Exploring the Fungal Microbiome at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

How do fungal commensals shape the human immune system—and what role do they play in inflammatory diseases? If questions like these excite you, the ImmunoPreCept Cluster of Excellence at Charité Berlin has opened a remarkable Postdoctoral Scientist position that might be the perfect fit.

This role invites an ambitious computational biologist to join a multidisciplinary team investigating how fungi—especially Candida albicans—interact with the human host. With access to one of the world’s largest Candida strain collections (1,800 strains) and Europe’s leading patient cohorts studying inflammatory bowel disease, this project offers a rare opportunity to drive discovery at the intersection of genomics, proteomics, and immunology.

🔬 About the Project

Fungal cells are a small but powerful part of human-associated microbiomes. This project focuses on understanding how these yeast commensals train the immune system and influence outcomes in inflammatory disorders, particularly IBD.

Using metagenomics, metaproteomics, and advanced computational frameworks, you will uncover the ecological roles of fungal communities and their molecular interactions with the host.

🧪 Research Environment: The Ralser Lab

You will join the renowned Ralser Lab, a leader in functional genomics, systems biology, and advanced mass spectrometry.

Their mission:
To understand how cells regulate metabolism on a large scale and apply these discoveries to cancer biology, immunology, metabolic disorders, and clinical diagnostics.

As part of ImmunoPreCept, you will work in an ecosystem that brings together computational scientists, immunologists, clinicians, and proteomics experts—all supported by rich datasets and high-end technology platforms.

🧠 Your Key Responsibilities

As the postdoctoral researcher, you will:

• Reanalyze metagenomic datasets to map the human mycobiome
• Integrate multi-omics layers: microbiome, mycobiome, metaproteomics, genomics, immune phenotypes
• Build predictive models for host–fungus interactions and inflammation risk
• Develop robust bioinformatics pipelines for fungal detection, strain characterization, and proteomic analysis
• Collaborate closely with wet-lab scientists, clinicians, and computational biologists

🎓 Who Should Apply

Ideal candidates will bring:

• A PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, systems biology, or a related field
• Experience in genome analysis, metagenomics, amplicon sequencing, or computational proteomics
• Strong programming expertise (Python, R)
• Ability to manage complex workflows and multi-omics datasets
• Strong communication skills and experience working in interdisciplinary teams

A track record of scientific publications is highly desirable.

🌍 What Charité Offers

• A highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment
• Access to exceptional patient cohorts and large-scale datasets
• Cutting-edge proteomics, functional genomics, and single-cell platforms
• High-performance computing and high-throughput technologies
• Training opportunities, scientific independence, and strong mentoring

📩 How to Apply

Submit your application—including CV, cover letter, transcripts, and references—via the Charité application portal:
👉APPLY HERE 

For questions, visit the lab website: Lab website here!
Or contact:

• Prof. Dr. Markus Ralser – markus.ralser@charite.de
• Dr. Alexandra Marr – alexandra-katharina.marr@charite.de

More opportunities link here!