?The United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. The programme integrates qualified, highly motivated and well supported professionals into the work of different UN offices and promotes the value and global recognition of volunteerism.

The United Nations, with offices in 193 countries and 37,000 employees, is the world’s largest universal multilateral international organization. It inspires people from around the world to join its mission of maintaining peace, advancing human rights and promoting justice, equality and development. 

Securing employment with the Organization can seem like a daunting task, but as the scope of its work is global and multidimensional, there are many different entry points for candidates of varied educational backgrounds and diverse professional experience. UNAI designed the #Work4UN series to help you understand the UN, its structure, and some of the most common avenues available to join the organization. Today’s article is the fifth in the series and focuses on UN Volunteers.

What are UN Volunteers?

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. The programme, administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), integrates qualified, highly motivated and well supported professionals into the work of different UN offices and agencies, and promotes the value and global recognition of volunteerism.

In 2018, 7,201 UN volunteers were deployed worldwide and 81% of them were from countries of the Global South. UNV is directly in charge of the actual recruitment and assignment of volunteers, who support the work of the UN in the field, regional offices, and at the Headquarters with their talent and skills, while obtaining hands-on professional experience with the UN.

Volunteerism is a remarkable way for students and professionals to engage in critical issues while nurturing their global citizenship and developing useful skills. With their knowledge and passion, UN volunteers contribute to advancing the mandates and principles of the UN, and foster multilateralism and sustainability through tangible, hands on work.

Application Process

There are two basic types of volunteer opportunities: volunteer abroad and volunteer in one’s own country. The application follows a similar process: those interested in becoming UN volunteers must first sign up at UNV’s Volunteer Management Application website and complete a profile to be included in the ‘Global Talent Pool’, which is a roster of people interested in the programme. As many details as possible should be provided regarding relevant qualifications, skills and professional experience.

As per UNV regulations and standards, the minimum age is 25 for international assignments and 22 for national assignments. Basic requirements include a university degree or higher technician diploma (a master’s degree may be needed depending on the nature of the job), two years of relevant work experience and good working knowledge of at least one of the 3 UNV working languages - English, French and Spanish. No proof or test is required to verify the level of knowledge of any given language.

The UN Youth Volunteer programme also looks for motivated and talented youth between the ages of 18 and 29 (candidates must be younger than 29 throughout the duration of their service). The educational background and experience required varies by assignment, but generally work experience over two years is not expected.

Once the candidate completes their profile, there are two ways for them to be selected. The first is when assignments are sent to UNV, a search is conducted in the applicant pool for profiles matching the requirements of the assignment; qualified candidates are then contacted. In the second scenario, the individual can apply specifically to a ‘special call’, which normally requires a faster deployment of the volunteer. All special calls can be found here. Each position has a ‘Description of Assignment’ where the assignment details and requirements are fully described.

Assessment Process

Whenever UNV is considering an individual for a potential national or international assignment, the candidate receives an ‘Assignment Proposal’ and must submit a confirmation of interest by email. Then the name of the candidate will be included in a list sent by UNV to the host agency, who will decide, based on the review of the different profiles, which candidates are short listed or called for the next step in the recruitment process, which is a comprehensive assessment.

The assessment normally consists of a written and an oral phase. The written examination is not mandatory but when there is one, it is administered online and is based on substantive technical questions regarding the assignment. With or without a written examination, the most critical part of the evaluation process is a competency-based interview, ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour, with a panel of interviewers composed of staff from UNV and the host agency. Both the written examination and the interview usually take place in at least two languages.

Recruitment and Work

Successful candidates will remain in the pool and will receive a ‘Letter of Offer’, which is conditional subject to government, medical and security clearances as well as verification of information provided in the profile, in particular academic (including university diplomas) and work references. When all the requirements are met, the offer must be signed for the onboarding process to begin. The final step is the signing of the actual contract.

