2026 PhD student in Bioinformatics at the University of Jena

The professorship of the Viral Ecology and Omics (VEO) seeks to fill the position of a PhD student bioinformatics: Viral strategies in the global Microverse.

Your responsibilities:

• With your advisors, design and perform analyses to address the research questions.
• Analyse your results in the context of literature and public (meta-) ‘omics data.
• Take initiative to communicate and discuss your results with wet- and dry-lab group members.
• Report your findings in publications and presentations at international scientific platforms.
• Support Master students and undergraduate project students.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineMarch 1, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Jena
• City to studyThuringia
• School to studyUniversity of Jena
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• A 75% funded position (30 hours per week).
• Embedding in a highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary research group that is world-leading in viral and microbial ecology.
• Excellent equipment and infrastructure for both experimental and computational work.
• Affiliation to the Jena School for Microbial Communication, a graduate school offering a comprehensive education programme to train your hard and soft career skills.
• Jena – City of Science: a young and lively town with a vibrant local cultural agenda. Jena is among the most liveable cities in Germany. Situated on the Saale River and surrounded by the famous Thuringian Forest, this city is ideal for lovers of nature and hiking.
• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) up to salary scale E 13 (depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications), including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.
• 30 days of vacation per calendar year, plus two days off on December 24 and 31

Requirements

• A MSc in bioinformatics, theoretical biology, or microbiology with extensive coding experience.
• Knowledge of Python, R, Linux, Git.
• Hands-on experience with bacteriophages, metagenomics, phylogenomics.
• Strong motivation, excellent organisational skills, and ability to contribute to a friendly and collaborative working environment in a cross-disciplinary scientific research group.
• Excellent communication in English is required, both written and spoken. Fluency in German and other languages is advantageous.

Application Documents

Applications in English should comprise: 

• A cover letter
• A detailed curriculum vitae including a list of your publications
• Copies of academic certificates
• And names and contact details of two references

Check also:
2026 Fully Funded Humboldt Research Fellowship
2026 Konrad Adenauer Foundation Scholarship

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Applications are made via the Online Application Portal.

For more information, kindly visit the University of Jena website.