Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Postdoctoral Position - The Sensory Ecology Of Worm Towers 2027

The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior at its sites in Konstanz and Radolfzell offers an international, interdisciplinary, and coop­erative environment that opens up unique research opportunities. The goal of our basic research is to develop a quantitative and pre­dictive understanding of the decisions and movements of animals in their natural environment.

For the Genes and Behavior Research Group at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, The Institute is looking for a highly motivated Postdoc (m/f/d). The position is limited until July 31, 2028, with the possibility of extension. The position is located in Constance. The starting date is as soon as possible.

Postdoctoral position (m/f/d) 100 % - The sensory ecology of worm towers

The project

The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior recently established that towering  behavior is a mechanism for collective dispersal in Caenorhabditis nematodes. The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior also identi­fied natural dispersal vectors for nematode species in our field sites, defining the ecological context for tower-mediated dispersal. For this project, The Institute aim to understand how worm towers acquire, process, and respond to environmental and social information using their senses (e.g., mechano-, olfactory-, electro-sensing) to achieve successful tower construction, vector detection, and collective re­location. The Institute seek to address whether worms perform more effectively as a sensory collective than as isolated individuals. The Institute is also interested in environmental adaptation of the sensory systems and decision-making using sensory information. Research will in­volve designing, executing, and analyzing experiments to address one or more of these questions. This project will adopt a primarily laboratory-based approach and may incorporate field work in the district of Constance. Project specifics will be tailored based on the skills, experience, and ideas of the successful candidate.

The Group

The Genes and Behavior research  group is headed by Dr. Serena Ding. The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior is broadly interested in understanding how and why ne­matodes behave collectively. To address research questions, The Institute use a combination of genetic, behavioral, quantitative and mod­eling techniques to study a range of collective behaviors in groups of nematodes, including the mode) organism C. elegans.

Table of Content

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

Summary

• Application DeadlineDecember 11, 2026
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorMax Planck Institute
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior offer an interesting job in an open-minded team, a responsible and varied workplace in a growing interdisciplinary and interna­tional research institute.
• The payment is made in accordance with your experience and qualifications and the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD-Bund).
• The Max Planck Society endeavors to employ more severely disabled people.
• Applications of se­verely disabled persons are expressly welcome.
• The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. Max Planck Institute welcome appli­cants from all backgrounds.

Requirements

Essential:

• PhD in invertebrate neuroscience, animal behavior, collective behavior, or a related field
• Fundamental interest in biological phenomena and an open-minded approach to questions
• Literature awareness
• Willingness and ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a scientifically and culturally diverse team
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

Desirable:

• Knowledge of C. elegans sensory biology would be highly relevant for this project
• Creativity and breadth in experimental approaches

Application Documents

Please apply with

• A motivation letter, including a brief outline of your proposed approach to this project and mock-up result figures (hand-drawn is fine)
• CV
• Contact details for two references
• Statement about using AI to prepare application

Check also:
2026 Fully Funded Humboldt Research Fellowship
2026 Eutopia PhD Co-tutelle Call

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science on bewerbermanagement.net to apply

Questions about this position will be answered by Dr. Serena Ding [email protected].

For more information, kindly visit Max Planck Institute webpage.