Volunteers are subject to the Conditions of Service for international UN volunteers and national UN volunteers. Once deployed, they receive digital and on-site training from UNV and the host agency. UN volunteers are entitled to privileges and immunities, similar to those of UN officials as required for the exercise of their duties. Despite having started their recruitment process with UNV, for their day-to-day work UN volunteers are directly managed and supervised by the host agency or partner.

Volunteering Online

UNV also manages a special programme for those who want to contribute to the work of the UN system from their home, using their own PCs or laptops. This programme, called UNV Online Volunteering, allows more than 12,000 people to volunteer remotely every year, using their skills in conducting research, graphic design, proofreading, translating and other work for a wide range of UN entities as well as non-governmental organizations. Interested candidates can sign up for an account to join the global community of online volunteers and browse all the available opportunities.

UNAI conducted a series of interviews with United Nations staff members to provide additional information on working for the UN, and to allow staff members the opportunity to share their professional and personal insights into working for the Organization.  In this video, Fiorella Triscritti, Associate Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), and Omar Hernández, Public Information Officer at the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), describe their work as former UN volunteers and how that experience led to a career at the UN.

Additional Resources

• United Nations Organizational Chart
• UN Volunteers official website
• Register to become a UN volunteer
• Register for online volunteering
• Frequently Asked Questions about UNV
• Video - The role of the United Nations Volunteers
• Video – UN Volunteers for international and national events
• UNV brochure - Inspiration in Action
• United Nations Competency-Based Interviews

#Work4UN: UN Volunteers

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “Ageing & Disease”, the research group of Björn Clausen offers the following PhD project:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women worldwide, with increasing incidence rates, in particular in young people. CRC can arise sporadically or due to chronic inflammation, and both genetic disposition as well as environmental factors contribute to the development of CRC. Risk factors include age and lifestyle such as poor dietary habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity, and possibly viral infections. Patients with long-standing inflammatory bowel diseases exhibit a higher risk to develop colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC).

B cells are an important part of the immune cell infiltrate of tumors, and their contribution to tumor initiation, development, and immunosurveillance is complex with both pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects. Recent studies implicate a fundamental role of B cells in shaping anti-tumor responses through several mechanisms. While IgA⁺ plasma cells regulate bacterial populations in the gut lumen in steady state, plasma cell-derived tumor-specific IgG1 antibodies mediate cell cytotoxicity and phagocytosis of tumor cells. In addition, B cells present tumor-specific antigens via MHCI and MHCII to T cells inducing their anti-tumor effector function. B cells also regulate the immune response within the tumor microenvironment through the release of cytokines, such as IFN-g, IL-12, or IL-10. CRC patients show substantial alterations in their B cell compartment, with increasing numbers of IL-10 producing B cells in advanced tumors and metastases. CRC patients with tumors highly infiltrated by CD20⁺ B cells display significantly improved survival, which suggests an anti-tumor role of B cells. In line, B cells are closely associated with CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells, which are important in antigen-specific immunity against tumors. Antibody-independent mechanisms such as antigen presentation, cytokine production, direct cytotoxicity, and indirect effects through modulation of other immune cells have been demonstrated to be of great importance. Thus, whether B cells promote or inhibit tumor growth depends on different variables, such as temporal and spatial settings, as well as on the composition of B cell subsets. Therefore, a phenotypical and functional characterization of B cells in CRC tumor initiation and progression is of great interest with a possible therapeutic benefit.

PhD project: The role of B cells in Colorectal Cancer Development and Progression

The molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning inflammatory processes that promote epithelial transition to carcinogenesis are still only insufficiently characterized, and especially how B cells contribute to these processes. We started investigating the role of B cells in the inflammatory phase, and at later time points of tumor development/progression in the well-established animal model of inflammation-induced CRC (AOM/DSS). We could show that B cells exert an important role by using B cell-deficient mice (JHT mice), which were completely resistant to AOM/DSS-induced inflammation as well as CRC development. Further, we could show that B cell-specific secretion of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 drives CAC development, whereas it does not affect the inflammatory phase of CAC development.

In this proposed project, we will further elucidate the role of B cells in CAC using the AOM/DSS model. We will perform a detailed in vivo and in vitro analysis of different transgenic animals, manipulating, for example, antibody secretion using mice that are not able to secrete antibodies (IgMi mice). We will further use mice that allow us to delete B cells at any desired time point of CRC development to investigate the temporal/spatial role of B cells in colon carcinogenesis (iDTRCD19-cre mice).

In addition, we will employ a non-inflammatory model of sporadic CRC since preliminary data also show a significant role of B cells in this tumor entity. Besides these animal models, we will perform different molecular methods, flow cytometric analysis, immunohistochemistry as well as single cell and bulk RNA sequencing from tumors as well as the tumor microenvironment. We will create organoids, if possible, also from human tissue samples.

Finally, we will translate our experimental findings to the clinic by using human CRC samples from patients with inflammation-induced CRC in comparison to patients suffering from sporadic CRC and investigate the contribution of B cells.

Of note, this project is jointly conducted by the Hövelmeyer and Clausen laboratories at the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Mainz, as funded by the established DFG CRC 1292.

If you are interested in this project, please select Clausen (Canc) as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “Ageing & Disease”, the research group of Björn Clausen offers the following PhD project:

The oral mucosa represents a barrier tissue to the environment where the balance of immunity and tolerance is vital, as it is constantly exposed to pathogens and harmless foreign antigens, including commensals. A breakdown of this balance leads to dysbiosis resulting in periodontitis, an infection-induced inflammatory disease characterized by irreversible destruction of the tooth-supporting tissues including loss of the underlying bone. Moreover, it is considered a risk factor for life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Dendritic cells (DC), including Langerhans cells (LC), have the unique capacity to promote both tolerogenic and inflammatory immune responses. Hence, in order to design effective therapeutic strategies to treat periodontitis and reduce the risk of developing comorbidities, it is essential to understand how DC in the oral mucosa maintain immune homeostasis.

PhD project: E-cadherin and β-catenin signaling in dendritic cells for the maintenance of immune homeostasis in the oral mucosa

One pathway that plays a crucial role in DC homeostasis and tolerance induction is E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling. The cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin is only expressed by LC and we recently showed that it is involved in the 2-step process of their differentiation in the oral mucosa. Notably, to what extent E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling regulates LC/DC homeostasis and function in the oral mucosa is not known. In pilot experiments, we analyzed the oral mucosa of transgenic mice lacking E-cadherin in CD11c⁺ cells (CD11c-Ecad^DEL) and observed an altered LC subset distribution and a dramatically changed morphology with more rounded cell bodies and fewer dendrites compared to controls. In the proposed project a detailed in vivo and in vitro analysis of CD11c-Ecad^DEL and β-catenin deficient (CD11c-βcat^DEL) mice will be performed. First, we will assess LC and DC homeostasis, activation and migration in the different oral tissues by high-dimensional flow cytometry as well as the impact of CD11c-specific E-cadherin or β-catenin deletion on other immune cell populations. Moreover, we detected oral dysbiosis in our CD11c-Ecad^DEL mice and therefore, a detailed taxonomic microbiota analysis will be performed in this project. Since persistent microbial dysbiosis results in inflammation and subsequently alveolar bone loss, we will analyze the oral tissues of CD11c-Ecad^DEL and CD11c-βcat^DEL mice for T cell infiltration and inflammatory cytokines. Bone loss will be monitored by micro computed tomography (µCT) scans. Finally, in different mouse models of periodontitis (P. gingivalis- and ligature-induced periodontal disease) we will interrogate the impact of E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling on LC/DC during infection and inflammation. Applying single-cell RNA sequencing the molecular pathways affected by E-cadherin/ β-catenin signals in oral mucosal LC/DC will be deciphered. Our expected findings may thus have important implications for designing improved LC/DC-based strategies for the treatment of periodontal disease.

