth over the long term. They should instead be produced on site and for this, Nostocaceae cyanobacteria can be instrumental: fed with materials available in the Martian ground and atmosphere, they could provide feedstock for a range of bioprocesses which, in turn, could produce a wide range of consumables. However, fundamental knowledge is lacking to turn this concept into practical solutions: the physiology of cyanobacteria in the foreseen cultivation conditions is poorly understood. These conditions combine low total pressures, low partial pressures of dinitrogen, interactions with a basaltic substrate from which nutrients are leached, and high concentrations of chaotropic salts.

In project MarCyano, our team will enable a deep understanding of cyanobacterial physiology in these conditions. For this we employ a unique approach combining cultivation assays in unique hardware previously developed in-house, adaptive laboratory evolution, cutting-edge “omics” technologies, the development of a mathematical model which can predict the productivity and efficiency of cyanobacterium cultivation from Martian resources, and the construction of a testbed for the experimental validation of this model. We will use the generated knowledge and tools to design, characterize and demonstrate the viability of bioprocesses which dramatically improve the odds that Mars exploration is done in a sustainable way. Finally, we will adapt the concepts developed for bioproduction on Mars to open new avenues for sustainability on Earth.

Your tasks include:

• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, experiments aimed at assessing the effects on diazotrophic cyanobacteria of unnatural atmospheric conditions, using hardware previously developed in-house.
• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, experiments aimed at assessing the interactions between rock-weathering cyanobacteria and regolith akin to that found on Mars.
• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, adaptive laboratory evolution experiments.
• Preparing microbial samples for “omics” studies.
• Contributing to routine laboratory tasks (e.g., maintaining microbial cultures).
• Contributing to the training and mentoring of less experienced students.
• Elaborating your own scientific work, such as preparing a doctoral thesis and scientific publications.

Minimum Requirements:

• A University Degree (Master of Science/ Uni- Diploma) in microbiology, cellular and molecular biology or a related field. Students who are still writing their Master thesis and do not yet have a certificate are also invited to apply. The degree certificate must be issued prior to employment.
• A strong desire to contribute to space exploration.
• A willingness to engage in interdisciplinary work.
• A good spoken and written English.
• An ability to work independently and a taste for teamwork.

The University of Bremen offers among other things:

• Annual special payment ("Christmas bonus"), regular automatic collective salary increases, and additional pension benefits from the public sector (VBL)
• A secure, interesting, and varied workplace at an open-minded university
• 30 days of vacation per calendar year
• A diverse, future-oriented, and open corporate culture
• Support from a collegial, motivated team with a positive work environment
• Personalized training
• Opportunities for professional development and further education
• Work-life balance through flexible working hours (flextime) and the possibility of remote work (subject to framework conditions)
• Free services as part of social and family counseling
• An active corporate health management system, including discounts at local sports clubs, gyms, and swimming pools (EGYM WELLPASS)
• The possibility of using a job ticket (local public transport)
• Numerous offers for sports and cultural activities
• Varied catering options in the student cafeterias (Mensen) of the student union

The University of Bremen is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

The University of Bremen intends to increase the proportion of female employees in academia, which is why women are expressly encouraged to apply. In the case of equal qualifications, women will be given priority, unless reasons relating to the person of a competitor prevail.

Disabled persons with essentially equal professional and personal qualifications will be given priority when applying.

Your application should include in one PDF document: academic CV (including publication list if applicable), copies of BSc and MSc university transcripts and work references if applicable, the contact addresses for 2 references, and a letter of motivation (maximum 2 pages) explaining what exactly motivated you to apply for this position, why you are particularly interested in the proposed topic, and what skills and experience qualify you for the position.

Please only send us copies (no folders) as we cannot return these. Once the selection process has been completed, your application documents will be stored in accordance with the legal requirements and then destroyed.

Any costs for the application process cannot be reimbursed.

For general questions about the personnel selection procedure and for questions about the content of the advertised position, please contact [e-mail] .

Please send your application with your complete and meaningful documents by June 1st, 2025 as a PDF file by unencrypted electronic mail, quoting the reference number A157-25, to [e-mail] or by post to