Master Student in Mucosal Immunology

_We are recruiting an ambitious _master thesis student_ who wants to pursue groundbreaking research in the areas of mucosal immunology. It will be based in the laboratory of Clarissa Campbell at the _CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna_._

The Project

Gastrointestinal inflammation affects the composition and function of intestinal microbial communities. The host factors mediating early alterations in the microbiome remain poorly defined. The project will employ imaging methods to investigate putative host factors driving microbiome changes during intestinal infection. Complementary mechanistic studies will be carried out using in vitro immune cell cultures, followed by ddPCR/qPCR and flow cytometric readouts. You will have the opportunity to learn a wide range of state-of-the-art techniques under close supervision, i.e., spectral flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, isolation and culture of primary immune cells and microbiome profiling

Your Profile

We are looking for an outstanding Master student with a strong background in immunology/molecular biology with a minimum time commitment of 8 to 12 months to study immune regulation the intestinal environment. Cell culture and basic microbiology/molecular biology technical skills are required. Experience with flow cytometry and imaging is desired. We provide the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research in a highly supportive environment, with significant chances for contributing to an important scientific publication.

The Campbell Lab

We are a highly collaborative team. We enjoy curiosity-driven research (_what if_ ?) and want to shift paradigms in biology. We believe that understanding commensal microbes is the key to understanding our own physiology. The team includes: 1 PI (Clarissa, BRA), 1 Lab Manager (Elena, MKD), 1 research technician (Thet, MMR), 4 PhD students (Adrija, IND; Felix, AUT; Rodrigo, PRT; and Dinah, AUT), 3 Master students (Franziska, DEU; Isabella, ZAF; Felix, AUT) and 4 Postdocs (Cris, PRT; Max, AUT; Tomas, CZE; Megan, CAN). We combine microbial engineering, synthetic biology, animal models, transcriptional and metabolic profiling and flow cytometry to address the following questions: How do gut bacteria respond to food intake? What metabolites do they produce? How does our immune system interpret these metabolites? What is the impact of microbiota-derived metabolites and systemic metabolic changes on physiology during health and disease? We are also excited to be the first group to set up a gnotobiotic husbandry operation in Austria

The Principal Investigator

Clarissa Campbell joined CeMM as a principal investigator in July 2021. She studied biology with a minor in genetics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and subsequently earned a master’s degree from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), investigating how bacterial molecules exert immunomodulatory effects on mammalian cells via nuclear receptors, a topic she would continue to explore throughout her career. She joined the Tri-Institutional Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York as a graduate student where she specialized in mucosal immunology and regulatory T (Treg) cell biology. After obtaining her PhD, Clarissa Campbell remained under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Rudensky at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to continue her work on host-commensal interactions and pursue broader scientific questions bridging the fields of immunology and metabolism. Her research has characterized a circuit whereby microbial metabolites including short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids facilitate the differentiation of peripherally induced Treg cells, which in turn suppress immune responses to colonization and preserve a niche for a group of intestinal bacteria. More recently, she found that a bile acid sensing nuclear receptor contributes to the cell-intrinsic responsiveness of effector T cells to fasting. Her lab is interested in investigating how changes in microbial and organismal metabolism contribute to regulating immune-cell function. She is the recipient of the 2023 FEBS Excellence Award, the ERC Starting Grant (2023), and is part of the FWF SFB HIT- HDAC modulation in T cells (2023), the FWF Cluster of Excellence Microplanet - Microbiomes drive Planetary Health (2023) and the FWF Research Group NeoGIBA - the Gut-brain-Immune axis in premature neonates (2024).

About the Institute

We offer
- Work within an experienced, interdisciplinary, and international team at one of Austria’s leading research institutes
- Ample opportunities to contribute and gain experience in a key area of biomedical research and precision medicine
- An inspiring workplace with an international setting, strong team spirit, and an excellent work climate
- A wide range of social, cultural, and sports activities organized by the institute
- Excellent employee benefits including