We are looking to support our rapidly growing team as soon as possible:

PhD student (f/m/x)

Department I of Internal Medicine

TV-L: 25 h/week (6494%)

limited for 3 years according to WissZeitVG (Third-party funded project)

Your salary will be based on TV-L

TV-L: 25 h/week (6494%)

limited for 3 years according to WissZeitVG (Third-party funded project)

Your salary will be based on TV-L

Your tasks

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD student to join our Integrated Cancer Research Laboratory at the CECAD Research Center in Cologne. Over the past years we have established large cohorts of hundreds of patients treated with novel targeted therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These unique resources enable systematic investigations into the genetic background of this most frequent leukemia and provide the opportunity to study how the disease evolves under therapeutic pressure.

As a PhD student you will focus on these well-annotated patient cohorts to investigate disease genetics over time and their correlation with clinical outcomes. Using both bulk and single-cell approaches (primarily whole-genome sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing) you will explore the natural history of CLL and dissect how different treatments shape disease evolution and clinical course. Through this work you will contribute to a deeper understanding of CLL biology support the development of improved disease management strategies and ultimately help to make a positive impact on the lives of patients with cancer.

Your profile

• A Masters degree in bioinformatics or related fields
• Strong interest in cancer genetics
• Interest in data integration and working with clinical data
• Proficiency in R or Python
• Well organized and structured worker open minded for close collaboration in an interdisciplinary team
• Excellent communication in English (written and speech)

Would you like to join us or want to hear more Feel free to reach out to Dr. Othman Al-Sawaf in case you have any questions or submit you application via the link below (including a detailed CV list of publications two references and a brief statement on your research interests).

Our offer

• Everything but ordinary: You can expect a secure job in a challenging innovative environment including company pension schemes and regular working hours without business trips.
• Work-life balance: Whether full-time or part-time with or without children with numerous support options we will find the right path together.
• Team spirit in R(h)ine culture: You will be warmly welcomed by an interdisciplinary team that values mutual respect and helpfulness.
• Strong perspectives: We offer extensive training opportunities so you can continuously grow and set new goals.

Your future with us

We are one of the leading university hospitals in Germany and network research teaching and health care at the highest level. Thats why many things are a lot bigger for us: the spectrum of exciting development opportunities. The limitless openness with which specialists from all over the world work together here. Or our commitment as an employer to support all employees as best we can in reconciling their job with their goals and life situations.

This is the University Hospital of Cologne: Everything but ordinary.

Your future in detail

The Integrated Cancer Research Laboratory led by Dr Othman Al-Sawaf and based at the and was founded in 2024 and is funded by a large Emmy-Noether-Grant of the German Research Council (DFG). The focus of the lab is to integrate multimodal analyses to study the plasticity evolution and prognosis of cancer with a special focus on hematological malignancies. To this end the lab utilizes a unique biobank with blood and bone marrow samples from patients treated within large (>900 patients) prospective clinical trials. The group is embedded in a network with many local collaborators including the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1530 and the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) as well as many national and international partners in academia and industry. Previous work has been frequently
cited (Al-Sawaf et al Nature Medicine 2024; Al-Sawaf et al Nature Medicine 2023; Al-Sawaf et al Nature Communications 2023; see ) and the aim of the lab is to continue producing highly impactful
and patient-relevant results.

Applications from female candidates are expressly welcome and will be given priority in the event of equal suitability competence and professional performance. People with disabilities are welcome to apply and will be treated preferentially in the event of equal suitability and qualification.

Contact

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Othman Al-Sawaf

Tel.: 49 6

Universitätsklinikum Köln AöR
Geschäftsbereich Personal
Kerpener Str. 62
50937 Köln

Application deadline: 02.11.2025

Job-ID: 3wyjgs8u

We look forward to receiving your application and getting to know you!