If you are interested in this project, please select Clausen (DC) as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “Ageing & Disease”, the research group of Wolfram Ruf offers the following PhD project:

Bone marrow-resident hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) are the source of all mature blood cells and replenish the body needs continuously in homeostasis and challenges throughout the life of the host. Although hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are mainly quiescent, they reversibly switch to proliferation upon challenges, such as infection, bleeding, or circadian rhythm. HSCs become dysfunctional in aging by incompletely understood cues from the bone marrow environment. This results in imbalances in the differentiation of HSPC that results in more inflammation (myeloid skewing) and age-related pathologies. Interactions of HSPC with various cellular and soluble (growth factors, extracellular vesicles) components of the bone marrow microenvironment crucially regulate the developmental fate of HSPC and proteases of the coagulation system have been shown to contribute to both matrix remodeling and regulation of homeostasis or mobilization of HSPC (extravascular coagulation signaling). Mutation or deficiencies of components of the coagulation system have been implicated in the regulation of HSPC in aging mouse models.

PhD project: Coagulation receptors in aging

The aim of the project is to determine the contribution of extravascular coagulation and immune signaling mechanisms to unbalanced hematopoiesis in aging with a long-term goal to possibly identify rejuvenation strategies. The work of the PhD candidate(s) will include the analysis of recently identified different mouse models with accelerated aging phenotypes and apply state of the art single cell technologies to characterize HSPC phenotypes and function. Characterization of the bone marrow environment by proteomics (e.g. of extracellular vesicles) may also be required to identify underlying molecular mechanisms for altered HSPC output in aging. Theoretical and practical knowledge in molecular and cell biology and/or protein chemistry are expected for successful candidates. The candidate should have an interest in systems biology approaches and develop skills to apply bioinformatics on newly generated and available omics data sets.

If you are interested in this project, please select Ruf as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “Epigenetics & Nuclear Dynamics”, the research group of Sandra Schick offers the following PhD project:

Genomic DNA is highly compacted into chromatin in order to fit into the nucleus of a cell. The packaging further provides a regulatory layer for DNA accessibility and therefore all DNA-dependent processes, such as transcription, DNA repair or replication. ATP-dependent chromatin remodellers can modulate the accessibility by moving or evicting nucleosomes. One class of these remodellers are the BAF complexes, very large multi-protein complexes existing in many different configurations in human cells. Their importance is highlighted by the fact that mutations in genes coding for these complexes are found in more than 20% of all human cancers and frequently causative for developmental diseases, especially several neurodevelopmental disorders. The molecular consequences of these mutations are hardly known so far. Therefore, understanding the cell type-specific composition and function of these complexes in the development of different organs as well as the cellular changes caused by the mutation of a subunit is of great importance for the development of therapeutics against these common BAF-mutated diseases.

PhD Project: Gene regulation by chromatin remodellers during development and disease

BAF complexes control the accessibility of cell type-specific genomic gene regulatory regions and are therefore of great importance for developmental processes, cell fate transitions during differentiation and cell maintenance. To understand their physiological role during human developmental processes and unravel disease-associated molecular alterations caused by mutations in genes encoding subunits of these complexes, we will implement stem cell differentiation into organoids combined with molecular perturbation tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 and chemically induced protein degradation. This will allow us to model developmental diseases and unravel the physiological role of the subunits/ BAF complexes in human developmental processes. With the help of bulk and single-cell genomics, proteomics, molecular biology, screening and imaging approaches, we will then dissect the cellular and molecular consequences upon loss of selected BAF subunits. This will provide novel insights into these diseases as well as the function of the BAF complexes and their subunits in developmental processes.

We are therefore looking for a highly motivated PhD student who is experienced in the lab, enthusiastic about science especially with regard to developmental processes, gene regulation and epigenomics and has a strong interest in tackling scientific questions in an interdisciplinary way. Computational skills are an asset but not compulsory.

If you are interested in this project, please select Schick as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “RNA Biology”, the research group of Marie-Luise Winz offers the following PhD project:

Proteins are central to any living organism. To protect cells from dysfunctional and toxic, disease-causing proteins formed by aberrant translation, eukaryotic translation quality control pathways detect translation defects and remove aberrant protein products, together with associated faulty mRNA blueprints and sometimes faulty ribosomal components. Many of those pathways rely on the recognition of ribosome collisions. Much is still unknown about the molecular mechanisms underlying translation quality control, and how these interact with other cellular machineries and with organismal health and life cycle. These are research objects in my group. Besides reporter systems and polysome profiling techniques, we use sequencing-based methods, most prominently UV crosslinking and analysis of cDNA (CRAC), to study RNA-protein interactions, translation and RNA modification in the context of translation quality control. These techniques provide a unique toolbox to approach our key questions:

1:           Which molecular interactions underlie translation quality control triggering and how are different targets distinguished?

2:           How does translation quality control interact with cellular stress responses, translation regulation and RNA modification?

3:           How does co-translational quality control work in neurons and does it change with ageing and disease?

4:           What is the role of translation quality control for RNA-based and RNA-targeted therapies?

With our RNA-centred research, we want to make fundamental contributions to the understanding of translation quality control and its links to age-related neurodegenerative diseases, to ultimately inform efforts to cure, prevent or delay the onset of such diseases.

PhD project: Option 1: New players in eukaryotic translation quality control

Our group has recently discovered a number of potential new players in translation quality control by collating published information from a range of different databases and studies. We are currently investigating the potential functions of several such players in budding yeast, to define in which processes these proteins are involved and what is their molecular mechanism, using, e.g., CRAC, as well as reporter-based analyses (Müller, Tollervey, and Winz, unpublished; Iyer and Winz, unpublished).

Our current efforts so far only cover a small number of potential candidates. In this project, further candidates will be identified from published data and will be screened by reporter systems, equally in budding yeast. Positively evaluated candidates will be further studied to reveal their role in translation quality control. In addition to evaluating candidates from published screens and databases, to reveal additional candidates, new, targeted screens will be explored, followed by similar screens and evaluations.

PhD project: Option 2: Translation quality control in gene-specific translation inhibition

General inhibitors of bacterial translation play an important role as antibiotics. On the other hand, in human translation, a handful of small molecules have recently been discovered that target biosynthesis of a specific protein by targeting either the mRNA or the nascent peptide. It is now well accepted that many unspecific translation inhibitors can cause ribosome collisions and thereby trigger translation quality control pathways.

In this project, we will investigate which role translation quality control plays in specific translation inhibition in mammalian cells.

If you are interested in one of these projects, please select Winz as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented students the chance to work at the cutting edge of research. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities:

In the field of “Epigenetics & Nuclear Dynamics”, the research group of Stamatis Papathanasiou offers the following PhD project:

Proper division of the genomic material is fundamental for cell homeostasis. Although cells have developed a plethora of mechanisms to ensure error-free division, mistakes during mitosis are common in normal physiology and a hallmark in disease. Such mistakes give birth to dysbalanced, aneuploid genomes. A prominent manifestation of mitotic errors is the generation of abnormal nuclear structures, such as micronuclei and chromosome bridges, common features of nuclear atypia in cancer with major physiological significance. Micronuclei are miniature, additional nuclei that form when a chromosome lags during mitosis and then recruits its own nuclear envelope. These structures accumulate massive DNA damage and can lead to severe rearrangements by mechanisms that are now starting to be understood. Yet, we do not fully understand the effects of dysbalanced genomes on cellular function and how these abnormalities contribute to disease initiation and progression.

We recently discovered a new phenomenon of heritable chromatin and transcriptional defects mediated by micronuclei. These alterations are inherited after the micronuclei reincorporate into the normal nuclear environment of daughter cells and are strongly associated with long-lived DNA damage. This work showed that chromosomal instability is inherently coupled to variation in gene expression, which may impact tumor evolution and provided significant insight into the elusive mechanisms leading to non-genetic, cell-to-cell epigenetic variability observed in pathophysiology.

