Detailansicht des Stellenangebots

Doctoral Candidate position HORIZON-MSCA-Doctoral Network LipidBRIGHT Lipids as promising BRidge between novel disease InsiGHts and improved Therapy

Project description

Lipid biology for diagnostics and therapy Lipids play a key role in diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and chronic inflammation. Studying lipids could lead to new treatments. As such, researchers are taking a closer look at lipid metabolism in diseases with the aim of developing tools for detecting and imaging lipids. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the LipiBRIGHT project aims to train young researchers in lipid biology, new technologies, and clinical applications. Forming a group of leading institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises, and industry partners, doctoral students will investigate lipid biomarkers, disease mechanisms, and clinical uses. The project’s overarching goal is to speed up the application of lipid research into new diagnostics and therapies.

Are you fascinated by how lipids contribute to human disease?

Step into the world of lipid research with the European doctoral network LipidBRIGHT to uncover how lipid signalling and metabolism drive disease—and innovate future therapies. Lipids are of vital importance through interaction in cell membranes, as energy source and in cellular signalling and function. As such, they also play decisive roles in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer and chronic inflammatory disease. These diseases affect 33%, 60%, 10% and 33% of Europeans, and are responsible for > 60% of global deaths. The European Doctoral Network LipidBRIGHT combines scientists, clinicians, companies and stakeholder organisations with expertise in these disease fields. By integrating expertise in lipids from the clinical, biomedical, technological and data science field across disease borders and by transferring complementary knowledge and technology, LipidBRIGHT aims to speed up innovations towards improved disease prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. LipidBRIGHT will train 11 scientists in a close cooperation between academia, SMEs and industry partners.

Key objectives are to provide:

1. Excellent scientific training on interdisciplinary level, covering liquid biochemistry and pathophysiology as well as clinical application.
2. Excellent complementary skills in personal and career development as well as business training required to extend beyond scientific research.
3. Exposure to both academic and non-academic environments, required to build bridges between researchers and entrepreneurs and support the future translation of research findings in innovative products and services.

LipidBRIGHT builds on available patient cohorts, advanced technologies and established cooperations and strives to synergistically improve structural training on European level. LipidBRIGHT will nurture the development of young, broadly-trained scientists able to successfully bridge clinical with basic research as well as academia and industry, which is a cornerstone in effectively combatting complex diseases as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer and chronic inflammatory disease. Contributing partners in LipidBRIGHT: Universiteit Maastricht (NL), Catholic University KU Leuven (BE), University Hasselt (BE), University Hospital Jena (DE), INSERM (FR), University Utrecht (NL), SciCross (SE), RD –Néphrologie SAS (FR), University of Bern (CH).

For more information: https://www.cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101225380 One PhD (doctoral) position is available at the Department of Internal Medicine I, Laboratory for Lipid Metabolism, at Jena University Hospital. The project will run for 36 months. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Paul Christian Schulze.

Titel: From Lipid-Associated Biomarkers to Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Cardiovascular Disease

The doctoral candidate will focus on identifying and functionally characterising novel lipid-associated biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases. The aim is to gain a better understanding of disease-relevant signalling pathways and to derive innovative therapeutic strategies from this. The doctoral candidate will use modern molecular biological, cell biological and translational clinical methods to validate biomarkers in experimental models and patient samples. A particular focus is on linking omics-based analyses with functional studies to develop new targeted therapeutic approaches. Integration into the international LipiBRIGHT network enables structured, interdisciplinary training and close cooperation with leading European partner institutions.

Eligibility criteria:

According to the EU rules for the EU-Doctoral Network projects, the recruited researchers must comply with the following conditions:

• are — at the date of recruitment — doctoral candidates (DCs) (i.e., may not have a doctoral degree).
• DCs can be of any nationality.
• DCs must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. For beneficiaries that are international European interest organisations or international organisations: the DCs must not have spent in the same appointing organisation more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.

Research Field/Requirements:

• Ambitious, hard-working and accurate.
• MSc degree in biology, biomedicine, biotechnology or natural sciences, biochemistry or comparable (before 01-09-2026).
• Interest in cardiovascular research lipid metabolism.
• Good command of spoken and written English.
• Above average motivation, teamwork and independent.

How to apply?

Interested candidates can apply by submitting the following documents:

• Motivation letter in English indicating their interest in the project and how these fits with their research ambitions.
• Research statement describing the applicant’s research experience (e.g. master’s thesis project, any other relevant research experience) in relation to the selected project.
• Detailed curriculum vitae in European format, including personal information (gender, age), studies, list of publications, participation in research projects, extracurricular training, mobility, other qualifications or relevant skills.
• Certified copy/ies of Academic Degree/s in the original language along with a certified translation into English, and/or Diploma Supplement.
• Certified copies of official Academic Transcripts relating to all academic courses taken to earn every degree (bachelor/master or equivalent), translated into English, and correspondent grade point average.
• Copy of passport (or, for EU citizens, equivalent ID document)
• Contact details of at least two references (no recommendation letters to be included)

All applications will have to be written in English and will be checked for eligibility. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications must be submitted by email to Christian.Schulze@med.uni-jena.de before 31th March2026 at 17:00 Central European time.

All data provided by the applicants are processed according to GDPR regulations and will be used solely for the purpose of the selection of the doctoral candidates. Selection process: LipidBRIGHT will adopt the Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct promoting an inclusive, merit-based, transparent and unbiased recruitment and attractive working and employment conditions. A two-step procedure for applicants’ selection will be followed:

After an eligibility check, an initial selection will be made based on the submitted documents and the following selection criteria:

• Motivation to join the network
• Acquired research skills and research experience
• Fit between the education / research experience and the research project
• Communication skills and English proficiency
• Team work attitude
• Career ambitions and potential for excellence
• Potential impact of the offered training on the DC's career

Afterwards, promising candidates will be contacted by email after the deadline for application has been closed. It is the intention that the selected DC starts in September 2026. For more information, please contact Christian.Schulze@med.uni-jena.de.

Kennziffer: DM11/2026

* This position is fixed-term for a period of 36 months.

Unabhängig von Herkunft, Alter, Geschlecht oder Behinderung – bei uns am Universitätsklinikum Jena sind Sie willkommen.