PhD Position (f/m/d) – Immunometabolism and the Gut-Liver Axis

Uniklinik RWTH Aachen; Aachen; Vor Ort; EUR 33.000 - 42.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

RWTH Aachen University Hospital invites applications for a PhD candidate position in the Department of Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Internal Intensive Care Medicine. The project investigates immunometabolism in liver disease, combining clinical studies with mechanistic immunology.

You will work in an interdisciplinary CRC1382 consortium, receive extensive training, and contribute to high-impact publications while pursuing a doctoral degree.

Qualifikationen

• Master's degree in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry or related life science field.
• Strong interest in translational immunology and immunometabolism.
• Experience with flow cytometry or immune cell culture is desirable.
• Excellent organizational and scientific curiosity; ability to work independently.
• Excellent English language skills (C1).

Aufgaben

• Collect, process, and biobank blood and tissue samples from patients with advanced liver disease.
• Perform immune phenotyping using multicolor flow cytometry.
• Characterise immune cell metabolism using SCENITH and related analyses.
• Investigate T-cell and monocyte function using proliferation, cytokine production and phagocytosis assays.
• Analyse inflammatory mediators and metabolites using ELISA, Luminex and related technologies.
• Contribute to experimental design, optimisation of protocols, troubleshooting and data interpretation.
• Present work within CRC1382 meetings and at national and international conferences.
• Contribute to scientific publications and collaborative research projects.

Kenntnisse

Immunology

Molecular biology

Biomedical sciences

Biochemistry

Translational immunology

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

English (C1)

Ausbildung

Master's degree in Immunology

Tools

Flow cytometry

Primary immune cell culture

Cell isolation

Immunological assays

Bioinformatics

Single-cell technologies

Metabolomics

Jobbeschreibung

The Department of Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Internal Intensive Care Medicine (Med. Department III); DFG Collaborative Research Center 1382 - Gut-Liver Axis is offering the following position

Operational area: The Department of Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Internal Intensive Care Medicine (Med. Department III); DFG Collaborative Research Center 1382 - Gut-Liver Axis

Working hours: 65% (25,03 hours/week) of the full working hours in the collective agreement (currently 38.5 hours/week)
Duration/Term of employment: The position is limited for 3 years in accordance with the WissZeitVG (German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act). The successful applicant will be encouraged and supported to achieve a doctoral degree.

Start date:01.10.2026

Remuneration/Rates: EG 13 (TV-L)

About the project
Patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) frequently develop life-threatening bacterial infections despite exhibiting profound systemic inflammation. Understanding why immune cells progressively lose their host defence function during disease progression remains one of the major unanswered questions in hepatology. We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join a newly established research programme investigating human immunometabolism within the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1382 Gut–Liver Axis. The project combines clinical research with mechanistic immunology to understand how immunometabolic programmes regulate immune cell function during progression from compensated cirrhosis to acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Using unique longitudinal patient cohorts, we aim to identify the metabolic pathways driving immune dysfunction and determine whether these pathways can be therapeutically restored. Ultimately, this work seeks to establish immunometabolism as a novel therapeutic target in advanced liver disease.

We offer

• a fully funded three-year PhD position within the prestigious DFG Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1382 – Gut-Liver Axis.
• a highly translational research project addressing clinically relevant questions in human immunometabolism
• access to unique, well-characterised patient cohorts and longitudinal clinical samples from patients with advanced liver disease
• close supervision by experienced basic and clinician scientists with an excellent publication record and strong international collaborations
• training in cutting-edge technologies and access to state-of-the-art core facilities
• close interaction with clinicians, immunologists, microbiologists, metabolomics specialists and computational biologists within the CRC1382
• structured doctoral training through the Biomedical Graduate School (BMGS), including transferable skills courses and career development programmes
• opportunities to present your work at international conferences and build an international scientific network
• an open, collaborative and supportive research environment and salary according to the German public service pay scale (TV-L), including social security and pension benefits

Why join us?
This project offers the opportunity to work at the interface of basic immunology, metabolism and clinicalmedicine, using human patient samples to answer fundamental questions with direct clinical relevance. You will become part of an interdisciplinary consortium investigating the gut–liver axis and will be encouraged to develop your own scientific ideas, contribute to high-impact publications and grow as an independent scientist.

Your research
The project combines patient-oriented translational research with state-of-the-art immunology and metabolic profiling. During your PhD, you will investigate how immune cell metabolism changes across different stages of liver disease and how gut-derived inflammatory signals contribute to immune dysfunction.

You will receive extensive training in cutting-edge technologies, including:

• High-dimensional multicolour flow cytometry
• Single-cell metabolic profiling (SCENITH)
• Mitochondrial functional assays (i.a. Seahorse)
• Functional T-cell and monocyte assays
• Multiplex cytokine profiling (Luminex)
• Targeted metabolomics
• Single-cell RNAseq
• Bioinformatic analysis of high-dimensional datasets

Your responsibilities

• collect, process and biobank blood and ascitic fluid as well as liver tissue samples from patients with advanced liver disease
• perform immune phenotyping using multicolour flow cytometry
• characterise immune cell metabolism using SCENITH and complementary metabolic analyses
• investigate T-cell and monocyte function using proliferation, cytokine production and phagocytosis assays
• analyse inflammatory mediators and metabolic biomarkers using ELISA, Luminex and related technologies
• contribute to experimental design, optimisation of laboratory protocols, troubleshooting and interpretation of complex datasets
• present your work within CRC1382 meetings and at national and international conferences
• contribute to scientific publications and collaborative research projects

Your profile

• we welcome applications from enthusiastic and curious candidates who enjoy working at the interface of immunology, metabolism and clinical medicine
• master's degree (or equivalent) in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry or another relevant life science discipline
• strong interest in translational immunology, immunometabolism or inflammatory diseases
• practical laboratory experience in molecular biology, cell biology or immunology
• experience with flow cytometry, primary immune cell culture, cell isolation or immunological assays is highly desirable
• excellent organisational skills, scientific curiosity and the willingness to independently learn and implement new experimental techniques
• strong analytical thinking, problem-solving ability and enthusiasm for collaborative research
• excellent English language skills (Level C1)
• previous experience with metabolomics, mitochondrial biology, bioinformatics or single-cell technologies is advantageous but not required. Candidates with
• a strong motivation to acquire these skills during your PhD are strongly encouraged to apply

The application deadline for the advertised position GB-P 56567 is 09.10.2026.

Contact:

RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Internal Intensive Care Medicine (Med. Department III)
Director: Prof. Dr. med. Verena Keitel-Anselmino, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Theresa Wirtz or Oluwatomi Ibidapo-Obe
E-Mail: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

This job advertisement is aimed at all genders.

The RWTH Aachen University Hospital promotes equal opportunity and diversity. Applications from women are expressly sought and, in accordance with relevant laws, will be treated preferentially.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and they will be given priority if they are equally suitable.

Employment at a fraction less than the weekly full-time working hours stated above is generally possible.

This job advertisement was created using an AI-supported system. Final content review and responsibility lie with the Universitätsklinikum Aachen.