Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) | Mechanistic Cell Biology Full-time NEW

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) Mechanistic Cell Biology

Scientist Dortmund Structural and Cell Biology Physiology Chemistry

Job Code: 14/26

Job Offer from May 06, 2026

The Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Molecular Physiology is a world-renowned research institute of the German Max Planck Society with a focus on biomedical basic research.

We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to join the laboratory of Prof. Andrea Musacchio in the Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, Germany. This is a fixed-term appointment for 36 months in the first instance, with possible extension thereafter.

We are looking for a talented, ambitious postdoctoral researcher to join an 8-year Wellcome Trust-funded team project. The goal is to study a fundamental property of all phosphorylation sites, for which almost nothing is currently known: the speed at which individual molecules are phosphorylated and dephosphorylated over time. The interdisciplinary team assembled to tackle this has expertise in kinase and phosphatase signalling (Adrian Saurin, University of Dundee), mass spectrometry (Tony Ly, University of Dundee) and biochemical reconstitutions (Andrea Musacchio in Dortmund). These approaches will be used to study how dynamic phosphorylation sites that continually “flash” on and off regulate key signalling properties during mitosis. A major goal is to understand how these sites are important to regulate kinetochores and chromosome segregation, and why this may fail to drive cancer progression. This position is primarily to use biochemical reconstitutions in vitro, but there is the possibility for the candidate to transition between labs and learn mass spectrometry and cell biology.

For further information about this position, please contact Andrea Musacchio at musacchio@mpi-dortmund.mpg.de

Priorities will include

• Examining how mitosis is regulated by dynamic phosphorylation sites
• Using complex biochemical reconstitutions of mitotic pathways, such as those that trigger the spindle checkpoint and microtubule attachment errors, to unravel global de/phosphorylation rates
• Working effectively and collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team

Who we are looking for

• A highly motivated and ambitious postdoctoral researcher with a passion for science
• Motivated, honest, hard-working, collaborative, organized
• A candidate with a PhD in a relevant scientific area, with at least one first-author publication
• A strong scientific background in biochemistry with experience in relevant techniques and/or working on mitosis

What we offer

• Access to cutting-edge research infrastructure
• Dynamic young team within a collaborative, international research environment
• Training, mentoring, and career development opportunities

Additional information

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society is committed to diversity and equal opportunity and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups.