The University of Cologne offers a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and internationally outstanding research areas across its six faculties. At the Faculty of Medicine, numerous scientists are engaged in research, teaching and patient care across a wide range of clinics, institutes and centers. The Faculty of Medicine and the University Hospital Cologne are part of the highly active Rhineland research region and closely collaborate with numerous university and non-university partners. This strong network enables internationally competitive science ranging from basic research to clinical application and provides an excellent environment for the training of early-career scientists.
The Institute of Radiochemistry and Experimental Molecular Imaging (IREMB) is seeking two doctoral candidates for a translational research project in the field of radiopharmaceutical tracer development and molecular imaging. The doctoral positions will initially be embedded for two years in the internationally funded IMAGESTRO project. Subsequently, the doctoral projects will be continued for one additional year at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: Nuclear Chemistry (INM-5). Depending on the further development of the project and the scientific profile of the doctoral candidates, the focus of the third year will be either on the development of 18F-labeled PET radiotracers or 211At-labeled radiotherapeutics for nuclear medicine applications.
The IMAGESTRO project aims to develop novel 18F-labeled PET tracers for the non-invasive imaging of estrogen receptors in the brain, to characterize them preclinically, and to translate them into human applications. The project focuses on the organic synthesis of suitable precursor and reference compounds, the development and optimization of radiofluorination strategies, and the comprehensive analytical and preclinical characterization of the resulting radiotracers. The work will be carried out in close cooperation between the University Hospital Cologne and Forschungszentrum Jülich and offers an interdisciplinary research environment at the interface of organic chemistry, radiochemistry, radiopharmacy, molecular imaging, biology and neuroscience.
