The Institute of Zoology, Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Greifswald is seeking to fill two PhD-positions within the next six months for a limited period of 3 years. Payment will be made according to pay group 13 TV-L Wissenschaft. The post holders will work in a joint project of the Department of Animal Physiology (Zoological Institute and Museum), the Department of Cellular Biochemistry & Metabolomics (Institute of Biochemistry) and the Department of Microbial Proteomics (Institute of Microbiology) in the German Scientific Foundation (DFG)-funded project "Life on hold: a physiological model of a low temperature clock in a diapausing insect" to answer the question of how cold temperatures drive the physiological development of pupae of the butterfly Pieris napi as they progress through winter diapause. The position holder will work interdisciplinary in both research groups and be part of a highly motivated team of international young scientists within the research groups. The position to be filled is suitable as a qualification position for obtaining the Dr. rer. nat. (Phd equivalent) degree. The Department of Animal Physiology is concerned with adaptations of animals to the seasons. The work is integrative, focussing on evolutionary and ecological aspects of physiological function. The main taxa are insects, especially butterflies. Position 1 - Diapause eco-physiology and molecular biology Work tasks: - Travel to catch Pieris napi butterflies - Breeding and husbandry of butterflies in the lab - Hormone analyses with immunofluorescent and mass-spectrometric methods - Western blot analyses of protein abundances and interactions - Transfection of cells and production of recombinant proteins - Physiological interpretation of data - Presentation of the results at regular project meetings - Writing scientific articles disseminating the results Recruitment requirements: - Master's or comparable scientific university degree in biology, physiology, biochemistry or a related life science - Excellent applicants with a strong interest in experimental scientific work - Interest in the fields of animal physiology and molecular biology - During candidate selection, special emphasis will be put on scientific excellence and personal suitability Desirable are: - A strong background in animal physiology and molecular biology - Experience with insect rearing, or work with insects in general - Experience with protein analyses, including protein sample preparation, western blot, immunohistochemistry - Experience with metabolomics and data processing of mass-spectrometric data are an asset but may be learned on the job - Very good computer skills Excellent English language skills (can be demonstrated with an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent) - Sound knowledge of writing scientific texts and presentations - Qualities such as reliability, self-organisation and the ability to work in a team Position 2 - Diapause evolutionary proteomics Work tasks: - Breeding and husbandry of the butterfly Pieris napi - In vitro measurements and manipulation of enzyme activities - Independent preparation of proteome samples for quantitative expression analysis with a special focus on post-translational protein modifications - Mass spectrometric measurement - Routine work on mass spectrometers (calibration, tuning) - Bioinformatic analysis of the collected data - Physiological interpretation and categorisation of the data - Presentation of the results at regular project meetings - Writing scientific articles disseminating the results   Recruitment requirements: - Master's or comparable scientific university degree in biology, biochemistry or a related life science - Excellent applicants with a strong interest in experimental scientific work - Interest in the fields of animal physiology and proteomics - During candidate selection, special emphasis will be put on scientific excellence and personal suitability  Desirable are: - Sound knowledge/experience in the fields of microbiology, protein chemistry and bioinformatics - Very good computer skills - Experience in proteome analysis (protein sample preparation, HPLC, mass spectrometry) and data processing of proteomic data (e.g. MaxQuant, Mascot) - Excellent English language skills (can be demonstrated with an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent) - Sound knowledge of writing scientific texts and presentations - Qualities such as reliability, self-organisation and the ability to work in a team The positions are open to all persons, irrespective of gender. The University would like to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented and thus applications from women are particularly welcome and will be treated with priority if they have the same qualifications and as long as there are no clear reasons which make a fellow applicant more suitable. Severely disabled applicants with the same qualifications will be considered with preference. Please only submit copies of your application documents as they cannot be returned. Applications comprising all usual documents (letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, three addresses of references, copies of relevant university degrees, and, if applicable, a list of publications) must be sent with reference to the job advertisement number 24/Wi13 by 31st March 2024, preferably via email (one PDF file) to: Universität Greifswald Institut für Zoologie und Museum Prof. Dr. Philipp Lehmann Felix-Hausdorff-Straße 1 17489 Greifswald E-Mail: philipp.lehmann@uni-greifswald.de   Prof. Dr. Philipp Lehmann University of Greifswald Zoological Institute and Museum Dept. of Animal Physiology Felix Hausdorff-Strasse 1 17489 Greifswald, Germany "Lehmann, Philipp" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)