Research Associate (PhD Student) (m/f/d) in Computational Biology / Bioinformatics

Our Department of Nephrology and the Else Kroener-Fresenius-Center (EKFZ) provide excellent, state-of-the-art facilities to conduct interdisciplinary and computational research at the intersection of nephrology, immunology, and cardiovascular biology. We offer an attractive, supportive environment for modern science in molecular medicine and systems biology. We are looking for an ambitious, talented and highly motivated candidate to join our team.

The project that you are working on is embedded in a translational research program aiming to understand how the hematopoietic system crosslinks interactions between aging, cardiovascular, and kidney diseases. You will integrate multi-omic datasets to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms in various organs and immune cells. By bridging single-cell resolution with global biobank scales, your work will help identify novel molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

The candidate will be supervised and supported by experienced computational biologists, molecular biologists and clinicians. The project is designed to perform cutting-edge research with state-of-the-art methods and technologies.

Your Role:

• Analyze and integrate in-house and publicly available single-cell RNA-seq, single-cell ATAC-seq, and CITE-seq datasets
• Analyze large-scale genomic, proteomic and clinical data from the UK Biobank (UKB) and All of Us Research Program
• Develop and implement reproducible and scalable computational pipelines and workflows
• Collaborate closely with experimental biologists and clinicians in an interdisciplinary environment to define hypotheses and interpret results in a biological and clinical context
• Present research findings within the working group and at international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals and cumulate your findings in a doctoral thesis

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in computational or molecular biology, bioinformatics, molecular medicine or a related field
• Proficiency in either R or Python for data analysis, statistics, and visualization.
• Previous experience with bioinformatic analysis of single-cell RNAseq analysis (Seurat/Scanpy) and/or genetic data
• A solid foundational understanding of molecular biology, genetics, or immunology, and a keen interest in human disease mechanisms.
• Keen interest in leveraging omics to elucidate disease mechanisms in cardiovascular and/or kidney disease and immunology
• Previous experience with reproducible coding practices and working in cloud environments is a plus.
• Solid understanding of statistics
• Willingness to understand and apply state-of-the-art computational tools and algorithms for single-cell, multi-omics and genetic analysis
• Very good verbal and written skills in English; German is an advantage but not required
• High motivation, ability to work independently as well as in an interdisciplinary team, excellent organizational and communication skills
• Due to legal regulations, valid proof of measles immunity / measles vaccination is required.

• In addition to an attractive salary based on a collective agreement with an annual special payment, you benefit from long-term security through company pension schemes
• Internal and external training for your professional development
• Benefit from our attractive health offers. We offer regular online and face-to-face courses on nutrition, relaxation, sports and exercise
• We offer childcare in our daycare center (if you have any questions, please contact UKF-Familienservice), child care during holidays
• Free public transport in all Hessen (Free State Ticket Hessen)
• Uniklinik-Campus, Mensa, Cafés
• Insights: Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn
• FAQ´s for new employees

Kontakt: Dr. Simone-Franziska Glaser, Head of Research of the Else Kroener-Fresenius-Center
Mail: glaser@med.uni-frankfurt.de
Bewerbungsfrist: 06.09.2026

We are looking forward to your complete application, including your CV, a motivation letter and your relevant certificates and references.

We welcome applications from candidates of all genders. Women are currently underrepresented in these positions at Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt. Therefore, applications from women are especially encouraged. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preferential consideration in cases of equal personal and professional qualifications.