Internship in Molecular Biology (Master students only)

Within the Department of Precision Health, Dr. Torsten Bohn, Head of the Nutrition & Health Research Group (NUTRIHEALTH), aims to explore the intricate relationship between diet and health. The aim of the project is to study the source of exogenous microRNAs that can be found circulating in humans. Many authors have hypothesized that these may have a dietary, specifically plant, origin. Thus, the master student will work in an in vitro environment to isolate microRNAs from different food matrices, investigate their survival through digestion, as well as their potential uptake by the gut epithelia. If successful in these two steps, we will investigate the potential anti-inflammatory/antioxidant and other health-related properties of dietary microRNAs in different cell type representatives of gut epithelia, liver, fat tissue, and/or monocytes.

For the current project related to molecular biology, we are offering a 6 months paid internship for Master 2 students only. The internship should be part of the mandatory curriculum of the student. The main tasks of the student will be to work on an in vitro set up, which includes cell culture work, hands-on experience on gastrointestinal digestion models, and RT-Q-PCR as part of the day-to-day work.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Working with cell cultures
• RNA extraction and PCR
• Bioinformatics analysis of the data
• Join in writing a high-level scientific paper
• Discuss results within group & other researchers
• Participate in project meetings & organization
• Give presentations at local institute level
• Join other group-based activities.

KEY SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS 

• Current master student in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics or similar
• Good knowledge and hands-on experience in the laboratory
• Prior experience with cell culture and/or PCR
• Good communication skills in English

WHAT WE OFFER

• Students have the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary & international scientific environment, benefitting from diverse exchanges with other students and scientists in and across the department.
• Hands-on experience in common laboratory techniques
• An environment allowing further training in a variety of health-related domains, fostering the acquisition of horizontal skills around presentation & communication skills, scientific English, statistical data evaluation, and visualization.
• A close link to clinical, statistical & data analysis.

GENDER EQUALITY

The LIH is an equal opportunities employer.

We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

The LIH is attentive to gender representation among its leadership staff and aims to eliminate obstacles to the recruitment and promotion of female leaders and their career development.