The largest federal funding body of Germany (DFG) has established the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1551) on “Polymer Concepts in Cellular Functions” in Mainz, starting January 2023. The Center is intended to run for 12 years in three funding phases, with a budget of ~ 12 Mio Euros for the first funding phase. The participating scientists will investigate the polymeric nature of DNA, RNA and proteins and analyze how the polymeric properties as well as the dynamic interactions of these biomolecules govern cellular function.
This CRC is a collaboration between the following institutions and their respective graduate schools:
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (https://www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/en/home)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU, https://www.uni-mainz.de/eng/index.php)
- Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB, https://www.imb.de/)
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysics (https://www.biophys.mpg.de/en)
- University of Stuttgart (https://www.uni-stuttgart.de/en/)
- International PhD programme Mainz (https://www.imb.de/students-postdocs/international-phd-programme)
- Max Planck Graduate Center with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (https://www.mpgc-mainz.de/)
- International Max Planck Research School on Cellular Biophysics (https://imprs-cbp.mpg.de/)
The network features an Integrated Research Training group (IRTG), a structured PhD program at the interface of polymer and life sciences (https://crc1551.com/portfolio-item/irtg/)
We are looking for ~30 PhD students and Postdocs interested in the interface between polymer science and life science to form the core of this new network. Topics range from DNA–protein assemblies in chromatin topology, regulation of transcription and RNA–protein complexes in splicing, translation regulation and small-RNA pathways to biomacromolecular phase separation as well as polymer science from a synthetic, theory and modeling perspective. We will also study the multifaceted functions that proteins can perform as single molecules or as nanoscopic and large ensembles, and how the perturbation of polymeric interactions can lead to cellular malfunctions and disease.
The network unites molecular biologists, cell biologists, biophysicists and clinicians with expertise in cellular disease models as well as specialists in macromolecular chemistry, physical chemistry and polymer analysis with researchers that have theoretical expertise in multi-scale modelling, polymer theory, bioinformatics, data science and machine learning.
PhD or Postdoc candidates with background and interest in any of these disciplines are encouraged to apply by visiting www.crc1551.com and submitting their application only via the following website: https://recruitment.imb.de/registration. Submission deadline is February 15th 2023.