Job advertisement

Vacancy ID: 051/2026
Closing date: 2026-03-17

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.

The professorship of Viral Ecology and Omics (VEO) seeks to fill the position of a

Scientific Coordinator Bioinformatics

commencing on the 1st of July 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

We offer a full-time position (40 hours per week) until September 30, 2043.

The Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena combines expertise in life, material, optical, and computational sciences to elevate microbiome studies from descriptive to hypothesis-driven and functional analyses. Our core mission is to elucidate fundamental principles of the interactions and functions in microbial communities in diverse habitats ranging from oceans and groundwater to plant and human hosts. We aim to identify the shared characteristics of disturbed or polluted ecosystems as well as infectious diseases on the microbiome level, and develop strategies for their remediation by means of targeted interventions. Within the Cluster of Excellence, the Viral Ecology and Omics group (VEO) of Prof. Bas E. Dutilh focuses on microbiome modelling to investigate the role of viruses in shaping the Microverse. We develop and apply state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools and mine big ‘omics data to widen the scope of our research across natural, agricultural, clinical, and synthetic environments.

Your responsibilities:

As a Scientific Coordinator Bioinformatics, you will:

• Oversee the bioinformatics components of our scientific projects,
• Contribute to scientific manuscripts and grant proposals.
• Play a critical role in our (inter-) national collaborations.
• Recruit and supervise a bioinformatics technician to manage our bioinformatics resources.
• Perform independent research and supervise students.
• Provide technical expertise and mentorship to group members.
• Contribute to our bioinformatics teaching program.
• Interact with university administration, including the FSU computing centre URZ.

Your profile:

• A PhD in bioinformatics or microbiology with a strong bioinformatics component.
• At least two years of experience as a Scientific Coordinator or Project Manager.
• Experience in microbial genomics, metagenomics, microbiomes, or bacteriophage genomics; Nanopore, Illumina, and PacBio sequence data and analysis.
• Experience managing bioinformatics tools, scripts, and pipelines with Slurm, Linux, Bash, Python, R, Git, Conda/Docker.
• Experience with data stewardship and research data management.
• Strong project planning, budgeting for bioinformatics resources, and team coordination skills.
• Track record of scientific publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Enthusiasm and talent for working on interdisciplinary projects.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to work in a team, and to interact with people from diverse nationalities and scientific backgrounds.
• You have a sense of responsibility, organizational skills, and the ability to contribute to a friendly and collaborative academic working environment.
• Fluency in English is required, both written and spoken. Fluency in German is highly advantageous. Fluency in other languages is a plus.

We offer:

• Embedding in the VEO Group, a highly collaborative and energetic team of international scientists in viral ecology and metagenomics.
• A comprehensive continuing education programme for personal development, individual qualification and development measures.
• Jena – City of Science is a lovely and lively town with a vibrant local cultural agenda. Jena is among the most liveable cities in Germany. Situated on the Saale River and surrounded by the famous Thuringian Forest, this city is ideal for lovers of nature and hiking.
• A family-friendly working environment with a variety of offers for families: University Family Office ‘JUniFamilie’ and flexible childcare options (‘JUniKinder’ program).
• FSU’s occupational health promotion scheme () and a wide range of university sports activities.
• Attractive fringe benefits, e.g. capital formation benefits (VL), Job Ticket (benefits for public transport), and an occupational pension (VBL).
• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) up to salary scale E 13 (depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications), including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.
• 30 days of vacation per calendar year plus two days off on December 24 and 31

Candidates with severe disabilities will be given preference in the case of equal qualifications and suitability.

Are you eager to work for us? Then apply by the 17th of March 2026 using our online form.

For further information for applicants and the information on the collection of personal data, please refer to