PhD Vacancy at Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany | Therapeutic Reprogramming in Human Alveolar Budding Organoids

PhD Vacancy at Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany | Therapeutic Reprogramming in Human Alveolar Budding Organoids

Can damaged lung epithelial cells recover after disease-related changes have already taken hold? This PhD vacancy at Boehringer Ingelheim in Biberach, Germany, explores whether therapeutic interventions can reverse pathological changes using human alveolar budding organoids. The three-year project combines advanced cell models, disease biology, and pharmacology, with an earliest start date of January 2027.

• Position: PhD Position – Therapeutic Reprogramming in Human Alveolar Budding Organoids
• Location: Biberach, Germany
• Job ID: 38925
• Research Team: Tech Innovation Lab, Immunology & Respiratory Discovery Research

About The Company

Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company working in human and animal health. Founded in 1885, it focuses on developing therapies for areas of high unmet medical need, with research and development central to its work.

PhD Vacancy Description

The project investigates whether an established pathological alveolar niche can be therapeutically reversed. Using primary human alveolar budding organoids, the researcher will examine whether abnormal epithelial states can resolve and whether retained alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells can resume productive differentiation.

The work will also explore regulatory mechanisms that determine therapeutic reversibility in pulmonary fibrosis. Scientific supervision will take place within an interdisciplinary industrial research environment, together with an academic university partner.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish pulmonary fibrosis models using primary human alveolar budding organoids and cytokine combinations relevant to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
• Design delayed-treatment and stimulus-withdrawal studies to distinguish disease prevention, biomarker suppression, and genuine epithelial restoration.
• Investigate whether recovery results from redifferentiation of KRT17-positive cells or renewed activity of retained AT2 cells.
• Use molecular profiling, immunostaining, quantitative imaging, and flow cytometry to assess epithelial identity, differentiation, and tissue organization.
• Study pathways controlling the maintenance and resolution of pathological states through inhibition, activation, and rescue experiments.
• Analyze and present findings, contribute to publications, and support therapeutic projects in pulmonary fibrosis.

Educational Requirements and Eligibility

• Qualification: Master’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline.
• The degree must qualify the applicant for PhD enrolment at a competitive university.
• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture is required.
• Experience with primary human cells, organoids, or complex co-culture models is highly desirable.

Skills and Qualifications

• Experience with relevant methods such as immunofluorescence microscopy, quantitative imaging, flow cytometry, gene-expression analysis, or protein assays.
• Strong interest in disease biology, regenerative medicine, pulmonary fibrosis, and mechanistic pharmacology.
• A structured, creative, and collaborative approach to experimental problem-solving.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• German language skills are beneficial but not required.

Compensation and Research Support

Compensation is classified at pay grade E12/T, with 50% employment equivalent to 18.75 hours per week. The position provides 2.5 paid days off for every full month worked, access to advanced research platforms, and opportunities to present and publish findings.

Application Documents

Submit your application in English, including:

• CV with academic grades and laboratory experience.
• Motivation letter briefly describing a technically or scientifically challenging experiment and how you approached it.
• Degree certificates and university transcripts.
• Contact details for references or recommendation letters.

Application Details

• Duration: Three years.
• Earliest Start Date: January 2027; include your desired period in the application.
• HR Enquiries: +49 (0) 6132 77-3330.

Interested in understanding what enables lung epithelial recovery—and what prevents it? This PhD vacancy at Boehringer Ingelheim offers the opportunity to investigate those mechanisms through human organoid models and pharmacological experiments. If your qualifications and laboratory experience match the requirements, prepare your application and explain the experimental thinking you would bring to the project.

APPLY ONLINE HERE