PhD Student in Structural Microbiology

Project Description

The rise of antibiotic resistance has created an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Anti-virulence approaches - which neutralize bacterial weapons rather than killing the bacteria themselves - offer key advantages: reduced harm to the commensal microbiome and lower selective pressure for resistance. Clostridium-derived β-pore-forming toxins are major virulence factors causing severe disease in humans and animals, and represent attractive targets for such an approach. The PhD project in the group of Prof. Benoît Zuber aims to determine high-resolution structures of Clostridium β-pore-forming toxins, alone and in complex with rationally designed peptide inhibitors, using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. This work is carried out in the frame of the SNSF Sinergia consortium DISPERSE (“Designing Inhibitors Against Clostridial Pore-Forming Toxins: A Structure-Based Approach”), in close collaboration with the groups of Prof. Jean-Louis Reymond (Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacy, peptide design and cheminformatics) and Prof. Horst Posthaus (Institute of Animal Pathology, in vivo validation).

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student who is willing to work interdisciplinary in the field of structural biology, cryo-electron microscopy, and host–pathogen interaction.

Your tasks will be:

• Perform cryo-EM analysis from protein expression to structural determination
• Interact with collaborators on the design of peptide inhibitors and characterization of toxin–inhibitor complexes
• Present your results at national and international conferences
• Guide a master student after a phase of familiarization
• Assist in teaching to first- and second-year medical students

Requirements

• Master Degree in life science, biochemistry, biophysics, biomedical engineering, or similar disciplines
• Fluency in English
• Prior experience in protein biochemistry (recombinant expression and purification) is highly appreciated
• Background in structural biology, electron microscopy, and/or image analysis and programming are an asset

We offer

• A PhD position, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Sinergia project DISPERSE), starting 1 August 2026 or upon agreement
• Integration in a tri-disciplinary consortium combining structural biology, medicinal chemistry, and animal pathology
• PhD program of the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB)
• Access to cutting-edge cryo-EM infrastructure
• A stimulating, cooperative, and supportive environment and close collaboration with international research teams
• The University of Bern is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all individuals who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution