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Project Description

Understanding why some bacterial strains are more virulent than others — both across and within species — is a central challenge in infectious disease biology. Genomic differences underpin much of this variability, but pinpointing which variations matter, and why, remains unresolved.

In this PhD project, you will investigate how genomic variation influences virulence, focusing on bacterial adhesins — key proteins mediating host-pathogen interactions. Using a multi-scale bioinformatics approach, your goal will be to map the composition and diversity of the adhesome (the full complement of adhesins) across multiple bacterial pathogens, and to correlate this diversity with virulence phenotypes. Ultimately, your project will uncover how adhesome variability contributes to pathogen virulence.

Methods

You will integrate genomic and phenotypic data (in collaboration with DC1) to build the StradiVarious Variant Collection, a comprehensive database of bacterial strains with varying virulence profiles. On this basis, you will investigate the evolutionary trajectories of virulence-associated proteins, especially adhesins, across diverse bacterial genomes. You will explore and chart inter- and intraspecific variation in the adhesome using feature-architecture-aware phylogenetic profiling and pan-genome graphs. On this basis, you will identify adhesin orthologs with altered structures, evolutionary histories, or domain architectures as potential drivers of altered bacterial virulence. You will apply supervised and unsupervised machine learning to correlate adhesin variation with virulence and generate a shortlist of candidates for experimental validation in partner labs.

The ideal candidate will be interested in comparative genomics analyses of host pathogen interactions. They will have experience in bioinformatics methods development, in the managing and analysing genomic datasets of contemporary size, and they will be proficient in applied bioinformatics analyses with a focus on the evolution of biological sequences and of their functions. An understanding of evolutionary concepts is helpful.

Mandatory requirements

The candidate must have:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in Bioinformatics, or in Molecular Biology or a related field with a solid track of bioinformatics education at the time of admittance to the programme. Strong programming and data analysis skills

• Documented experience in at least one of the following areas: algorithm development, comparative genomics, ortholog search, 3D modelling of protein structures, database design and management.

Desirable qualifications

In addition, it is an advantage if the candidate has:

• A good theoretical understanding of molecular evolution

Personal skills:

We are an international team of researchers from very different scientific and cultural backgrounds. Our colleagues should have

• Excellent communication and teamworking abilities

• Willingness to work in an international and interdisciplinary team

• The ability to work independently on complex projects (from planning and execution to results presentation)

In addition to the eligibility criteria (see below in "How to Apply"), candidates admitted to the PhD programme at Frankfurt University must fulfill the requirements listed here:
Goethe-Universität — Doctorate

Supervisor Ingo Ebersberger (https://www.bio.uni-frankfurt.de/43045195/Abt__Ebersberger___Biowissenschaften)

Hosting institution Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) (https://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/en?locale=en)

Doctoral Training programme at host institution: Goethe-Universität — Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers

Technical information:

• Position location: Frankfurt, Germany.

• Application deadline: January 6th, 2026

• Interviews: February 9th and 13th, 2026 (be available both days)

• Project start date: September 1st, 2026

• Duration: 3 years

How to Apply

Find the eligibility and application requirements below.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must not have been awarded a doctorate previously.
• Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the recruiting institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the date of recruitment. See: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/doctoral-networks ‘What does the funding cover’
• Candidates must have a high level of English proficiency (demonstrated eg by TOEFL, IELTS certification) or by having been educated in an English-speaking country to age 18.
• Candidates must meet all eligibility criteria as outlined in the individual research project descriptions.
• Candidates must meet the entry requirements of the institution to which they apply.

Application Requirements
The candidates will be selected based on the quality of the application, expertise, work experience, and qualifications. In the first instance, an expression of interest should be lodged containing the following documents (in English) consolidated into one single PDF file. As mentioned above, it will increase your chances if you apply to more than one project.

• A current cv (resumé) (max 2 pages).
• A short cover letter, no more than 600 words, that covers the following:
  1: your motivation and key research experience/achievements that demonstrate independent thinking and your ability to complete a PhD. Evidence the skills you claim with the documents you give us.
  2: the original working title of your MSc or BSc thesis.
  3: The first scientific memory that you have (max 250 words)
• A clear statement if and how and what AI tools you used. We recommend you do not use them.
• The table of contents of your thesis
• A research outline (max 500 words) related to the DC topic in which you suggest how you can meet and develop further the research project described in the project advertisement. Be specific: where in your attached certificates can we find proof of the necessary qualifications for the given position?

The following items will be submitted in separately in the application form.

• We suggest you apply for up to 3 PhD positions in StraDiVarious. If you do, list two other choices in order of preference. (You do not need to provide further information.)
• Details of 2 referees (names, contact details) who can provide additional information about your qualifications.
• Official Academic Record - Bachelor's and Master’s Certificates and Transcripts.
• We expect that, since a Master’s Degree is required, you will either have completed it at the time of application, or will do so with the requisite grades and be able to provide a degree certificate by July 1st, 2026. In such a case, acceptance is conditional.
• Demonstration of English-language proficiency (official certificates from language tests, or based on your schooling and where you grew up).
• If we suspect unreported use of AI-generated text, we reserve the right to check using AI-text detection tools and summarily reject the application. This is consistent with our no-tolerance policy towards plagiarism.