Join our team

The LIT – Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (foundation under civil law) (www.lit.eu) – is a biomedical research center focusing on translational immunology in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, transplant rejection and autoimmunity. The objective of the LIT is to develop innovative and efficient cellular immune therapeutics in these areas. Our own GMP laboratories and close networking with University and University Hospital offer excellent opportunities for clinical translation of novel immune cell products.

The Division of Tailored T-cell diversity is recruiting a highly motivated Postdoc Scientist to join our dynamic team.

Computational Scientist / Bioinformatician – postdoc level (m/f/d)  CG-2025-02

(full time 40.1 hours per week)

The position is initially limited to two years with the possibility of further employment. The position is within an international team that investigates the diversity within T cell responses to cancer, infections and inflammatory diseases. Our lab combines advanced flow cytometry, single-cell omics, computational approaches, functional assays, in vitro work, in vivo studies in mice and analyses on human samples to study the diversification of T cells (Zwijnenburg et al., Immunity 2023, PMID: 37490909 | Pokharel & Shryki at al. Eur J Immunol 2024, PMID: 37816219). Understanding how and when T cells diversify to adopt different roles paves the way for influencing T cell fates in the context of immunotherapy. In this position, you will drive the bioinformatical/computational aspects of collaborative projects aiming to ultimately improve immunomonitoring of cancer patients by providing a refined strategy to interpret T cell states.

Your tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Performing bioinformatical, statistical and computational analyses, including design of analysis pipelines, on various types of high-dimensional next generation sequencing datasets (e.g. single-cell RNA-seq, CITE-seq, bulk RNA-seq, single-cell TCR-seq, ATAC-seq), and potentially flow cytometry datasets from immune cells. The datasets are generated by other scientists within our team, by collaborators, or may be publicly available.
• Collaboration with wet-lab immunologists, bioinformaticians and computational scientists within our institute and beyond
• Mentor & support fellow Gerlach-lab members in basic aspects of bioinformatics and coding – You will have access to and be integrated into the NGS and Data Science Core Facility, which provides anaylsis workflows and the computational framework for the institute. This integration will offer ample opportunities to further develop your skills and to contribute building the bioinformatic infrastructure of the LIT.
• Precise research documentation (gitlab & openproject), active participation in research meetings (e.g. group meeting, journal club), contribution to the well-functioning of the local research environment
• Presentation of data at scientific meetings within and outside of the group
• Participation in writing of scientific manuscripts incl. figure preparation

The ideal candidate possesses:

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Data Sciences or related discipline. Alternatively, PhD in Molecular Biology, Immunology, Biomedicine or related discipline with extensive experience in NGS data analysis.
• relevant experience in statistical data analysis and programming (e.g. R, Python, Perl, C++) as well as with workflow management systems (e.g. snakemake, CWL, Nextflow). Knowledge of Docker and machine learning is considered a plus.
• Knowledge of standard bioinformatics tools for analyzing and interpreting Next Generation Sequencing data.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Self-motivation and ability to develop and pursue research projects independently as well as in collaboration
• Interest, and ideally also experience in working in an interdisciplinary and international team
• Experience in collaborating with wet-lab scientists
• Interest in cancer immunology and basic science
• Basic understanding of gene expression/regulation

We offer:

• An international cutting-edge research environment that offers exciting and diverse opportunities
• Perspectives for further scientific qualification
• Flexible working hours
• Flat hierarchies and short decision-making processes
• A highly motivated and cooperative team
• Job ticket
• Excellent funding situation and state-of-the-art equipment

The remuneration is based on TV-L.

The Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy aims to increase the share of women in the workforce. Therefore, qualified female candidates are explicitly encouraged to submit their applications. Moreover, the LIT advocates for the compatibility of family and career. Disabled applicants (m/f/d) with equal qualifications will receive preferential treatment within the recruitment procedure. Please refer to your disability status already in your application.

Please note that expenses that may arise in the context of an eventual job interview cannot be reimbursed.

For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Carmen Gerlach (Carmen.Gerlach@lit.eu). We are looking forward to receiving your detailed application.

Please apply via our Online – Application Portal the reference CG-2025-02.

Application deadline is July 27th, 2025.

The LIT – Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (foundation under civil law) (www.lit.eu) – is a biomedical research center focusing on translational immunology in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, transplant rejection and autoimmunity. The objective of the LIT is to develop innovative and efficient cellular immune therapeutics in these areas. Our own GMP laboratories and close networking with University and University Hospital offer excellent opportunities for clinical translation of novel immune cell products.

The Division of Functional Immune Cell Modulation, led by Professor Luca Gattinoni, at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), is recruiting a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join our dynamic team.

Senior Scientist (m/f/d) – LG-2025-01

(full time 40.1 hours per week)

The position is available starting September 1st, 2025, and initially limited to two years with the possibility of further employment.

The position requires proven experience in T cell immunobiology and T cell engineering/editing. The appointment is initially limited to three years, with the possibility of extension, and will be remunerated according to the TV-L salary scale (TV-L EG 14).

Position Description:
The successful candidate will lead the development of basic and translational studies in mouse models of T cell therapies. Projects will focus on the regulation of T cell self-renewal and multipotency by transcription factors, microRNAs, and metabolic enzymes. Findings from these studies will be used to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies based on the adoptive transfer of CAR- or TCR-engineered T cells.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Designing and conducting experiments in mouse models of adoptive immunotherapy and viral infection, including in vivo bioluminescence imaging.
• Ensuring compliance with animal welfare regulations for all animal work conducted in the laboratory.
• Isolating T cells using FACS-sorting and immunomagnetic bead separation.
• Culturing and gene engineering/editing T cells with viral and non-viral delivery platforms.
• Comprehensive phenotypic and functional characterization of T cells, including:
• High-dimensional flow cytometry (>15 colors)
• Proliferation and cytotoxicity assays
• Cytokine multiplex analyses
• RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and bioenergetic profiling (Seahorse analysis)
• Confocal and fluorescence microscopy
• Luciferase reporter assays
• Preparing samples for high-throughput Omics analyses, including RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, TCR-seq, and metabolomics.
• Co-supervising students

The ideal candidate possesses:

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related discipline, with more than 3 years of postdoctoral research experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects, manage workflows, and foster effective teamwork.
• Extensive experience with mouse models, including compliance with animal regulatory requirements.
• Advanced expertise in T cell gene engineering/editing technologies.
• Strong track record of high-impact publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with fluency in English.

We offer:

• An international cutting-edge research environment that offers exciting and diverse opportunities
• Perspectives for further scientific qualification
• Flexible working hours
• Flat hierarchies and short decision-making processes
• A highly motivated and cooperative team
• Job ticket
• Excellent funding situation and state-of-the-art equipment

The remuneration is based on TV-L.

The Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy aims to increase the share of women in the workforce. Therefore, qualified female candidates are explicitly encouraged to submit their applications. Moreover, the LIT advocates for the compatibility of family and career. Disabled applicants (m/f/d) with equal qualifications will receive preferential treatment within the recruitment procedure. Please refer to your disability status already in your application.

Please note that expenses that may arise in the context of an eventual job interview cannot be reimbursed.

For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Luca Gattinoni (luca.gattinoni@ukr.de).

We are looking forward to receiving your detailed application. Please apply via our Online – Application Portal the reference LG-2025-01.

Application deadline is June 29th, 2025.

At the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, we believe that talent and passion know no bounds. If you don’t see a position that matches your skills and ambitions among our current openings, we encourage you to submit an unsolicited application. We are always on the lookout for motivated and talented individuals who can contribute to our mission and help drive our success.