(Junior) Postdoctoral Researcher with Molecular Biological/ Biochemical background (m/f/d)

At the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (Halle, Germany) in the MetaCom Junior Research Group “Evolution of Metabolome Adaptations”, 1 position is available for a 

(Junior) Postdoctoral Researcher with Molecular Biological/ Biochemical background (m/f/d)

(working hours 100 %, initially limited to two years with extension to six years upon mutual agreement)

to be filled in June 2025.

About the research group:

The Junior Research Group “Evolution of Metabolome Adaptations” is an upcoming research group in the Program Center MetaCom that will be initiated in June 2025. One of the main research lines is to understand the evolutionary driven force by which plants adapt to varying (extreme) environments on their metabol(om)ic landscape. Studies in this direction will be carried out in model organisms as well as crop species, while the other focus of the research group is to understand the evolution of species/genus/family-specific metabolite biosynthetic pathways. For this, the emergence of biosynthetic pathways will be traced back in the phylogeny to identify potential convergence in the arising. Biosynthetic pathways will be refined and compounds of interest will be synthesized in host-specific environments e.g. gene-editing crops and hairy root transformations next to transient heterologous expression. This research direction strongly relies on biochemistry/molecular biology with a focus on enzymatic activity assays. The ideal candidate should have a background in biochemistry, gene editing, and plant transformations. In addition, the postdoc will be actively involved in co-shaping/funding the direction of the research group.

Your profile:

• PhD in plant biochemistry, molecular biology or systems biology
• (Preferably) strong background in specialized metabolism and biosynthetic pathway elucidation
• Co-supervising potential PhD candidates and MSc/BSc students
• Communicative and solution-orientated manner
• Independent, organized and meticulous way of working
• Excellent English language skills (written and spoken)

Our benefits:

• Excellent working conditions in an international environment
• Flexible and family-friendly working hours and possibility of home-office
• Offer of professional training courses and measures for skill improvement
• Compensation according to TV-L (including annual special payment)
• Contribution to your company pension plan (VBL)
• On-site opportunities for health promotion

About the institute:

As a member of the Leibniz Association, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) is a non-university research institution on the Weinberg Campus in Halle (Saale). As a foundation under public law, the IPB is under the supervision of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. 

The IPB is an internationally renowned research institution and consists of four scientific departments and additional independent research groups (approx. 200 employees, including

around 40 doctoral students). Research at the IPB aims to understand the (bio)chemical basis of the performance and resilience of plants under environmental conditions of climate change. The IPB offers excellent research conditions and a state-of-the-art infrastructure to investigate the chemical diversity, biochemical interactions and biological functions of small natural product molecules in plants and fungi. The focus is on specialized metabolites, chemical mediators and relevant molecular networks of functional gene and protein regulation (http://www.ipb-halle.de).

How to apply and information:

Please send your application as a single pdf file including a cover letter including your research experience, your curriculum vitae (with publications if available), a list of at least 2 references, transcripts and study certificates to bewerbungen(at)ipb-halle.de with the reference 1/2025.

The submission deadline is March 14th, 2025.

In case of queries concerning the application process or project-related questions contact Dr. Mustafa Bulut (mustafa.bulut(at)ipb-halle.de).

Foreign qualifications must comply with German standards (TV-L-EntgeltO Protokollerklärung Nr. 1 Absatz 4) and be certified (equivalence test in Germany, subject to a fee) and presented to IPB Human Resources at the time of hiring: https://www.kmk.org/zab/central-office-for-foreign-education

Diversity, family and equal opportunities:

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry has set itself the goal of equal opportunities, diversity and the promotion of work-life balance and has been awarded the ‘Total E-Quality’ award for this. The IPB is also a member of the nationwide corporate network ‘Success Factor Family’ and the Diversity Charter.

Applications from disabled persons or applicants with equivalent status are expressly welcome.

Further information on family friendliness, equal opportunities and diversity can be found at: https://www.ipb-halle.de/institut/

Data protection:

Please note the data protection information for applicants (m/f/d) in accordance with Art. 13 and 14 GDPR on data processing in the application process at the following link https://www.ipb-halle.de/karriere/datenschutzhinweise-fuer-bewerber/