We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position within the DFG Priority Programme SPP2389 https://tu-dresden.de/mn/biologie/allgemeine_mikrobiologie/spp2389.

International collaboration: The PhD is embedded in a close collaboration between Prof. Dr. Natalia Tschowri (Leibniz Universität Hannover) and Prof. Dr. Daniel Rozen (University Leiden), including research stays at both locations.

Project focus: The goal is to identify key regulatory and signalling components governing developmental transitions in Streptomyces, and to understand their evolutionary and ecological benefits.

Why this project is exciting: Streptomyces are among the most prolific natural producers of antibiotics and other bioactive molecules and are key players in soil ecosystems. They undergo a complex developmental life cycle including growth as filamentous networks and formation of unicellular spores, making them a powerful model to study how coordinated, multicellular-like behaviours evolve in bacteria. By dissecting how regulatory and signalling networks control transitions between uni- and multicellular lifestyles, this project addresses a fundamental evolutionary question: how complex, coordinated multicellularity emerges, stabilises, and adapts.

Your profile: MSc (or equivalent) in Microbiology, Evolutionary Biology, or a related field. Experience with biochemical, molecular, microbiological and/or evolutionary methods.
Advantageous: protein biochemistry, bacterial genetics/manipulation, fluorescence microscopy, bioinformatics.
Excellent written and spoken English; strong motivation and team spirit

Start: as soon as possible| Duration: 36 months
Application deadline: 15 March 2026

How to apply (single PDF)
Motivation letter, CV, certificates/transcripts & contact details of two academic referees.
Email applications to:
Natalia Tschowri: tschowri@ifmb.uni-hannover.de and
Daniel Rozen: d.e.rozen@biology.leidenuniv.nl