Master theses / Diploma theses / Compulsory internship / Volunteer internship

The application of phage surface display (PSD) technology has accelerated developments in the field of biomolecular sensors and materials science. A practical complement to this technology is Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). In this combination, a more comprehensive view of biopanning rounds with a deep insight into the entire sequence space is made possible. It is possible to identify sequencing artefacts, determine sequence number and structure, recognize binding motifs and observe the evolution of the phage library over the course of an experiment. PSD in combination with biopanning is able to select candidates with high affinity and selectivity to the desired substrates from large peptide libraries. In practice, this specific enrichment of peptides leads to a reduction in library diversity. It should therefore be possible to better visualize this reduction in sequence space using data clustering methods in order to better understand distances between similar sequence families.
The student's task is to find suitable clustering methods for sequencing results from multiple phage display experiments and to apply these if necessary. It should be clear from the results to what extent the sequence space can be grouped into families and whether a mutation profile within and between these families is recognizable.

Prerequisite is a valid enrollment in a Master's program in bioinformatics, biotechnology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biology or a related natural science program. Furthermore:

• Interest in data cluster methods and bioinformatics
• Basic knowledge of bioinformatics, statistics, stochastics and clustering
• Experience with a programming language (e.g. Python, R, C, C++ or other)
• Ability to work independently and in a team

The topic is to be worked on as part of a Master's thesis in conjunction with a voluntary or mandatory internship. This results in a duration of 12 months. The duration can be extended or adjusted in consultation with the supervisor. We can offer you:

• An innovative multidisciplinary research environment related to relevant issues in resource technology
• Supervision by experienced scientists
• Practical experience in the field of bioinformatics and directed evolution