About this role
The University Hospital Heidelberg is one of the major healthcare centers in Germany. Our objective is the development of innovative diagnostics and therapies as well as their quick implementation for the patient. With about 14,000 employees in more than 50 specialized clinical departments with almost 2,500 beds, about 80,000 patients in part-time and full-time inpatient treatment as well as 1,000,000 patients in ambulant treatment are medicated each year. PhD/Postdoc position in computational biology to elucidate NR2F1 dosage dependent regulatory networks in health and disease (m/f/d) We are looking for an enthusiastic Postdoc/PhD to join our research group to study gene regulation in neurodevelopment with a focus on how NR2F1 dosage shapes the specification of neuronal lineages and the formation of cortical circuits. NR2F1 is a key transcription factor controlling embryonic neuronal development. Mutations and deletions of NR2F1 lead to Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS). Using neuronal cells derived from CRISPR/Cas9 engineered human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) we model distinct NR2F1 dosages to study their effects across neuronal differentiation. By integrating time-resolved bulk (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, Hi-C) obtained from neuronal lineages cultured in 2D cells and single-cell multi-omics (scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq, Multiome) data generated in 3D forebrain dorsal organoids, we aim to map regulatory networks sensitive to NR2F1 expression levels. Our group studies the fundamental principles of embryonic neuronal development by combining genomics, gene editing, and bioinformatics. We offer an international, dynamic, and supportive research environment that fosters creativity and career growth. The AG Laugsch is embedded within Heidelberg's excellent computational biology network, fostering close collaborations with experts like Carl Herrmann (Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology), and Julio Saez-Rodriguez (Systems Biomedicine, Institute of Computational Biomedicine. If you are a curiosity-driven researcher who enjoys interdisciplinary teamwork and tackling complex biological questions through data, we would be delighted to hear from you. The application must include your motivation, a brief statement of your scientific interests, contact details from three references, curriculum vitae, separated publication list, and relevant certificates. https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/humangenetik/forschung/ag-laugsch / Literature https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.25.734423 https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.01.722223 doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2019.03.004. Job-ID: V000015909 Field of application: Institute of Human Genetics Location: Heidelberg Job Category: Science and Teaching Working hours: Full-time Anstellungsart: Vollzeit Limitation: Temporary (3 years) Contract: TV-L Establish computational pipelines for the analysis and integration of single-cell multi-omics data (scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq, Multiome) to reconstruct gene regulatory networks in 3D forebrain dorsal organoids to determine pathophysiological consequences of aberrant NR2F1 dosage Design and build an interactive, open-access web platform for visualization and usage of multi-omics datasets Integrate newly generated data with in-house and publicly available datasets to interpret results in a robust biological context Ensure reproducibility, data management, and documentation of computational workflows in high-performance computing environments Collaborate closely with experts in computational biology across the university and affiliated institutes, as well as with experimental researchers (wet lab) in the AG Laugsch, to support accurate data interpretation and integration Maintain clear documentation of analyses and computational workflows on eLab and provide regular progress reports and updates Actively participate in regular journal clubs and institute meetings. Present findings at lab meetings a...