TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research
PhD (f/d/m) Position in Computational Infection Genomics
The Hannover Medical School (MHH), with about 10.000 employees the biggest company of Lower Saxony, is a university institution for research and teaching in the human and dental medicine and a university hospital of supra-maximum medical care. Research, teaching, medical care and administration work hand in hand in the integration model at the MHH-campus.
The Computational Virology group (Prof. Dr. Chris Lauber) at the TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH), in Hannover is seeking a highly motivated PhD student with a strong computational background.
The group is located at TWINCORE in Hannover and embedded in a rich scientific environment including MHH, the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), offering many opportunities for collaboration and scientific exchange. Hannover is the capital of Lower Saxony in northern Germany and is an affordable and vibrant city with a high quality of life.
The project aims to develop genetic risk scores for severe course of infection with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to enable individualized risk stratification, prevention, and therapy. The work is part of the RESIST Cluster of Excellence at Hannover Medical School and involves close collaboration with clinical and experimental groups (AG Hansen, AG Pietschmann).
Your task
- You will work with human genomic and transcriptomic data from well-characterized patient cohorts to identify genetic variants and genes associated with severe disease, and to combine them into risk scores that can distinguish high and low risk individuals.
- A second focus is to study the role of transposable elements and endogenous viral elements in RSV infection and severe disease.
Our requirements
- Background in computational biology, bioinformatics, statistics, computer science, or a related field
- Programming experience (e.g. Python, R) and interest in working with large biological datasets
- Interest in human genetics, infection biology, and genomics
- Experience with Linux/UNIX and version control (e.g. Git) is an advantage
- Good communication skills in English; German is a plus but not required
- Motivated candidates who do not meet all criteria but are keen to learn are encouraged to apply
We offer
- A part-time position initially limited to three years with 25.03 hours per week at one of the largest employers in the state of Lower Saxony
- Depending on your personal qualifications, remuneration up to pay grade E 13 in accordance with TV-L is possible, with the benefits of public service (e.g. company pension scheme and supplementary insurance through VBL)
- An exciting role at the interface of research, healthcare and science management
- Collegial induction into a motivated and interdisciplinary team
- Personal and professional development opportunities - supported by our wide range of internal and external training and further education programmes
- Excellent public transport connections and the option of leasing a company bicycle
- An outstanding range of sports, counselling and preventive healthcare programmes - because your health is important to us
To apply, please include the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Short motivation letter describing your background and interest in the project
- Link to a code/software portfolio (e.g. GitHub)
- Contact details of two references
You have any questions beforehand?
Prof. Dr. Chris Lauber
+49 511 532 7238
Apply now:
Reference number 3726
Apply until: 22.03.2026
as soon as possible
The MHH is certified as family-friendly university and stands for the promotion of women in the professional life. Applications of women are particularly welcome. Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications are given preferential consideration.
