Postdoctoral Fellowship (10) at Max Planck Institute, Germany

In a project in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, we aim to investigate bioinspired solutions to replace commodity plastics in applications that require high environmental durability. Conventional hard plastics are indispensable in modern manufacturing but carry a well-known environmental cost — high energy processing, persistent waste, and reliance on petrochemical feedstocks. For this position, we aim to demonstrate that protein-based materials, when engineered with the right structural and chemical design principles, can match the mechanical performance of plastics while remaining fully biodegradable.

The positions will be broadly in the area of polymer chemistry and engineering, advanced manufacturing, and microfluidics. Some research directions that we are interested in exploring within this domain are:

1. Synthesis of biomaterials – Synthesis of protein-based biomaterials and crosslinking strategies
2. Additive manufacturing – Multi-material 3D printing of custom materials
3. Microfluidic mixing – Strategies to mix materials on demand using microfluidic methods

We currently offer a Postdoctoral Position (f/m/d) for the project “Spectro-Microscopy Studies of Complex Processes in Thermal Catalysis and Electrochemistry” for the Spectro-Microscopy group at the Department of Interface Science.

The Department of Interface Science headed by Prof. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya at the Fritz Haber Institute, carries out cutting-edge research on advanced functional materials with applications in heterogeneous catalysis, energy conversion and electrochemistry. By combining unique synthesis methods, state-of-the-art tools for experimental characterization and advanced approaches to data analysis, atomistic details of thermal catalysis and electrochemical reactions at gas/solid and liquid/solid interfaces are revealed. In particular, structure-reactivity correlations on nanostructured materials can be established, paving the way for the rational design of novel catalytic materials.

The Spectro-Microscopy group operates an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) based aberrations corrected and energy filtered Low Energy and Photoemission Electron Microscopy (LEEM/PEEM) at the UE49PGM-SMART high flux soft x-ray beamline at BESSY-II. This spectro-microscope is used to characterize catalytically active surfaces such as single crystal surfaces, oxide films and supported nanoparticles (NP) and to follow in real time and in situ processes such as epitaxial film growth, thermal reactions in a pressure range up to 10-5 mbar and phase transitions. Various special equipment is connected to the microscope, allowing for quasi in situ processes like UHV-based plasma treatment, chemical reactions in near ambient pressure (NAP) and electrochemistry. The instrument excels at (1) the comprehensive characterization by combining various microscopy, diffraction and spectroscopy tools at high lateral and energy resolution of up to 2.6 nm and 180 meV, respectively, (2) high and tunable surface sensitivity between 0.3 and 3 nm, (3) high chemical sensitivity (elemental composition, chemical state) and structural sensitivity (surface reconstruction of absorbed species, crystallinity, surface facet orientation) and (4) fast acquisition of the full field image (higher than video rate). Furthermore, the group operates a pure LEEM/PEEM microscope, which is equipped with a high-pressure cell (HPC) to quasi in situ study chemical reactions on catalytically active surfaces with reactive gases in a pressure range up to 20 bar. The third instrument is a unique NAP-LEEM/XPEEM, which is dedicated to observing in real time thermal reaction in the mbar range.   

Together with members of the research group and colleagues from academia, the library and IT, you will develop concepts and define requirements for digital tools to carry out various projects within the research project. You will contribute to the design and implementation of data models and ontologies designed to support the various projects and ensure full semantic interoperability between the systems. You will evaluate existing technical solutions for their applicability in the specific project context and adapt them as needed. If no adequate solutions are currently available for existing requirements, you will specify the software architecture and implement the specification into a functional system. You will contribute to the research and further development of issues and methods in the Digital Humanities and apply your theoretical and practical knowledge to the work of the research group. You will actively contribute your knowledge to the academic discourse and have the opportunity to participate in and help shape academic conferences and seminars! Further information on the research projects or by contacting the project leader, Prof. Dr Benedetta Albani: [email protected].

Your responsibilities will include:

• developing knowledge graphs of historical data (data modelling/ontology design, query and analysis methods using SPARQL),
• further developing academic user interfaces (interactive web apps using R / Shiny, innovative publication formats) to link knowledge graphs, transcriptions, and image and map material.

