Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering
talented scientists the chance to work on
cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Mechanisms in Genome Stability & Gene Regulation”. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a
community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.
PhD Positions: Exploring the ubiquitin code in proteostasis and genome maintenance (m/f/d)
Activities and responsibilities
The research group of Helle Ulrich offers the following PhD project:
We study the regulatory mechanisms that contribute to ensuring the complete and accurate duplication of a cell’s genetic information in every cell cycle, especially in the face of DNA damage. We are particularly interested in 1) the emergence, repair and replicative processing of DNA damage on a genome-wide scale, and 2) the contributions of posttranslational protein modifiers of the ubiquitin family, such as ubiquitin and SUMO, to genome maintenance and other cellular processes.
PhD Project: Exploring the ubiquitin code in proteostasis and genome maintenance
The ubiquitin system plays a key role in determining the function and fate of proteins in virtually every biological pathway, including genome maintenance and gene expression. Most often, ubiquitin signalling is mediated by polyubiquitin chains attached to selected substrate proteins. Depending on the linkage between the individual ubiquitin moieties, such chains can adopt many distinct forms and - by means of linkage-selective downstream effectors - convey distinct biological effects. In this manner, the ubiquitin system is implicated in many human diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and inflammation. In our lab, we have developed tailor-made ubiquitylation enzymes that allow us to induce the polyubiquitylation of relevant cellular proteins in a controlled and linkage-selective manner. Here we will apply these tools to the investigation of ubiquitin signalling in selected biological contexts, including the processing of DNA polymerase-blocking lesions during DNA replication, the ubiquitin-dependent damage response pathway at DNA double-strand breaks, the contribution of ubiquitin to biological condensates via phase separation and the protection from pathological protein aggregates. The project will involve biochemical as well as cell and molecular biological approaches and aims to eluciate the relevance of ubiquitin signalling in cellular resilience mechanisms against ageing and disease.
If you are interested in this project, please select Ulrich (Ubi) as your group preference in the IPP application platform.
Qualification profile
Are you an ambitious scientist looking to push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!
All you need is:
- Master or equivalent
- Interactive personality & good command of English
- 2 letters of reference
We offer
- Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a lively international environment, with English as our working language
- Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
- Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
- Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
- A lively community of more than 200 PhD students from 44 different countries
For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit
www.imb.de/phd.
The deadline for applications is 24 October 2024. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 20-22 January 2025.
Starting date: 1 March 2025 - 1 July 2025