Research Assistant (Postdoc)

on AI for understanding Maternal Immune Activation. Starting as soon as possible, the position is offered for a period of two years, if no former times of qualification must be considered. The position is fulltime with salary and benefits commensurate with a public service position in the state Hesse, Germany (TV-H E 13).

The position is part of a large-scale DFG Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1713 on “Maternal Immune Activation”) lead by the UKE Hamburg and will develop novel artificial intelligence methods for understanding maternal immune activation during pregnancy and improving maternal and neonatal health. It entails close collaboration with world-leading experts in the field of pregnancy and neo-natal research and provides access to unique, large-scale, multi-modal, and longitudinal data with detailed information about mothers, their pregnancy, and the long-term development of their children.

You will be part of a dynamic and highly motivated research group (https://bckrlab.org). We focus on high impact applications and work on knowledge-centric AI and biomedical machine learning including multi-omics integration, single cell analysis, and sequential data mining. The group provides a strong network to local AI expertise (e. g. Hessian.AI, TU Darmstadt), large scale compute infrastructure, as well as a broad international network (Stanford, UC San Diego, Lund (Sweden) or McGill (Canada)).

Tasks:

• scientific services in research and teaching, including the supervision and mentoring junior students
• project work and management within the CRC on “Maternal Immune Activation” involving the development of novel artificial intelligence methods (e. g., graph and geometric deep learning, LLMs)
• working on methods for predictive multi-omics integration, longitudinal pattern mining, and explainable artificial intelligence for complex system analysis and understanding
• tightly collaborating with biologists and domain experts for iteratively refining models of maternal immune activation
• driving high‑impact open research: contribute to open‑source toolkits, (co-)author peer‑reviewed conference and journal publications, present results internationally
• development and implementation of project ideas including preparation and contribution to competitive research proposals - laying the groundwork for an internationally visible independent scientific profile

The position will be filled by a temporary contract that is limited to the period which is necessary to gain further scientific expertise (such as the preparation for a subsequent qualification period). Within the entrusted tasks the opportunity for independent scientific work to obtain further personal qualification is given. The limitation of the contract complies to § 2, 1 WissZeitVG.

Profile:

• MSc-degree or equivalent and a PhD (or close to completion) in computer science, math or comparable, or an applied/life science (e. g., engineering, biology, medicine) with a focus on data analysis and/or machine learning
• strong interest in applied AI in bio-medical settings
• several years of experience in data analysis / machine learning / AI as well as, optimally, multi-omics integration, lipidomic analysis, and/or single cell analysis (e. g., flow cytometry, FACS, CyTOF)
• structured, self-managed and team-oriented working style with strong communication skills
• ability to work in interdisciplinary teams as well as lead junior researchers, and strong commitment to your own scientific development
• proficiency in written and spoken English as well as excellent presentation skills of research results

Disposition to own scientific qualification (e. g. a doctorate project in the area) is expected.

We offer:

• a stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment in a growing, ambitious, team-oriented research group on knowledge-centric AI and bio-medical, environmental, and behavioral research
• integration in AI and bio-medical expert networks including the newly established AI Space at the University of Marburg, the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence (Hessian.AI, TU Darmstadt), and the UKE Hamburg
• an extensive international network including Stanford, UC San Diego, McGill (Canada) or Lund (Sweden)
• access to state-of-the-art technology, large-scale compute clusters (e. g. via Hessian.AI), as well as excellent research infrastructure
• strong and active support for personal and academic development, including leadership in research projects and group management, teaching experience and supervision of academic theses
• a university with diverse applied focal points including tumor research, synthetic microbiology, neurosciences, and earth sciences as well as a wide variety of amenities

We support women and strongly encourage them to apply. In areas where women are underrepresented, female applicants will be preferred in case of equal qualifications. As a certified family-friendly university, we support our employees in balancing family and career. A reduction of working time is possible. Applicants with a disability as discribed in SGB IX (§ 2 Abs. 2, 3) will be preferred in case of equal qualifications. Application and interview costs can not be refunded.

Please apply by 14th September 2025 using the application-button below.