About the Employer
University of Basel ranks among the world’s one hundred best universities and boast a top‑ten place among German‑speaking universities. The Biozentrum of the University of Basel is one of the world’s leading life sciences institutes. With 33 research groups and 500 employees, we are a dynamic and international research community that has spawned many fundamental discoveries in biology and medicine as well as several Nobel laureates. Job Details
Title: PhD student – Antibiotic biosensor protein engineering Employer: University of Basel Location: Petersplatz 1 Basel, Switzerland Published: 2026-07-09 Application deadline: 2026-08-07 23:59 (Europe/Zurich) Job type: PhD Field: Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Computational Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics Project Summary
As part of the Swiss National Competence Center in Research (NCCR) “AntiResist”, we develop new approaches to overcome the global antibiotic resistance crisis. To understand why antibiotics sometimes fail to treat bacterial infections, it is critical to measure the local concentration of antibiotics at the site of infection. We recently developed the first allosteric biosensors for antibiotics, which enabled us to perform real‑time measurements of antibiotic concentrations with high spatial and temporal resolution at the site of bacterial infections (bioRxiv manuscript 2026). However, using the method we used in our previous study, we could only obtain biosensors for two classes of antibiotics. We now aim to extend this breakthrough by developing biosensors for all major classes of antibiotics using protein design and protein engineering. This project combines computational and experimental approaches to design biosensor candidates and transform them into fully functional biosensors in bacterial cells. Additionally, we will apply the newly developed biosensors for measuring antibiotic concentration dynamics inside bacterial cells in infection biology assays, ranging from biofilm treatment to stem‑cell‑derived organoids and bioengineered tissue infection systems. To get an overview of our lab's recent projects, take a look at our publications: https://drescherlab.org/publications.html Eligibility and Qualifications
Required qualification: A Master's degree with a research thesis in molecular microbiology, protein biochemistry, protein design, or a discipline that is related to the proposed PhD project. We are looking for a highly motivated and talented PhD student to join our lab. The PhD student will be part of the Swiss‑wide NCCR AntiResist consortium and will have opportunities for scientific exchange with colleagues in related fields. Application
Submit your application through the online form at
https://biped.biozentrum.unibas.ch/apply/phd-antibiotic-biosensor-protein-engineering
only. Only applications through the online form linked above will be accepted. The application form requires a brief statement of your research experience and your particular interest in this open position, a CV, and the contact information of two references. For informal enquiries, please contact: knut.drescher@unibas.ch
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University of Basel ranks among the world’s one hundred best universities and boast a top‑ten place among German‑speaking universities. The Biozentrum of the University of Basel is one of the world’s leading life sciences institutes. With 33 research groups and 500 employees, we are a dynamic and international research community that has spawned many fundamental discoveries in biology and medicine as well as several Nobel laureates. Job Details
Title: PhD student – Antibiotic biosensor protein engineering Employer: University of Basel Location: Petersplatz 1 Basel, Switzerland Published: 2026-07-09 Application deadline: 2026-08-07 23:59 (Europe/Zurich) Job type: PhD Field: Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Computational Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics Project Summary
As part of the Swiss National Competence Center in Research (NCCR) “AntiResist”, we develop new approaches to overcome the global antibiotic resistance crisis. To understand why antibiotics sometimes fail to treat bacterial infections, it is critical to measure the local concentration of antibiotics at the site of infection. We recently developed the first allosteric biosensors for antibiotics, which enabled us to perform real‑time measurements of antibiotic concentrations with high spatial and temporal resolution at the site of bacterial infections (bioRxiv manuscript 2026). However, using the method we used in our previous study, we could only obtain biosensors for two classes of antibiotics. We now aim to extend this breakthrough by developing biosensors for all major classes of antibiotics using protein design and protein engineering. This project combines computational and experimental approaches to design biosensor candidates and transform them into fully functional biosensors in bacterial cells. Additionally, we will apply the newly developed biosensors for measuring antibiotic concentration dynamics inside bacterial cells in infection biology assays, ranging from biofilm treatment to stem‑cell‑derived organoids and bioengineered tissue infection systems. To get an overview of our lab's recent projects, take a look at our publications: https://drescherlab.org/publications.html Eligibility and Qualifications
Required qualification: A Master's degree with a research thesis in molecular microbiology, protein biochemistry, protein design, or a discipline that is related to the proposed PhD project. We are looking for a highly motivated and talented PhD student to join our lab. The PhD student will be part of the Swiss‑wide NCCR AntiResist consortium and will have opportunities for scientific exchange with colleagues in related fields. Application
Submit your application through the online form at
https://biped.biozentrum.unibas.ch/apply/phd-antibiotic-biosensor-protein-engineering
only. Only applications through the online form linked above will be accepted. The application form requires a brief statement of your research experience and your particular interest in this open position, a CV, and the contact information of two references. For informal enquiries, please contact: knut.drescher@unibas.ch
#J-18808-Ljbffr
PhD student – Antibiotic biosensor protein engineering Arbeitgeber: Emerging Scholars Council
Die Helmut Schmidt Universität bietet eine herausragende Arbeitsumgebung für wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter, die sich für innovative Forschung im Bereich der Elektrotechnik und Signalverarbeitung interessieren. Mit flexiblen Arbeitszeiten, umfangreichen Fortbildungsmöglichkeiten und einer starken Unterstützung für die berufliche Weiterentwicklung, einschließlich der Möglichkeit zur Promotion, ist die Universität ein attraktiver Arbeitgeber in Hamburg. Zudem profitieren Sie von einer positiven Arbeitskultur, die Gleichstellung und Vielfalt fördert, sowie von zahlreichen Vorteilen wie einem DeutschlandJobTicket und kostengünstigen Verpflegungsmöglichkeiten auf dem Campus.
Kontaktdaten:
Emerging Scholars Council Recruiting-Team
