Open Positions


The Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen is looking to fill the position of a

PhD Student (all genders welcome)


in the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded Research Training Group 2455 “BENCh – Benchmark Experiments for Numerical Quantum Chemistry”.
This position should ideally be filled by May 2023 with a contract initially limited to three years. The regular working hours will be 25.87 hours per week, and the salary corresponds to the E13 TV-L (65%) level. The position is affiliated with the group of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Nadja Simeth (https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/649877.html). The young lab works at the interface of physical and organic chemistry and focuses on incorporating biomolecules in chemical, biohybrid, and biomimetic systems.
The prospective candidate will design and synthesize various photoswitches and investigate their properties spectroscopically and in silico, in collaboration with groups affiliated with the BENCh Research Training Group (RTG). The BENCh RTG consists of a high-level research programme aiming to provide landmark experiments for quantum chemical methods benchmarking. The students in the program will benefit from a wide variety of lab techniques and collaborations for challenging experiments. For more information, consult the official homepage http://bench.uni-goettingen.de.

The prospective PhD student will
- work in an interdisciplinary, inclusive, supportive, and international research environment
- develop a research project with increasing scientific independence
- will travel to and collaborate with international partners
- receive personal supervision, a structed training, and regular feedback
- be guided to supervise undergraduate students

Your profile
- You hold or will hold a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related areas,
- have good communication skills in written and spoken English,
- have a solid background in organic synthesis,
- have some experience in data processing and analysis,
- ideally have some experience in optical spectroscopy and/or organic photochemistry and/or DFT calculations
- be creative, and curious in acquiring new techniques

Göttingen is a lively university city in central Germany, which hosts numerous internationally renowned research institutions, including not only the famous University but also its Medical Center, several Max Planck Institutes, the European Neuroscience Institute, the German Primate Center, and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN).

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. The university has committed itself to be a family-friendly institution and supports its employees in balancing work and family life. Applications from disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference.

Interested? Please send your application by Feb 28th, 2023, as a single pdf file to simeth@uni-goettingen.de. Interviews will take place in the first week of March virtually.

Your application must include:
- motivation letter
- CV
- a copy of your Master certificate in English or German
- list of publications (if applicable)
- a summary of past research
- a short statement of future research interest
- the names as well as contact information of two references.

Please note:
With the submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage are provided at:
https://www.uni-goettingen.de/hinweisdsgvo




The Faculty of Chemistry at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen welcomes applications for up to four (4)
Ph.D. positions (all genders welcome)

in the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded Research Training Group 2455 “BENCh – Benchmark Experiments for Numerical quantum Chemistry”. The application window will be open up to 28.02.2023. The positions are remunerated with 65% E 13 TV-L (corresponding to 25.87 hours per week) with a limited contract of 3 years. The starting date will be the earliest possible.

Your profile
• you hold (or are in the process of concluding) a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Physics or equivalent,
• are proficient in English and/or in German,
• are willing to travel and collaborate with international partners,

The BENCh Research Training Group consists of a high-level research programme in Chemistry, combining the expertise of several research groups, spanning topics in spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, molecular beam techniques, all the way to synthesis. The students under the program will benefit from a wide variety of lab techniques and theoretical support, in order to conceive and execute challenging experiments towards the limits of measurement accuracy in each specific field, and/or enabling data gathering in novel chemical systems/phenomena. For more information consult the official homepage http://bench.uni-goettingen.de. Detailed descriptions of the proposed projects and specific requirements for the individual positions are also available on the homepage.

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference.

Your application must include:
• State the Research Training Group project(s) or project area(s) for which you are applying (see homepage).
• curriculum vitae including information on posters, presentations, awards (and publications, if applicable)
• motivation letter for one (or two) specific advertised project(s)
• certificates of studies (if a degree is not yet completed you may also provide a document listing your current grades)
• certificates of language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL)
• two references (name and contact information of two senior researchers)

The documents are to be submitted by electronic form (single PDF file) up to February, 28, 2023 to the e-mail bench_applications@uni-goettingen.de. The deadline for submission is 20:00 (CET) 28.02.2023.

If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail bench_applications@uni-goettingen.de.