Assistant Professorship in Molecular Life Sciences at the University of Zurich

The Department of Molecular Life Sciences (DMLS) at the University of Zurich invites ERC Starting Grant applicants to join as Assistant Professors.

We are particularly interested in talented scientists that will pursue ambitious, rigorous, and challenging research questions in relevant thematic areas, including but not restricted to – fundamental cell and mechanical biology, multi-omics characterization of developing model systems, or novel computational approaches to multi-scale data integration and inference.

Research at DMLS focuses on investigating fundamental principles that regulate the activity of biological systems across scales, from single cells to multicellular organisms and entire ecosystems. By combining experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches, the department aims to uncover the molecular and cellular principles that govern complex biological phenomena. Because of its intrinsically diverse nature, the DMLS offers an inclusive and collaborative environment fostering interdisciplinarity and innovation.

The DMLS will initially act as host institution to support the ERC application of selected candidates. In addition, successful applicants will receive a departmental budget and competitive startup package alongside their ERC funding. In line with the collaborative culture within the department and across the university, we offer a large number of centrally maintained shared resources, including all standard lab and molecular biology equipment, high performance computing (Science IT), access to the Functional Genomics Center Zurich (FGCZ), the Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis (ZMB), as well as the BioVisionCenter (BVC). Although this is not a formal tenure-track position, the department is well positioned to retain successful candidates beyond the grant period and will foster/support the long-term integration of ERC grant holders into the faculty.

The submission deadline for ERC Starting Grant applications is expected to be in October 2026. Reference for further information: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, description of research interests with clearly defined future aims (maximum five pages), a CV and the contact details of three referees by May 31st, 2026, to angela.lloyd@mls.uzh.ch. For further information, please contact Christian von Mering (mering@mls.uzh.ch). Interviews will take place in July/August 2026, with an initial meeting conducted online and invitation of shortlisted candidates for an onsite in-person visit.