The newly established Collaborative Research Center (CRC) „Desmosomal dysfunction in epithelial barriers (DEFINE)“ of the universities of Marburg, LMU München and Würzburg, Germany together with partners at the universities of Aachen, Cologne, Lübeck and Münster, Germany, invites applications for PhD and postdoctoral researcher positions. The mission of this multidisciplinary research consortium is to uncover dynamic molecular and cellular mechanisms related to dysfunction of desmosomes. CRC DEFINE brings together leading scientists in clinical medicine (dermatology, pediatrics, internal medicine and surgery), molecular biology, immunology, biomedicine, and systems research to investigate fundamental mechanisms underlying development of diseases related to desmosome disorders such as pemphigus and inflammatory bowel diseases. The final goal will be to comprehensively understand the multiple functions of desmosomes in epithelial homeostasis.