The Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ) is offering a Postdoctoral Researcher position in Metabarcoding Data Curation and Bioinformatics. This role is part of the DFG-funded 'Multi-level Corpus for Microbial Ecology' (MuCoME) project, focusing on expanding and harmonizing the Microbial Community Database (MiCoDa).
The successful candidate will contribute to developing AI-ready data corpuses for microbial metabarcoding research, working within an interdisciplinary team and collaborating with partners at IOW and Hochschule Wismar.
Quick Facts
| Opportunity | Postdoc Position |
|---|---|
| Institution | Leibniz-Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ) e.V. |
| Department | Plant-Microbe Systems |
| Location | Großbeeren, Germany |
| Region | Europe |
| Open to | International applicants |
| Funding | Not funded by a EU programme |
| Stipend / Salary | Up to pay scale 13 TV-L, 80% of regular working hours |
| Duration | Two years |
| Start date | February 1, 2027 |
| Application deadline | 22 November 2026 |
About the Position
This postdoctoral position involves compiling 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding mock community data, analyzing how technical choices impact dataset comparability, and automating the curation and harmonization of metabarcoding data. Key responsibilities include supervising a student assistant, publishing scientific articles, presenting research at conferences, and communicating with the European Nucleotide Archive.
Eligibility
- Completed PhD with a focus on bioinformatics or a related natural science field
- Experience in bioinformatic analysis of 16S rRNA metabarcoding data (e.g., dada2)
- Experience working with public sequence archives (ENA/INSDC)
- Experience with statistical analyses (ideally mixed-effects models)
- Experience with high-performance computing environments
- Programming skills in R and/or Python
- Ideally, experience with workflow management
- Fluent English language skills; knowledge of German is an advantage
- Open, flexible, and positive individual capable of working in an interdisciplinary, international team and taking initiative
Benefits
- Attractive workplace at a modern research institute
- Committed and competent team
- Challenging position at the interface of bioinformatics, data management, and microbial ecology
- Integration into a consortium with partners at IOW and Hochschule Wismar, and connections to NFDI4Biodiversity and NFDI4Microbiota
- Flexible and family-friendly working time models
- Possibility of mobile working (up to 50% of working time)
- VBL Ost company pension scheme for public sector employees
- Collectively agreed annual bonus
- 30 days' vacation per year
- Subsidy for company ticket for local public transport or Deutschland-Ticket
- Support for reconciliation of work, family, and caring responsibilities
- Commitment to equal opportunities and diversity
- Preference for applicants with disabilities where equally qualified
Documents Required
- Motivation letter
- CV
- Academic certificates
- Contact details of two references
How to Apply
- Send your complete application as a single PDF document via email to bewerbung@igzev.de
- Include your earliest possible starting date in the application
FAQs
Is this position full-time?
No, this is a part-time position with 32 hours per week (80% of regular working hours).
Is remote work an option?
Yes, mobile working is possible for up to 50% of working time.
What is the reference number for this position?
The reference number is 18/2026/2.
Source: EURAXESS.
Details can change – always confirm eligibility and deadline on the official listing before applying.
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