Junior Research Groups (f/m/d)
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH (HZI)

Temporary

Full Time

Apply by: 2025-11-26

Published: 2025-10-15

Braunschweig

I am interested

Fighting pathogens together!

Junior Research Groups (f/m/d)

Job advertisement no.: 096/2025
Starting date: As soon as possible
Duration of employment: The contract will initially run for 5 years
Working time: 39 hours per week
Salary: E 15 TVöD Bund
Place of work: Braunschweig
Probation period: 6 months
Closing date: 26.11.2025

Human Microbe Alliance for Universal Health (HUMAN) program

HUMAN is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony (MWK). The program is based on an integrative approach that applies novel technologies, systems biology, medical/life sciences and informatics to understand, predict and therapeutically target the mechanisms underlying health and disease.

The HUMAN program is linked to and benefits from the BMFTR-funded Microbial Stargazing (MICROSTAR) program. MICROSTAR focuses on microbes, their effector mechanisms and their adaptation strategies in competition with other organisms. Together, HUMAN-MICROSTAR applies a holistic and comprehensive approach that has the potential to provide groundbreaking insights and new solutions for human health in the context of its microbial environment.

More details here: www.helmholtz-hzi.de/human-microstar

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), is offering positions for

Junior Research Groups (f/m/d)
in the field of Infection Biology

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) is Germany’s largest academic institution dedicated to infection research. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest research organization, and a member of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). We cooperate with our regional university partners, the Technical University of Braunschweig (TU-BS), the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo).

Within the newly established HUMAN program (Human Microbe Alliance for Universal Health) (www.helmholtz-hzi.de/human-microstar), we seek exceptional professionals to join us on our journey to understand the complex interplay of humans and microbes in the fight against infectious diseases. We are recruiting early-career scientists to develop independent programs committed to research excellence, translation, and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion). The program offers positions for a wide talent pool of Basic Researchers and Translational Scientists:

Pioneering basic infection research to set new paradigms in the understanding of human health and infection resilience affected by immunity, microbial colonization, cell biology across scales, age, socio-environmental determinants, behavioral factors, medication, vaccinations, or genetic and epigenetic factors.
Technology-oriented research to develop and deploy transformative technologies enabling measurements and/or perturbations of physiological and disease processes of human tissues and microbial entities. To use microbial effector and resilience mechanisms shaped by millions of years of microbial evolution as a blueprint for engineering human health on a global scale.

Research and technology areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to, microbiology, phage biology, virology, immunology, vaccinology, AI and systems biology, spatial OMICS, drug research, digital epidemiology, precision infection medicine, RNA-biology, human tissue engineering, or synthetic viral and bacterial engineering. Hypothesis-driven, basic research as well as the development of breakthrough technologies are welcome to enable interdisciplinary and transformative scientific discoveries on the path toward conquering today’s microbial health challenges.

Requirements:

You have completed a university degree with a doctorate in the fields of life sciences, natural sciences, or mathematics and have 2-6 years of professional experience after completing your doctorate. You have an exceptional track record in your field of research, experience in securing third-party funding, excellent communication skills (English and German), enjoy taking on leadership roles, and guide master's and PhD students through their career paths.

We offer you:

Your Junior Research Group will be funded for a period of 5 years initially. Funding covers the group leader position, personnel as well as consumables and start-up lab equipment. The positions come with options for tenure and junior professorships at local universities, such as the TU Braunschweig, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), and Göttingen University. Based on an external review, successful group leaders will be offered an extension of the group for up to 4 years and a permanent position as group leader at HZI.

We offer competitive salaries and access to cutting-edge infrastructures and research networks. You will benefit from dedicated research support, onboarding and granting offices, mentorship, and participation in post-graduate programs.

An attractive and varied job in a future-oriented research institute with an international environment in Braunschweig, one of Europe’s most research-dense regions
Flexible working hours, 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
Option of an additional employer subsidy for 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 HZI is actively committed to equality, diversity and integration. For this reason, the HZI pursues the goal of professional equality between women and men and expressly welcomes applications from qualified women. The position is suitable for part-time work.

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 with your application a cover letter, CV, a list of publications, a separate outline of previous achievements and future research interests (max. 2 pages), a completed application form (download here), an outline of how DEI will be implemented in your future laboratory (max. half a page) and the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of three references. Please refrain from sending a photo.

For further information, please contact Dr. Dirk Spitzer, phone +49 (0) 531 6181-2066, e-mail: dirk.spitzer@helmholtz-hzi.de

Please send your complete application, quoting the reference number 096/2025, 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!

Apply now

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