PhD position (f/m/d)

“How to regulate the duration of mitosis and control cell fate decisions”

Centre for Molecular Biology (ZMBH)

Heidelberg University, Germany

We are seeking highly motivated PhD candidates with a background in cell cycle regulation/mitosis and cell biology.

The duration of mitosis is tightly regulated by multiple factors, including the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), the phosphatase CDC14B, the kinase HIPK2, and CDC20. Both CDC14B and HIPK2 modulate the expression of cyclin B1 during mitosis. In addition, alternative translational start sites of CDC20 influence the activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) and the degradation of cyclin B1. If cyclin B1 levels fall below a critical threshold, cells undergo mitotic slippage, entering G1 without proper chromosome segregation. The duration of mitosis directly affects subsequent cell fate. Cells that remain in mitosis for extended periods of time are arrest in G1. G1 arrest is driven by mitosis-duration-dependent activation of the tumor suppressor p53, which upregulates the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21. In this project, we aim to investigate the crosstalk between mitotic timing and G1 arrest using engineered cell lines and cancer tissue samples.

Selected candidates will be part of an international team of PhD students and postdocs that works at the forefront of biomedical research. The PhD student will be a member of the Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School (HBIGS)

( http://www.hbigs.uni-heidelberg.de/ (http://www.hbigs.uni-heidelberg.de/) ). Possible starting date: July/August 2025.

We offer:

The PhD position is funded in the first instance for 3 years with starting date based on mutual agreement (possible from July/Aug. 2025). The remuneration is based on TV-L E13.

Application deadline: June 30th, 2025

Interested?

Please send applications (CV, motivation letter, 2-3 referees and a copy of Bachelor and Master transcripts) to Elmar Schiebel ( schiebel.elmar@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de (mailto:e.schiebel@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de) ).

Mailing address: Prof. Elmar Schiebel, ZMBH, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Please understand that received applications cannot be returned. For literature on this topic, please follow this link to our website: http://www.zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de/schiebel/open.html (http://www.zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de/schiebel/open.html) .

Heidelberg University stands for equal opportunities and diversity. Qualified female candidates are especially invited to apply. Persons with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are equally qualified. Information on job advertisements and the collection of personal data is available at www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/job-market (http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/job-market) .

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