The Wallner group at the Department of Comparative Development and Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Cologne is seeking a Molecular Plant Biology Postdoc (m/f/d) to contribute to the investigation of tissue patterning, polarity and body axes formation during sporeling development of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The candidate will interact closely with Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner and members of her group and be involved in the design and execution of experiments, followed by statistical data analysis and publication. One major current project aims to answer how the first flat body structure – the prothallus – develops from a single-celled spore and how this structure establishes dorsoventrality de novo in response to light (see also Wallner and Dolan. Current Biology, 2024 (10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.099), Spencer et al. Development, 2024 (10.1242/dev.204349) and Wallner et al. Current Biology, 2026 (10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.016). The successful candidate will explore the regulatory network of dorsoventral tissue development by performing state-of-the-art genetic and biochemical approaches, such as proximity labelling and ChIP-seq/DAP-seq followed by CRISPR mutant analysis of identified candidates. Confocal microscopy and engagement with MorphoGraphX and associated image analysis methodologies used in the Department will be highly encouraged, as well as collaborating with the local facilities. Outstanding teamwork and communication skills, as well as a willingness and ability to work collaboratively towards common goals, are essential. This position would suit creative, highly motivated, proactive individuals who can interact productively in a team and who are interested in fundamental questions of organ development.

The Neural Mechanisms of Natural Behavior Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Germany has an opening for a pre- or postdoctoral researcher to join an HFSP-funded research project investigating the neural mechanisms of avian biosonar behavior. This multidisciplinary study focuses on neural processing of somatosensory and auditory information in freely flying birds. It aims at uncovering which sensory modality the birds use for sound reception during echolocation. Combining behavioral monitoring and cutting-edge wireless technology to capture extracellular neuronal activity and vocalization behavior simultaneously (see Hoffmann et al. (2019) Nat Commun 10(1):2577 for reference (DOI)), the project seeks to test the potential of facial feathers in oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) to act as high-frequency sound sensors.

The successful candidate will join a young and collaborative, international team dedicated to advancing our understanding of the neural basis of animal behavior under natural, social conditions. The position will be based in Seewiesen (Southern Bavaria, Germany), but extended periods of field research in Colombia are a major part of the project.

Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) #1: Method Development for Structural Biology

A fully funded postdoctoral position (m/f/d) is available in the Structural Cell Biology group led by Dr. Katerina Naydenova at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (Dortmund, Germany). The position starts in August 2026 and is initially limited to 2 years. The successful candidate will join an international team with access to state-of-the-art cryo-EM, cryo-ET and optical microscopy facilities.

Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) #2: Structural Biology of Immune Signaling

A fully funded postdoctoral position (m/f/d) is available in the Structural Cell Biology group led by Dr. Katerina Naydenova at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, Germany. The position is available from August 2026 and is initially limited to 2 years. The successful candidate will join an international team with access to state-of-the-art imaging and structural biology infrastructure.

The Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin is one of the most internationally renowned research institutes of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science. More than 400 employees in 5 scientific departments conduct and facilitate top-level research on historic grounds in Berlin-Dahlem, which is unique worldwide.

We currently offer a Postdoc position (m/f/d) – Time-Resolved Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Correlated Materials

The Department of Physical Chemistry, led by Prof. Martin Wolf, is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our group working on Ultrafast Core-Level Spectroscopy of strongly correlated and 2D van der Waals materials, in collaboration with Prof. Jens Biegert (ICFO, Barcelona).

The successful candidate will explore ultrafast phase transitions, Mott physics, and coupled electron–lattice dynamics in correlated materials employing our newly developed lab-based time-resolved soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (tr-XAS) beamline. The position offers the opportunity to play a leading role in designing and performing time-resolved experiments, analyzing spectroscopic data, and interpreting results in close collaboration with theoretical partners.

Open Postdoc position is available at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), co-supervised by Prof. Yafang Cheng (Director at MPIC) and Dr. Wenjun Meng (Project Team Leader at MPIC). The project aims at developing an advanced integrated assessment modeling framework that links socio-economic, environmental, and technological factors to understand the impacts of climate and energy policies.

The Integrated Assessment Modeling team at the Aerosol Chemistry Department of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) develops and applies modeling frameworks that connect economic systems, energy transitions, climate impacts, and air pollution to support policy-relevant analysis. The group integrates insights from climate science, atmospheric/aerosol research, and economic modeling, with interests including improved spatial resolution and machine-learning-enabled approaches for policy analysis.