The working group Respiratory Infection Dynamics (DINF), headed by Prof. Hortense Slevogt, MD, PhD, is looking for a master's student (m/f/d) to start as soon as possible.

Reference number: Masters's student

Research group: Dynamics of Respiratory Infections
Hiring date: at the earliest 14.07.2025
Payment: An expense allowance of €450 per month for a maximum of six months
Application deadline: 04/13/2025

The working group Respiratory Infection Dynamics (DINF), headed by Prof. Hortense Slevogt, MD, PhD, is looking for a master's student.

The HZI is Germany's largest non-university infection research centre in the Helmholtz Association. Our focus is on cutting-edge research in the field of infectious diseases. Our scientists are working to develop new methods and strategies to combat infectious diseases faster and more effectively.

Our research group at the HZI investigates the interactions between lung microbes and the host. In cooperation with the Department of Pneumology and Infectiology at the MHH and the DZL, we use clinical and molecular biological approaches for translational research. Our team of twelve scientists works with cell culture, molecular biology, metagenomic analyses and infection biology. One focus is on monocytes and macrophages in air-liquid interface (ALI) models of the airway epithelium. The ALI model enables the analysis of immune cell, pathogen and commensal interactions. We use RNA-Seq, metagenomic sequencing and single-cell analyses to capture cellular and molecular signatures of these processes.

The master's thesis will focus on establishing precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) as a lung model and optimising molecular biological and biochemical methods for investigating them. PCLS are an ex vivo model that examines lung tissue under physiological conditions. It preserves tissue architecture and cell interactions and offers advantages over cell and animal models.
The aim is to cultivate and establish the PCLS model to study host-pathogen interactions of pulmonary pathogens with the lung. Inflammation, cell death mechanisms, intracellular survival, cell communication and signal transduction are analysed. Inflammatory stimuli are used to evaluate suitable analytical methods.

Tasks

Establishment and standardisation of the PCLS model from human lungs
Optimisation of tissue cultivation
Conducting histological analyses to assess tissue morphology
Application and optimisation of molecular biological methods (e.g. qPCR) to analyse gene expression
Use of biochemical methods (e.g. ELISA, Western blot) to examine inflammatory markers and other relevant proteins
Documentation, analysis and interpretation of the results

Prerequisites

Advanced Master's degree in the field of biology, biotechnology
Aseptic and clean working
Previous knowledge of cell culture or handling of tissue samples is an advantage
Basic knowledge of molecular biology and biochemical methods
Interest in experimental research and tissue models
Accurate and scientific work
Very good knowledge of English is an advantage
Good communication and team skills
Reliability and initiative

Working hours

by prior arrangement

We offer:

An exciting and versatile job in an international environment at a future-oriented research institute on the Science Campus Süd in Braunschweig
Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and the latest technologies
A corporate culture that promotes appreciation and equal opportunities
Professional supervision and technical support during your master's thesis
The opportunity to work scientifically on a current and practice-relevant topic and learn a lot in a friendly and international team

In the case of equal professional aptitude, preference will be given to severely disabled persons. In order to protect your rights, we ask you to provide us with a clearly recognisable indication of the existence of a severe disability in your cover letter or CV.

The HZI strives for professional equality between women and men, and therefore expressly welcomes applications from qualified women.

How to apply:

Please confirm that you have read our data protection declaration and give your consent to the processing of your personal data when you send us your application documents. Please use the text module provided in our privacy policy. Without these declarations, we cannot consider or process your application and will delete application documents already received as soon as the position has been filled.

Please enclose a covering letter, a CV, (employment) references and certificates with your application documents. Please do not send a photo. Please send your application digitally by e-mail to Prof. Dr. Slevoght.

We look forward to receiving your application!