Research associate bioinformatics (metabolomics, m/f/d)

The Computational Plant Biochemistry research group at the IPB is seeking applications to fill the position as  

Research associate bioinformatics (metabolomics, m/f/d)  

PostDoc: Salary group E13 TVL, full-time 100 %, initially limited until September 2026. 

to be filled immediately. 

Who we are:  

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) is a non-university research institution of the Leibniz Association on the Weinberg Campus of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. As a foundation under public law, the IPB is under direct supervision of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.  

The IPB is an internationally recognized research institution and consists of four scientific Departments and additional independent research groups (approx. 200 employees, including around 40 doctoral students).  

Research at the IPB aims to understand the (bio)chemical basis of plant resilience and performance in challenging environments related to climate change. The IPB offers excellent research facilities and state-of-the-art infrastructure to study the chemical diversity, biochemical interactions and biological functions of small natural product molecules in plants and fungi (https://www.ipb-halle.de/en/). 

Research topic: 

As a (bio-) informatician, you will join our research group Computational Plant Biochemistry, which focuses on Computational Metabolomics and develops methods for processing and interpreting mass spectrometry data in the context of plant biochemistry and biodiversity research.  

The IPB coordinates the BMBF-funded project "New Medicinal Plants and Active Ingredients from Saxony-Anhalt (NA-WIR)", where seven partners in the region  

investigate natural products (metabolites) of drought resistant herbs and medicinal plants using mass spectrometry and spectroscopic methods. Active substances such as carnosic acid or oridonin are converted by biotransformation and tested for antibacterial or anticarcinogenic properties. 

Your tasks: 

• Development and application of data processing methods for mass spectrometry and spectroscopic analyses 
• Modeling and prediction of metabolite profiles and special metabolites  
• Evaluation and selection of suitable enzyme sequences for biotransformation 
• Development of a data management concept within the project and advising the partners on its implementation 

Your profile: 

• You hold a university degree (master or PhD) in bioinformatics or computer science, with experience in algorithm and software engineering and statistics 
• You can program in the statistics framework R, and have worked in Python and Java 
• Knowledge in metabolomics plant biochemistry  

Our benefits: 

• Excellent working conditions in an international environment 
• Flexible and family-friendly working hours and possibility of home-office 
• Offer of professional training courses and measures for skill improvement 
• Compensation according to TV-L (including annual special payment) 
• Contribution to your company pension plan (VBL) 
• On-site opportunities for health promotion 

How to apply and information: 

For further information, please contact Dr. Steffen Neumann, Tel.: +49 (0) 345 5582-1770, e-mail: sneumann@ipb-halle.de

Please, submit a single pdf document (letter off motivation, CV, certificates, publication list, etc.) quoting reference number 3/2024 until May 3rd, 2024 to bewerbungen@ipb-halle.de. We will run online interviews with selected candidates in the 19th calendar week in 2024. 

Foreign qualifications must comply with German standards (TV-L-EntgeltO Protokollerklärung Nr. 1 Absatz 4) and be certified (equivalence test in Germany, subject to a fee) and presented to IPB Human Resources at the time of hiring: https://www.kmk.org/zab/central-office-for-foreign-education

Diversity, family and equal opportunities: 

The IPB aspires to the goal of equal opportunity, diversity, and the promotion of work-life balance as it was awarded the certificate "Total E-Quality". In addition, the IPB is a member of the nationwide company network "Success Factor Family" and of the “Diversity Charter” (Charta der Vielfalt). 

Further information can be found at: https://www.ipb-halle.de/en/institute/ 

Data protection: 

Please note, the data protection information for applicants (m/f/d) according to Article 13 and 14 GDPR on data protection processing during the application process: 

https://www.ipb-halle.de/en/career/data-protection-information-for-applicants/