PhD project: Chromatin state dysregulation due to abnormal mitosis

Under what exact circumstances cell division errors can give birth to massive DNA lesions and other chromatin alterations, their inheritance in the progeny and their functional significance remain a mystery. The potential involvement of additional mitosis-mediated mechanisms – other than micronucleation – that initiate cascades of non-genetic alterations is also a black box.

We are excited to welcome a PhD candidate to attack these questions. We will combine cutting edge techniques, such as targeted chromosome manipulation and gene engineering, with the development of advanced systems to track mis-segregated chromosomes by live-cell imaging over multiple generations. We will identify additional sources of inherited abnormal nuclear structures, investigate their DNA damage/repair dynamics and determine the immediate and long-term effects on these nuclear bodies’ epigenome.

If you are interested in this project, please select Papathanasiou (CSD) as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

What we offer:

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a fully international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community of more than 190 PhD students from 44 different countries

Requirements:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of science while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit https://www.imb.de/phd

The deadline for applications is 8 November 2023. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 22-24 January 2024.

Starting date: 1 March 2024 – 1 August 2024

University of Cologne Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science

Assistant Professorship in Investments (W1), no tenure track (f/m/d) (endowed by the Centre for Financial Research (CFR), Cologne)

The University of Cologne is one of the oldest and largest universities in Germany. With its six Faculties covering a broad spectrum of disciplines and its internationally outstanding research profile areas, it enjoys an excellent reputation for its academic achievements and high standards of undergraduate and graduate education. The position is based in the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, which is consistently ranked among the top schools in research and teaching.

YOUR TASKS The successful candidate is expected to contribute to research and teaching in the Department of Finance with a strong focus on Investments, Asset Management, or related areas. Research should be targeted at top ranked international journals. The tasks of the professorship include training of students at all levels. The candidate should contribute to one of the faculty’s key research initiatives (https://wiso.uni-koeln.de/en/research/key-research-initiatives).

YOUR PROFILE We are seeking academics at an early career stage who have demonstrated their academic aptitude through outstanding research in their doctoral studies. Candidates for this position should have very good skills in empirical methods common in finance and should apply them to questions in Investments, Asset Management, or related areas. Publications in high-quality academic journals as well as teaching experience are desirable.

OUR OFFER The University of Cologne provides a stimulating academic environment with a wide range of career development opportunities as well as support services for dual career couples and family-friendly working conditions.

The professorship is endowed by the Centre for Financial Research, Cologne, and located in the Department of Finance. The successful candidate can draw on outstanding research facilities including a broad set of databases (https://wiso.uni-koeln.de/en/faculty/wisolibrary-and-campus-service/research-databases) and the international research network of the Centre for Financial Research (www.cfr-cologne.de). The professorship is endowed with an attractive research budget and a part time research and teaching assistant (0.75 E 13 TV-L). Administrative support is provided by the Office Manager of the Department of Finance.

The position (of a Juniorprofessorin / Juniorprofessor) is available as of 01. June 2024 (based on mutual agreement). Formal requirements are detailed in Section 36 of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Hochschulgesetz – HG NRW).

In the third year after entering into office, an interim evaluation is held. This serves as the basis for the decision as to whether an extension for a further three years will be granted to the candidate. W1 professorships comprise a teaching load of four hours per week (i.e., two hours per week is one 90-minute course per semester) in the first qualification phase and five hours per week in the second qualification phase.

The University of Cologne is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. Women are especially encouraged to apply and will be considered preferentially in accordance with the Equal Opportunities Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz – LGG NRW). We also expressly welcome applications from people with disabilities / special needs or of equal status.

Please submit your application (without a photo) via the University of Cologne’s Academic Job Portal (https://professorships.uni-koeln.de) by 04.10.2023. Your application should be addressed to the Dean of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science. It should consist of the following documents (in English language): cover letter, curriculum vitae including a list of publications and current research projects. If available, the most important publications or working papers, and teaching evaluations should be added as well. For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Alexander Kempf (kempf@wiso.uni-koeln.de).