Postdoc - translational research in childhood IBD & epithelial barrier biology (m/w/d)

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Mitarbeiteranzahl: mehr als 10.000 (CompanyEmployee)

Branche: Gesundheitswesen (CompanyIndustry)

Stellenbeschreibung

Anstellungsart

Vollzeit

Arbeitsort

München

Leistungen

Aus der vollständigen Stellenbeschreibung

Reisekostenerstattung

Jobticket

Vollständige Stellenbeschreibung

Campus Innenstadt

Working hours

Full time

Institution

Kinderklinik und Kinderpoliklinik im Dr. von Haunerschen Kinderspital

Department

Forschung / Research, AG Kotlarz

Date of entry

01.07.2026

Application deadline

15.05.2026

Reference Number

2026-K-0138

The Hospital of the University of Munich, Germany, is one of the largest and most competitive university hospitals in Germany and Europe. 48 specialized hospitals, departments and institutions harbouring excellent research and education provide patient care at the highest medical level with around 11.000 employees.

Scope of duties

For a DFG-funded project of the TRR425 initiative “DEFINE” (Desmosomal dysfunction in epithelial barriers), the research group headed by Prof. Dr. med. Dr. (PhD) Daniel Kotlarz at the Comprehensive Childhood Research Center of the Dr. von Hauner Childrens Hospital (CCRC Hauner) is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and intellectually curious Postdoc in translational research in childhood IBD & epithelial barrier biology.

The overall goal of our interdisciplinary and international research group is to explore molecular causes in children with life-threatening very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD). Our laboratory applies human genetics, multi-omics technologies, and state-of-the-art preclinical models to decode molecular disease mechanisms and translate discoveries into improved diagnostics and targeted therapies for children with this intractable condition.

The project will be conducted within the vibrant research environment of the CCRC-Hauner (130 interdisciplinary scientists) that has an outstanding track record in translational sciences and provides state-of-the-art core facilities (CF) (e.g., NGS, flow cytometry, microscopy). In parallel, we have a bioinformatics team at Helmholtz Munich that supports all projects leveraging advanced multi-omics, computational biology, and AI-driven infrastructures within the Computational Health Center, an emerging European hub for AI-driven precision medicine (40 PIs). Our institutes follows the guiding mission 'Concept Pediatrics – the Child at the Center of Science', bridging fundamental discovery with patient-oriented clinical applications.

You will take a leading role in driving innovative experimental strategies to dissect epithelial barrier dysfunction and immune–epithelial interactions in VEO-IBD.

Your responsibilities will include:

Designing and executing experiments using CRISPR/Cas9 and viral genome engineering

Differentiating, culturing and manipulating human intestinal organoids

Establishing and analyzing immune cell-organoid co-culture systems and infection models

Investigating epithelial barrier integrity, junctional dynamics, and signaling pathways

Applying advanced imaging and molecular techniques

Performing and supporting studies in mouse models of intestinal inflammation

Analyzing complex datasets (e.g., RNA-seq, proteomics, interactomics) in collaboration with our bioinformatics team

Contributing to high-impact publications and presenting at international conferences

Collaborating closely within the TRR 425 consortium and international networks

Our requirements

We are looking for a passionate scientist who thrives in a collaborative and translational research environment.