Doctoral Researcher in Physical Chemistry

Job advertisement

Vacancy ID: 188/2026

Closing date: 2026-07-31

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.

The Institute of Physical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences seeks to fill the position of a

Doctoral Researcher in Physical Chemistry

commencing on 01 October 2026. We offer a part-time position (65%, 26 hours per week), with a fixed-term employment until 30 June 2030.

The DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre 1768 “VirusREvolution: Decoding tools for virus research” is a highly ambitious research centre at Friedrich Schiller University with the joint goal to develop novel tools for virus discovery, characterisation, regulation, interaction, and visualisation ( ). Its Integrated Research Training Group is educating doctoral researchers in a structured, interdisciplinary training program and invites applications for doctoral and postdoctoral researcher positions in various fields of research.

In this doctoral project 'Probe microscopy-based functional tracking of respiratory viruses to identify virus tropism', you will set up and use nanoscale analysis instrumentation (AFM, TERS, nanoIR) under clinical conditions to investigate the viral infection process.

Your responsibilities:

Research based on mechanical and spectroscopic aspects of nanometer scale investigations of virus-cell interactions. Using and maintaining scanning probe-based microscopy in combination with optical spectroscopy instrumentation will allow to correlate structure property relations

Participation in the Collaborative Research Centre VirusREvolution and close collaboration with the tandem project partner

Engage in regular discussions with other group and project members

Collaborate with BSc and MSc students working in associated projects

Publish papers and present your work at national and international scientific meetings

Your profile:

A highly motivated candidate with a Master of Science or equivalent degree in Physical Chemistry, Physics, or a related discipline

Knowledge in experimental methods, ideally surface-sensitive methods, and spectroscopy desirable

Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving

Ability to work independently and in a collaborative team

Excellent skills in English are required, both written and spoken

We offer:

Embedding in a cross-disciplinary, young research group and a large, ambitious research consortium

Affiliation to an Integrated Research Training Group, offering close support and a comprehensive education program for hard skills and transferable skills, supported by the Jena Graduate Academy

A family-friendly working environment with a variety of offers for families

University health promotion and a wide range of university sports activities

Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal