The Medical Center of the University of Freiburg is one of Germany’s leading and most dynamic university clinics and biomedical research institutions. For our clinic, diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent research institution. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution.
At the Section for Neuroelectronic Systems, part of the Neurosurgical Department, we offer a full-time position, Starting July 1, 2026, as
Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x) in the BRAINET MSCN doctoral network
BRAINET (www.brainet-dn.eu) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under the MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE grant agreement no 101225775.
Research areas:
DC 13: Pre-clinical validation of temporal interference stimulation with a Parkinsonian rat model
Terms:
The position is limited to 36 months. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz – WissZeitVG).
Supervisory team:
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hofmann, Co-Supervisor: Prof. Jari Hyttinen (TAU) and Prof. Filipe Vaz (UMINHO)
Secondment:
3 months with Tampere University, Finland and 3 months with MED-EL Innsbruck, Austria.
About BRAINET:
The BRAINET consortium tries to augment DBS with spatio-temporal Interference Stimulation (stIS). We will beneficially influence therapeutic regions deep in the brain without requiring deep seated electrodes. BRAINET sets out to develop skull implantable stimulation hubs forming a communication network for 3D targeting by self-organization, providing semantic information transfer and synchronization, and thus enabling self- adjusting therapeutic stIS. These stimulation hubs will be powered by novel magneto-electrical transducer stacks, driven by slowly alternating magnetic fields from the outside and will perform adjustable frequency stimulation by novel nano-modified, compliant electrodes only touching the brain. Network formation will be enabled by multiphysics approaches and ionic in-body communication instantiated by dedicated microelectronic hardware. Preclinical in-vitro and in-vivo testing of devices and methods will allow real world validation of this unusual Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).
The advertised position will be one of 14 throughout Europe (doi:10.3030/101225775), salary according to MSCA regulation.
The doctoral candidate will investigate non-invasive interference stimulation with a rat model of Parkinson’s Disease (doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.561008). Handling animals in a professional way will be required. It will be in the DC’s hands to rigorously characterize and describe behavioral consequences, dose-effect curves and histological changes following interference stimulation as compared to Deep Brain Stimulation (doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.700672).
Tasks:
- undertake innovative and independent research in terms of developing new concepts or improving existing methodologies
- carry out literature review, hypothesis development, and experimental design
- adapt, develop and learn new tools, procedures, software, and methodologies independently
- present and publish research in both academic and non-academic audiences. Attend and participate in academic and non-academic conferences, events and seminars
- communicate results in professional written English thorough reports and publications
- work independently while effectively communicating progress and challenges
- work in international teams and on interdisciplinary problems, while also identify and address technical challenges independently
- stay current with the relevant literature and technologies
- actively contribute to the public engagement and outreach activities of the project
- the above job descriptions are not exhaustive, the PhD candidate may be required to undertake other tasks, which are broadly in line with the above duties and responsibilities
Qualifications:
- this position is suitable for technically gifted biologists, biological oriented engineers or any scientist not afraid of interacting with living animals, power sources, signal processing and statistics
- Candidates must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree in (neuro-)biology, neuron-engineering or biomedical engineering or applied physics or similar. Experience in working with animals and certification proofing it is a plus
- Applicants must be eligible to enroll on a PhD program at Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg
- the primary workplace will be in Freiburg, Germany. Therefore, candidates from outside the EU must be eligible to obtain a visa. The position is expected to start in the second half of 2026
- Languages: ENGLISH is a must, German is beneficial
Further Obligations:
The doctoral candidate (DC) is expected to travel to network partners during secondment for a typical total duration of 2*3 months. Additionally, the DC is expected to participate in outreach activities including, but not limited to, participation in public events and campaigns, as well as dissemination to popular press. Furthermore, due to the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program, the applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
Application procedure:
To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file.
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 28th of February (23:59 German time).
The file must include:
- A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
- Curriculum vitae
- Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale.You may apply prior to obtaining your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As the Medical Center works with research in critical health technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Dr. Prof. Ulrich Hofmann Gruppenleiter
ulrich.hofmann@uniklinik-freiburg.de
