BIH PhD Program - third call for PhD applicants (d/w/m)Full PhD

BIH’s mission is medical translation: to transfer the results of biomedical research into novel approaches to personalized prediction, prevention, diagnostics and therapies and, conversely, to use clinical observations to develop new research ideas. The aim is to deliver medically relevant benefits to patients and the general population.

The BIH PhD Program contributes to the overall translational mission of BIH. This PhD program aims at fostering interdisciplinarity and will support and promote young translational talents within the BIH ecosystem and beyond. The five positions in the BIH PhD Program are intended for students who wish to obtain a doctoral degree and who are motivated to carry out translational research. 

The following projects are open for applications:

1.       “Enhancing CAR-T cell therapy targeting B cell lymphoma by epigenetic reinforcement of tumor-specific T cell cytotoxicity” (Dr Marco Frentsch, project leader in the working group of Prof. Il-Kang Na)

2.      “Bioengineering Personalized Disease Avatars for Precision Hemato-Oncology” (working group of Prof. Simon Haas)

3.      “Molecular and Cellular Determinants of Precancer Progression for Risk Stratification” (working group of Prof. Kirsten Kübler)

4.      “Decoding the clonal architecture of blood and immune cell production in human health, disease, and gene therapy” (working group of Dr Dr Leif Ludwig)

5.      “Language Models for Oncological DNA Sequence Analysis (LAMOSA)” (working group of Dr Sören Lukassen)

6.      “Population-omics to Inform Personalised Drug Prescriptions” (working group of Prof. Maik Pietzner)

7.       “Precision targeting of PI3K-driven vascular malformations with small molecule degraders” (working group of Prof. Michael Potente)

8.      “PROMetheus” (working group of Prof. Sylvia Thun)

9.      “Development of a translational decision-making framework through combination of meta-analysis and evidentiary scoring” (working group of Dr Ulf Tölch)

10.     “Robust pseudonymization of medical free text using advanced AI methods” (working group of Prof. Christof von Kalle)

The duration of a position in the BIH PhD Program is three years with a possible extension of up to one year. Fellows of the BIH PhD Program are required to enroll in a PhD school or structured program and follow its curriculum. In addition, BIH will organize a specific translational curriculum corresponding to about 5 ECTS over three years, which fellows will be required to participate in. 

Interested candidates can apply until January 19, 2026 (2:00 p.m., Central European Time (CET)) via the BIH application portal (see link below). 

After an administrative review/ formal check by BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA), applications will be forwarded to the Principal investigators (PIs), who may contact candidates of interest for a short interview (generally per phone or virtually) in February, to determine which candidates they will pre-select. 

Pre-selected applicants will be invited to selection days which will be held virtually from March 10 to 19, 2026. These selection days will include panel interviews with all PIs to assess the motivation and quality of the applicants, followed by individual interviews organized between PIs and applicants. After the selection days, applicants and PIs will be asked to communicate their preferences to the program management.

Following the selection days, successful applicants will be matched with PIs’ projects. 

Who can apply?

We are looking for excellent candidates with a completed Master’s degree in various fields (Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Mathematics, Physics, Computational Biology or similar, depending on the project(s) you are applying for) and who are qualified to pursue a doctoral degree. In justified exceptional cases, we also accept applications from individuals who can provide a certified letter from the study or examination office confirming that they have successfully completed their Master studies (the certified letter must arrive in our office on September 30, 2026 at the latest). You must have a strong academic background, exceptional motivation in doing translational research and a track record that matches the project(s) for which you are applying.

What we offer:

• Working in an international environment with a translational focus
• Belonging to the inspiring scientific community at BIH that aims to turn research into health
• Remuneration at E13 according to TVöD VKA-K, as a rule at 65%. The doctoral contract will be drawn up in accordance with formal regulation section 2.1 of the WissZeitVG (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/wisszeitvg/__2.html) for the entire duration of the doctorate
• Appointment duration: three years with the possibility to extend to four years if necessary to the completion of the degree
• 30 vacation days per year
• Additional benefits customary in the public sector

We live diversity! 

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion and ideology, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. Applications from women are expressly encouraged. Severely disabled and equivalent applicants will be given special consideration if they have the same qualifications and suitability.
We believe that diverse teams representing a wide range of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds enrich our research and work.

Proof of measles immunity / measles vaccination is a prerequisite for employment for those born after 1970.

You can find more information about BIH here .

How to apply?

Applications can be submitted until January 19, 2026 (2:00 p.m., CET) under this link https://www.bihealth.org/en/translation/innovation-enabler/academy/promotion-of-young-talents/translate-to-englisch-bih-phd-programm/translate-to-englisch-bih-phd-programm-zugang-zu-dem-bewerbungsportal

Any questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact us!

Dr. Aurélie Philippe by email at  aurelie.philippe at bih-charite.de , +49 (0)30 450 543 336.