PhD positions: A multi-organ approach to investigate the endothelium during vascular and neuronal aging and inflammation (EndoAge) (m/f/d)

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented, young scientists the chance to work on cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Biomedicine & Ageing”. 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.

Activities and responsibilities

The research groups of Philip Wenzel and Ari Waisman offer the following 3 PhD projects:

Endothelial cells line the inner layer of all blood vessels and play a key role in vascular and organ homeostasis. Endothelial cells also provide important barriers and have the ability to selectively prevent or to allow the transmigration of cells, but also the endocytosis of molecules and their transcytosis into the subendothelial space. Our central hypothesis is that inflammation and aging impact on the protective role of endothelial cells in an organ-specific manner and that the endothelium represents an ideal therapeutic target to prevent detrimental vascular aging and disease progression. To address this hypothesis, our combined research efforts will examine endothelial-driven mechanisms of vascular inflammation and their role for selected age-associated disease processes in the nervous and cardiovascular system, such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis and heart failure. We will also analyze in which way systemic and local immune and inflammatory stimuli, circulating proteins in the blood stream, or bacterial compounds from the gut influence the endothelium in different vascular organ beds. Mechanistically, we will focus on the organ-specific roles of endothelial cells and mechanisms providing selective barriers, influencing endothelial endocytosis, and controlling proteostasis, and how these mechanisms can be specifically targeted to prevent endothelial aging and inflammation. We will divide our research efforts into the following main project areas:

PhD Project 1: Organ-specific and systemic mechanisms of endothelial barrier function and dysfunction

If you are interested in this project, please select Wenzel/Waisman (Mech) your group preference in the IPP application platform.

PhD Project 2: Metabolic, bacterial and inflammatory modulators of the endothelial barrier

If you are interested in this project, please select Wenzel/Waisman (Mod) your group preference in the IPP application platform.

PhD Project 3: Therapeutic targeting of the endothelial barrier to prevent aging and inflammation

If you are interested in this project, please select Wenzel/Waisman (Ther) your group preference in the IPP application platform.

Within these project areas, and in a collaborative effort, the consortium will examine the following specific aims:

- To understand the causal role of changes in endothelial cell metabolism and endocytosis receptor expression for vascular disease processes;

- To examine how the gut microbiome impacts on local (intestinal) and distant (brain, liver, heart) endothelial cell barriers to promote organ inflammation and degeneration;

- To study how systemic inflammation induces endothelial barrier disruption and neuronal impairment; and

- To assess whether age-associated changes in endothelial cells are amenable to specific therapeutic targeting and drug delivery to prevent or to halt vascular inflammation, remodeling and degeneration.

In this Core Team of our consortium EndoAge, each PhD student will be co-supervised by two PIs, paired from cross-disciplinary areas in translational research and medicine

Qualification profile

Are you an ambitious, young 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 17 April 2024. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 1-3 July 2024.

Starting date: 1 August 2024 - 1 January 2025