to interrogate heart failure and cardio-renal crosstalk using cutting edge next generation sequencing technologies, systems biology, and stem-cell derived organ-in-a-dish cardiod models

Operational area: Clinic for Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological, and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II) -Research Group of Dr. med. Konrad Hoeft-
Working hours: Part-Time 26 hours/week
Duration/Term of employment: the position is limited for 4 years in accordance with the WissZeitVG (German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act) with the option
of prolongation. The successful applicant will be encouraged and supported to achieve a doctoral degree.
Start date: as soon as possible
Remuneration/Rates: EG 13 (TV-L)

Why choose us?

We offer…

30 days of vacation
A bonus of 3,000 euros for employees who help recruit employees in the care sector
An attractive company pension scheme from VBL
Education opportunities, including updating and upgrading
Access to public transport
In-house kindergarten (places subject to availability)
Staff residences (places subject to availability and by arrangement)
An onboarding app for new employees
Extended opening hours in the staff restaurant

Project Title: Dissection of platelet-macrophage-fibroblast interaction in CKD-driven cardiac remodeling. Hoeft Group

Within this PhD-Project the PhD candidate will interrogate cardiac remodeling and heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. The PhD candidate will learn both (i) the generation and (ii) bioinformatic analysis of cutting edge single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics technologies (10X Genomics Visium HD and Xenium spatial transcriptomics) to study cardiac remodeling in CKD in human tissue. Additionally, the PhD candidate will learn how to generate advanced induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cardiac organoids (organ in a dish) to study and validate novel insights in vitro.

This PhD-Program is meant to build a new generation of scientists that are rigorously trained in both cutting-edge wetlab technologies technologies (iPSC-derived organoids, immunofluorescent staining, confocal imaging) and bioinformatics. We envision that these skillsets (cutting edge next generation sequencing technologies, advanced bioinformatics analysis, novel 3D organ-in-a-dish models) will enable the PhD candidates to excell in either an academic or industry career after finishing their PhD.

This PhD-Project is embedded within the "Sonderforschungsbereich" of the DFG SFB/TRR219 Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Complications in Chronic Kidney Disease (https://www.sfbtrr219.de/). PhD candidates will be part of the integrated Research Training Group (IRTG, https://www.sfb-trr219.de/irtg) of the SFB, which offers a comprehensive training program for PhD candidates. This includes (i) medical-scientist programs, (ii) Peer-to-Peer Mentoring, (iii) lectures series on cardio-renal disease with distinguished external speakers, (iv) soft-skill courses, (v) (hands-on) training for new methodologies and technologies, (vi) summer-schools and (vii) networking events.

Tasks:

Generation and analysis of state-of-the-art single cell RNA sequencing datasets
Generation and analysis of state-of-the-art high-resolution spatial transcriptomics datasets (10X Genomics Visium HD and Xenium spatial transcriptomics)
State-of-the-art bioinformatic analysis of large multi-omic transcriptomic datasets
Generation and culture of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cardiac organoids
Analysis of cardiac organoids using in-situ-hybridization, immunofluorescent stainings, confocal microscopy, RT-qPCR and Western blotting

Your profile:

We seek a researcher interested in novel, cutting-edge next-generation sequencing approaches (single cell RNA sequencing and high resolution spatial transcriptomics), as well as subsequent bioinformatic analysis to interrogate and discover new mechanisms in heart failure and cardio-renal crosstalk.
Applicants should have a master's degree in biology, medicine, or a related field (e.g., molecular biology, molecular medicine, physics).
Desirable:
- Prior experience in bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic sequencing data and/or mammalian cell culture (including organoid culture) is beneficial but not required. We are looking for a highly motivated and curious PhD candidate who is eager to learn new wet-lab and computational methods, takes ownership of a project, and drives it forward with a structured, reliable working style. Strong communication skills in English (Level C1) and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary teamwork are highly valued.
Motivation and eagerness to learn
Ability to work independently / self-directed working
Attention to detail
High degree of flexibility and resilience in terms of scheduling
Teamwork

Application:

The application deadline for the advertised position GB-P-54475 is 20.02.2026.

Contact:

University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen, Clinic for Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological, and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Rafael Kramann, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Konrad Hoeft
E-Mail: khoeft@ukaachen.de
Phone: +49 (0)241 80 38064

We look forward to receiving your application!

This job advertisement is aimed at all genders.

The RWTH Aachen University Hospital promotes equal opportunity and diversity. Applications from women are expressly sought and, in accordance with relevant laws, will be treated preferentially.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and they will be given priority if they are equally suitable.

Employment at a fraction less than the weekly full-time working hours stated above is generally possible.

It is preferable to use our digital application portal at www.karriere.ukaachen.de to apply. The portal allows you to upload your documents to an electronic application folder, which is protected from unauthorized access. Applications received by email are transferred to our application portal and then deleted in accordance with data protection regulations. (Transmission by email is usually inadequately protected.) If you do not agree to the transfer of your data to our portal, we unfortunately cannot consider your application. The data in the portal will be deleted after the retention period has expired.

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