"Looking for 4 Group Leaders/ PIs in Kaunas-Kiel Microbiome & Precision Medicine Center"

Job Details

The newly established Kaunas-Kiel Microbiome & Precision Medicine Center at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences invites highly motivated, creative, and ambitious researchers to apply for Principal Investigator / Group Leader positions (R3/R4 levels).

The Center is being developed as an international joint initiative between the Institute for Digestive Research (VSTI; https://vsti.lt) at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU; https://lsmu.lt), Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Hospital Kauno Klinikos (LSMUHKK; https://www.kaunoklinikos.lt) and our leading European partners – Institute for Clinical and Molecular Biology (IKMB; https://www.ikmb.uni-kiel.de) and Kiel Microbiome Center (KMC; https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/centres/kmc) at Kiel University in Northern Germany. The Center aims to establish a strong, internationally visible research environment integrating cutting-edge microbiome research, systems medicine approaches and translational innovation to address major challenges in human health and disease.

Scientific Foci

The Center will focus on fundamental and translational research addressing the role of the microbiome in human health and disease. Key research directions include, but are not limited to:

• Host-microbiome interactions across physiological and pathological conditions
• Microbiome driven mechanisms in inflammatory, metabolic, oncological, and infectious diseases
• Development of innovative experimental model systems for mechanistic investigation and translational validation of microbiome-mediated processes
• Advanced AI and machine learning frameworks for integrative multi-omics analysis, systems modeling, and predictive simulation of host-microbiome-driven disease processes
• Translation of microbiome and systems-level discoveries into clinically actionable biomarkers, mechanistic insights, and therapeutic strategies
• Establishment of integrated research platforms and collaborative frameworks to enable interdisciplinary microbiome and systems medicine research

The Center provides a strong methodological foundation, including advanced in vitro and ex vivo model systems, comprehensive multi-omics technologies, integrative computational biology, and translational research infrastructures. Applicants are encouraged to leverage and further develop these capabilities within their proposed research programs. Proposed research programs should complement and synergize with existing expertise within the Center and its international partner institutions.

We Are Looking For…

… applications from researchers who:

• have established or demonstrate strong potential to establish an internationally competitive independent research program,
• present a clear, ambitious, and innovative research vision aligned with the Center’s strategic priorities,
• demonstrate scientific excellence and the capacity to secure competitive funding, and
• are committed to fostering collaboration across experimental, computational, and clinical disciplines within an international research environment.

Our Offer

• Full-time position (3-year initial appointment, extendable for up to 2 additional years with institutional support), with the possibility of transition to a long-term or tenure-track role.
• Annual gross salary: Category R3 – up to €72,000; Category R4 – up to € 100,000, depending on qualifications and experience.
• A competitive start-up package of up to €1 million to enable the rapid establishment of an independent research group (including personnel, operational costs, services, and equipment).
• Access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure spanning advanced microbiome technologies, multi-omics platforms, bioinformatics, AI-driven data analysis, and experimental model systems.
• Strong institutional support for international collaboration, including joint projects, research visits, and exchanges with partner institution such as the IKMB and KMC at Kiel University in Germany.
• Dedicated administrative, grant development, and technology transfer support.
• Comprehensive relocation and integration assistance for international candidates and their families.
• A transparent, inclusive, and collaborative research environment.

Candidate Profile and Requirements

Applicants should:

• Hold a PhD in life sciences, biomedicine, bioinformatics, computational biology, or a closely related field
• Have at least three years of postdoctoral research experience or demonstrate equivalent scientific independence (R3/R4 level)
• Demonstrate the ability to establish and lead an internationally competitive independent research program
• Show evidence of scientific excellence through high-quality publications and/or success in securing competitive research funding
• Present a clear, innovative research vision aligned with the strategic priorities of the Kaunas-Kiel Microbiome & Systems Medicine Center
• Demonstrate experience in, or strong potential for, interdisciplinary research spanning experimental, computational, and/or clinical domains
• Be committed to mentoring students and early-career researchers and contributing to a collaborative international research environment

How to Apply

Applicants are invited to submit the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
• Statement of research interests describing past research accomplishments (1–2 pages)
• Research program proposal (3–4 pages), outlining scientific vision, relevance to the Center, and collaboration potential

Selected candidates will be invited for an online interview with the selection committee.

Please apply until 1st May, 2026.
E-mail for the application submission: vsti@lsmu.lt