Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) is Germany’s first privately funded university. It was founded in 1982 and has since established itself as a leading educational institution in Germany. Today, the university employs more than 900 staff members, and a total of 3,700 students are enrolled in the Faculties of Health Sciences and of Economics and Social Sciences in Witten.
The Chair of Virology and Microbiology at Witten/Herdecke University at the Faculty of Health is member of the Department of Human Medicine. The research focus of Virology and Microbiology is in the fields of gene therapy using viral vectors and basic virology. To strengthen our team, we are seeking a PostDoc (f/m/d) to join the Chair of Virology and Microbiology, starting September 1, 2026. The position (100%) is partly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is limited to 4 years.
The anticipated work project supports a DFG funded central project involved in standardized virus preparations and physiologically relevant cell culture systems which are essential for reproducible and comparable studies of human adenoviruses (HAdVs). Such resources enable investigations into viral pathogenesis, virus–host interactions, and the development of diagnostics, antiviral therapies, and safer gene therapy vectors. To support these goals, the aim is to establish harmonized virus stocks by generation and optimization of HAdV preparations, including wild-type, genetically modified, and replication-deficient viruses, focusing on clinically relevant HAdV types.
Furthermore, the project involves modern vector design including the generation of capsid modified adenoviruses, directed evolution approaches and optimizing the production of advanced high-capacity adenoviral vectors for gene therapeutic approaches.
Besides these tasks the successful candidate will be involved in teaching of students in virology and microbiology and in supervising visiting students.
The successful applicant:
If this opportunity aligns with your goals, please apply by July 27, 2026, exclusively online, including the standard application documents and your proposed start date.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Prof. Dr. Anja Ehrhardt
Chair of Virology and Microbiology
If you have any questions, please contact the office at 02303/926-272 or -273.
We explicitly live and promote the idea of diversity (www.uni-wh.de/diversity). We value the skills and special characteristics that our members contribute and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. We actively strive to increase the proportion of women among our academic staff
