Jobs
PhD Students
CURRENT CALL: Reconstitution of Oscillatory Microtubule - Motor Systems
Interested to engineer the next generation of bio-inspired nanomachines? In this PhD project, you will reconstruct artificial microtubule assemblies powered by molecular motors to uncover the fundamental principles underlying coordinated sliding and bending oscillations in biological systems. Combining synthetic biology, high-resolution imaging, and quantitative modeling, you will reveal how minimal sets of molecular components generate complex and robust dynamic behavior such as bio-mechanical oscillations. Your findings will contribute to the understanding of collective phenomena in biomolecular motor systems and inspire future applications of cytoskeletal elements in nanotechnology.
This PhD project is embedded in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network MONALISA, bringing together leading academic and industrial partners across Europe to advance the field of artificial molecular nanomachines. Hosted at the Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE), TU Dresden, you will benefit from an interdisciplinary and international research environment, comprehensive doctoral training, and close collaboration with experts in molecular bioengineering, biophysics, and nanotechnology.
Moreover, interested students please send informal inquiries and applications to
Stefan Diez and consider applying in parallel via our Graduate School DIGS-ILS.
Bachelor / Master Students
We are always welcoming applications from highly-motivated students interested in performing a Bachelor / Master Theses (see below for example topics sorted by our Research Areas). Interested students please send (i) motivation statement, (ii) curriculum vitae, and (iii) transcript of your grades by email to Stefan Diez.
Collective Effects in Motor Systems
1) Long-range allosteric effects of molecular motors on microtubules: Microtubules (MTs) inside cells act as rail networks for active intracellular transport, whereby many different molecular motors are simultaneously transporting cargo to different parts of the cell. However, it’s currently unclear if this continuous traffic also effects the MT lattice and thereby changes the binding properties of other motors. In this project, we would like to study the biophysical motor parameters such as landing rates, velocities etc. as function of motor concentration for different molecular motors.
Methods: Single-molecule imaging using TIRF microscopy and extensive data analysis using MATLAB.
2) The role of MAPs on the motility of multiple-motor driven vesicular cargo: In eukaryotic cells vesicular cargo such as synaptic vesicles, lysosomes etc. are actively transported by multiple motors on microtubule (MT) tracks. However, the surface of these MTs is covered with many different microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). How these different MAPs regulate the vesicular transport is not well understood. In this project, we would like to investigate how different MAPs modulate the transport properties of various kinds of motor proteins.
Methods: Single molecule imaging using TIRF microscope and extensive data analysis using MATLAB.
3) Biomolecular reconstitution of mechanical oscillations: Oscillations are key to many dynamic cellular processes and can emerge as the collective behavior of an ensemble of interacting proteins in the cell. Examples include mitotic nuclear oscillations and the periodic beating of cilia. In this project, we aim to use a minimal set of proteins (e.g. molecular motors, filaments and crosslinkers) to reconstitute oscillatory behaviors in vitro. We aim to understand how frequency and the stability of the oscillations is determined by the mechanical properties of the system comomponents.
Methods: Fluorescence microscopy and image analysis.
Single Cell Motility
1) Axonemal motility and dynein force generation: The axoneme is the internal mechanical core of cilia, where dynein motors slide microtubules to generate bending waves at up to 100 Hz. In this project, we aim to elucidate how beating is generated by investigating the motility of isolated axonemes from genetically modified cells and by reconstituting minimal funcional units of purified axonemal microtubules, dynein motors and flagella associated proteins (FAPs).
Methods: High-speed and fluorescence microscopy, advanced image analysis, theoretical analysis, protein biochemistry and synthetic biology.
2) Methodological developments to study single cell motility: Single cells, like algae, populate complex habitats using sophisticated modes of motility in response to abiotic factors like temperature and light. In this project, we aim to study specific motility modes by engineering surfaces, controlling abiotic factors (like temperature and light) and programming software to realize long-time tracing of moving cells.
Methods: High-speed optical microscopy, microfluidics, micromanipulation, image analysis.