Postdoctoral position in Evolutionary Genetics (m/f/d)

The Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB) in Berlin-Mitte is an institution of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science and is one of the leading research institutes in the field of immunology and infectious diseases.

The Key lab is offering a

Postdoctoral position in Evolutionary Genetics (m/f/d)

- Full-time -
- Initially limited to 2 years -

We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our young team in the heart of Berlin to investigate the evolution of ancient microbial pathogens.

The ideal candidate has expertise in population genetics, computational data analysis and microbial evolution, with a solid understanding of quantitative statistics and programming (Python, R, MATLAB, etc.). Additional expertise in ancient DNA, (bio)archaeology or related fields is a plus.

The anticipated projects focus on decoding the evolutionary history of pathogens using ancient DNA from both human and non-human sources. These projects will be conducted entirely in a dry lab setting and will involve analyzing newly generated and publicly available genomic datasets. We will use both in-house and published bioinformatic tools, including phylogenetics and methods for inferring signatures of natural selection.

The position is supposed to be filled at the earliest possible date and initially funded for 2 years with the possibility for extension. Compensation with all public service benefits under the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector (TVöD Bund) is in pay group E13 TVöD (Bund). Moreover, we offer subsidy for public transport and flexibility regarding working hours and home office.

Your application

Applications will only be accepted via our online application portal .

You can upload your full application (CV, research statement, contact information for three references) in English from now until October 17th, 2025 at the latest. Please indicate the desired start date on your application.

Further information about ongoing research in the Key lab and our philosophy can be found on our homepage ( ). Please address inquiries about the project or the application directly to Felix Key (key [at] mpiib-berlin.mpg.de). In case you do not hold a doctoral degree but consider yourself a great match, please also reach out to discuss potential positions in the lab.

Apply now

Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Charitéplatz 1
Campus Charité Mitte
10117 Berlin

As an equal opportunity employer, the Max Planck Society is committed to employing more individuals with disabilities. We, therefore, encourage individuals with disabilities to apply. The Max Planck Society also strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.