PhD position – Developmental Neurobiology / Gut-Brain Axis

PhD position in Developmental Neurobiology / Gut-Brain Axis

is available in the Stem Cells and Neurogenesis laboratory led by Prof. Chichung Lie at the Institute for Biochemistry (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg).

Background

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more frequently affected by neuropsychiatric, -degenerative and -immunological disorders. It is hypothesized that the co-morbidities of IBD with central nervous system (CNS) diseases reflect communication between the gut and the brain, but the mechanistic underpinnings of this communication remain largely unknown. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is anatomically and functionally connected to the gut and the brain and constitutes a candidate gateway for gut-brain communication. The PhD project investigates the hypothesis that ENS homeostasis under steady-state and pathological conditions depends on the generation of new neurons and that disruption of ENS neurogenesis contributes to IBD and mediate pathological signals from the gut to the CNS. We will investigate this hypothesis through the in-depth histological, molecular and cell biological characterization of sophisticated transgenic mouse models in the context of different experimental IBD models.

Candidates

We are looking for an enthusiastic, knowledge-driven student with an excellent Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine, Biology, Biochemistry or related fields who is interested in addressing fundamental questions at the intersection between developmental neurobiology and inflammation research. We particularly value curiosity, the will to explore and the ability to work independently and responsibly in a team. No further specific prerequisites are required, although prior knowledge in areas related to the work of the lab, such as handling of mice, cultivation and differentiation of stem cells or bioinformatic analysis of single cell and epigenomic sequencing data could be advantageous.

About us

We are an enthusiastic, dynamic and international lab with lab members from Australia, India and Germany. The lab is embedded within the thriving developmental biology and neuroscience communities in Erlangen, offering successful PhD candidates a highly interdisciplinary and stimulating work environment with access to state-of-the-art equipment and research facilities. The project will involve a close collaboration with the research group Physiology and pathophysiology of the intestine (Head: Prof. Christoph Becker; www.medizin1.uk-erlangen.de/en/forschung/research-groups/ag-prof-c-becker/) and is part of the DFG-Research Consortium Immune checkpoints of Gut-Brain communication in inflammatory & neurodegenerative diseases (GB.com). Successful candidates will be enrolled in the graduate school of the Life Sciences Life@FAU (www.life.fau.de), offering a structured curriculum and a wide range of scientific and soft-skill training programs.

Position

• PhD project funded by German Research Foundation (DFG)
• Payment according to TV-L (E13 65%)
• Initially limited to 3 years but with possibility for extension
• Application closes 21.04.2023
• Start date 01.09.2023

In case of interest

Please submit a letter of interest (max 1-2 pages), academic CV and publication list and arrange for a letter of reference to be directly send to chi.lie@fau.de. For further information, please contact chi.lie@fau.de.