Potential PhD Projects
An overview with a few of the advertised potential projects that PhD candidates could start in the upcoming winter semester. Please note that this list is not comprehensive and that many projects are arranged individually during the Interview Phase with our 160+ GSN Faculty Members.
Seeking Passionate PhD Student for Cutting Edge Neuro–Metabolism Research, Ertürk Lab
Are you fascinated by how the nervous system controls the entire body? Do you want to uncover how neural circuits contribute to metabolic disorders and other systemic diseases? Join our team at the Ertürk Lab as a PhD student and work at the interface of neuroscience, whole body imaging and AI.
What You Will Do
• Perform advanced tissue clearing and light sheet microscopy to map the nervous system across the whole mouse body at single cell resolution.
• Use wildDISCO and related whole body immunolabeling approaches to visualize autonomic, sensory and central circuits that regulate metabolic organs such as liver, pancreas, adipose tissue and gut.
• Apply and further develop AI based analysis tools for 3D image registration, cell detection and circuit quantification to extract meaningful biological insights from large scale datasets.
• Investigate how changes in peripheral and central nervous system connectivity and activity contribute to metabolic disorders and systemic disease states.
• Collaborate with biologists, clinicians and AI scientists to integrate imaging, molecular and functional data into a coherent picture of whole body neuro control.
• Publish your work in high impact journals and present at international conferences.
What We Offer
• State of the art platforms for tissue clearing, light sheet microscopy and large scale computational analysis.
• A highly interdisciplinary and international environment that combines neuroscience, metabolism, AI and systems biology.
• Close collaborations with leading groups worldwide and access to unique whole body imaging pipelines established in the Ertürk Lab.
• Mentoring and career development toward both academic and industry paths.
Your Profile
• Master’s degree in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, systems biology, biomedical engineering or a related field.
• Strong interest in how the nervous system controls whole body physiology and metabolic disease.
• Practical experience in at least one of the following is a plus: microscopy or imaging, tissue processing, programming (for example Python, Matlab), machine learning or data analysis.
• Curious, proactive mindset and willingness to learn new experimental and computational methods.
• Good communication skills and a collaborative working style in an interdisciplinary team.
Join Us
Be part of our team to explore how the whole body nervous system drives metabolic disorders and other systemic diseases.
PhD Position in Chronic Neuroinflammation and Microglial Innate Immune Memory, Liesz Lab
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join our research group at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), LMU Munich. The project focuses on mechanisms of chronic neuroinflammation after brain injury, with a particular emphasis on microglia biology, long-term epigenetic reprogramming and innate immune memory in microglial cells. Using state-of-the-art approaches including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, functional imaging, epigenetic profiling, mouse models of stroke and neuroinflammation, as well as established collaborations with computational and clinical partners, the project aims to define how microglia retain pathological memory and drive long-term brain dysfunction.
The ideal candidate holds a Master’s degree in neuroscience, immunology, molecular biology or a related field, and brings enthusiasm for mechanistic in vivo and ex vivo research. Experience with neuroimmunology, mouse work, imaging, or omics technologies is an advantage but not required. We are looking for a curious, ambitious, and collaborative scientist who enjoys working in an interdisciplinary and international team.
We offer a stimulating research environment within the ISD, the SyNergy Cluster and a newly established Collaborative Research Center on Stroke Research, with access to advanced imaging platforms, single-cell and spatial multiomics pipelines, high-performance computing, and close interaction with international experts. The PhD student will be embedded in structured graduate training programs and benefit from excellent supervision, career development support, and opportunities for conference participation and international exchange.
Contact: Liesz Lab: https://www.isd-research.de/liesz-lab