Information for prospective PhD researchers and Postdocs
Prospective PhD reseachers and Postdocs can either join our current research projects or develop their own projects. We generally work on larger, continuous research programs in which new work and ideas can be integrated. In addition, we also support independent project ideas, provided their focus fits with our main research areas.
Unless we have advertised a specific project, we generally do not have available funds to offer you a position. In this case, joining our research group is only possible if you secure your own project funding by developing your own independent project and applying for external funding or a personal scholarship (e.g. AvH, DAAD, EMBO, DFG, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, etc.)
Developing your own research profile by securing your own funding is a highly valuable approach during both the PhD and Postdoc phases, and is particularly recommended in view of a promising academic career. If you wish to pursue this, we advise you to start by developing a brief, focused project idea based on your existing expertise and your future academic goals (e.g. addressing specific research questions and methodological priorities, acquiring new expertise, etc.). On this basis, the second step should be to assess which research group/environment best supports and complements your goals, to refine the concept, and to only then get in touch.
If, whilst developing your project, you identify our research group as a good fit for your plans, we will be happy to support you by providing feedback on your project idea and ultimately support you in your application. However, it is important to us that you already have a well-developed concept, as our time for in-depth consultation is limited. Drafting a funding or scholarship application generally takes several working weeks and usually involves several iterative rounds of revision. Please take this time commitment carefully into account. We would also like to draw your attention to the expected timeframe, as both the drafting of a well-phrased and thus promising application and the review process by the funding organizations, up to their final funding decision, often take several months.
How to contact us
Please send us a short, concise email. There is no need for a complicated application: your email does not need to be perfect, and please do not use AI-generated text. What matters most to us is not perfect grammar, but your personal, genuine motivation and your specific expertise that will enable you to be successful within our team. It is really important to us that you write about your own motivations and goals – unfortunately, we often receive only summaries of our research topics.
We would like to explicitly encourage you to get in touch even if you are unsure whether your profile is a ‘good enough’ fit. Many good ideas are unfortunately held back by what is known as imposter syndrome or by similar concerns. Given our interdisciplinary focus, it is hardly possible for a single person to cover every conceivable specialist background – and this is certainly not expected! Projects can be easily adapted to individual knowledge, skills and interests, and this is precisely what we would discuss together. The only thing that matters to us is that you have a good understanding of what it means to work as part of an interdisciplinary team.
Your email should include the following
• a brief but as specific as possible description (approx. 1/2 – 1 page) of
1. your interests
ideally with reference to, e.g., particular biological questions and/or methods, specific publications, or your long-term academic motivations and goals
2. your academic background
based on your study background, previous research projects, etc. (e.g. please include transcript of records)
• a brief tabular CV (1–2 pages)
• your summary concept (approx. 2–4 pages) for project funding (if we have not advertised a specific project and you are applying on your own initiative)
Please include the hashtag #ResearchInCellularMicrobiology in the subject of your email (addressed to Prof. Endesfelder) so that we do not overlook your email.
We read all emails addressed directly to us, but given limited time, it can take us a moment to respond. We do not reply to ‘generic emails’.
We would like to explicitly encourage you once again to apply even if you are not sure whether you ‘perfectly’ meet the stated requirements – many topics only develop during discussions, and projects can be well adapted to different prior knowledge. At the same time, it can happen – for example, due to our group’s limited capacity – that we are unable to consider an application.
