iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 11/09/2026

🌐 Explore JenXplor’s new website JenXplor, Leibniz-HKI’s modular robotic platform developed together with Analytik Jena uses advanced technology to automate biological and biochemical experiments. 🧑🔬 Check it out in both German and English at www.jenxplor.de @luziagyr.bsky.social

jenxplor.de

JenXplor

JenXplor is a modular robotic platform at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI). It automates laboratory workflows, accelerates the search for new acti...

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Reposted by Leibniz-HKI

Universität Jena @uni-jena.de · 31/07/2026

For the first time, researchers from #UniJena and @leibniz-hki.de at @microverse.bsky.social have detected tiny membrane tunnels connecting social amoebae, serving as a communication and transport system. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/434214/amo…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 01/07/2026

Good yeast, bad yeast: Researchers from KU Leuven and our institute, supported by the #ClusterofExcellence @microverse.bsky.social, reveal how a strain of the baker’s yeast 𝘚. 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦 can weaken 𝘊. 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 and reduce inflammation. Learn more 👇

leibniz-hki.de

Good yeast, bad yeast: Researchers discover New Potential o…

Millions of women worldwide suffer from vaginal yeast infections. These infections are most commonly caused by the…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 28/05/2026

Old toxin, new twist 🍄🔬 Muscarine is a well-known mushroom toxin, but how fungi produce it has long been misunderstood. Researchers from @uni-jena.de and our institute revised a nearly 50-year-old model of its biosynthesis. www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

leibniz-hki.de

An old toxin, a new approach

Just in time for May, a research team led by Dirk Hoffmeister and Sebastian Dörner published a revised model of m…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 30/04/2026

🏅 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗻𝗶𝘇 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 2026 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻 This year’s award honors research from our institute & @uni-jena.de, conducted within the #ClusterOfExcellence @microverse.bsky.social. 💡👉 Learn more about their discoveries using an innovative research approach: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 28/04/2026

🔬✨ Yeast, bright colors, and a dash of curiosity Together with @microverse.bsky.social, we welcomed 34 students for this year’s “Forsche Schüler” Day. Hands on experiments from yeast to data driven research offered insights into real lab work. 👉 Read more: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/news/yeas...

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Balance of the Microverse @microverse.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Excellence in microbiome research: Today the Microverse Early Career Scientist Awards honored Beatrix Heinze & @hsuma.bsky.social for outstanding interdisciplinary work on microbial ecosystems. 👏 Congrats to both awardees! 🤝@pstallforth.bsky.social, @kuesellab.bsky.social & @uni-jena.de

microverse-cluster.de

Excellence in Microbiome Research: Microverse Presents 2025…

The Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” at the University of Jena has awarded the Microverse Ear…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 15/04/2026

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a top priority at our institute – exemplified by the research group FUSION, combining robotics & genetics to explore Fusarium.🍄 The team aims to uncover new antifungal strategies & identify promising drug candidates. ➡️ www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel... #ESF #EU

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 13/04/2026

We congratulate Prof. Wilhelm Boland on receiving the Xience Award 2026! 👏 In recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements and long-standing support, the Leibniz-HKI has presented the second Xience award to the chemist from @mpi-ce.bsky.social. 👉 More: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 31/03/2026

Robotics meets genetics 🤖🧬🍄 Two junior research groups are FUSIONing their expertise to explore Fusarium, a fungus with two faces: a threat and a treasure trove for new therapeutics. Find out more about FUSION: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel... @luziagyr.bsky.social @slavi-jan.bsky.social

leibniz-hki.de

Robotics meets genetics: Joining forces to explore <em>Fusa…

They are both feared pathogens and a source of hope: fungi of the genus Fusarium. Spreading worldwide, they can ca…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 24/03/2026

We’re proud to contribute to current #Tuberculosis research – from discovering BTZ-043 to advancing it towards a potential new treatment. On #WorldTBDay, we also honour the foundations: We named a seminar room after pioneering microbiologist Ruth Ella Moore, whose work also advanced TB research.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 18/03/2026

We’re excited to host the SPP 2240 #eBiotech Training Week 2026! After a great start with “Female Leadership” and inspiring talks, the week continues with workshops on #ScienceStorytelling and #ScientificWriting for doctoral researchers, led by @robinbonne.bsky.social and Christina Schütte.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 06/03/2026

🔬 Leibniz-HKI Research featured as Biomedical Picture of the Day! Proud to see a microscopy image from one of our recently published studies was selected as Biomedical Picture of the Day on March 5, 2026! BPoD article: bpod.org.uk/archive/2026... Paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Scanning electron microscope image: Bacteria of the species Enterococcus faecalis (purple) attach to hyphae of the fungus Candida albicans (turquoise). Source: Leibniz-HKI

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 13/02/2026

Finally understanding the rules of the game: Working closely together in Jena, scientists have now deciphered how two species of bacteria join forces to avoid being eaten. www.leibniz-hki.de/de/pressemit... @microverse.bsky.social @uni-jena.de @uni-wuerzburg.de

leibniz-hki.de

Endlich die Spielregeln verstanden

Kooperation gibt es bei Brettspielen, Forschenden und Bakterien. In enger und lokaler Zusammenarbeit entschlüssel…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 11/02/2026

What drives women in science — and how do they drive science forward? 🔬🚀 Great to see that @microverse.bsky.social has captured and shared the voices of women scientists for #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience, including colleagues from our institute.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 18/12/2025

With Christmas just around the corner, we wish all our colleagues, partners, and friends joyful holidays and a successful start into the New Year! We will be back in January. Warm wishes from the #LeibnizHKI. 🎄🎀⭐ The picture shows a colon cross section of a mouse colonized with Candida albicans.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 17/12/2025

Researchers at #LeibnizHKI discovered an enzyme that cleaves the toxin malleicyprol and reduces virulence in Burkholderia bacteria. 🗞️ Press release: lmy.de/VwRfa 🔎 Original paper: doi.org/10.1002/anie... @dfg.de @uni-jena.de @microverse.bsky.social @angewandtechemie.bsky.social

Two men, Christian Hertweck and Jonas Fiedler, standing outdoors on the grounds of the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) in Jena. Both are dressed casually, facing each other and smiling. Institute buildings and greenery visible in the background.

Schematic illustration showing inactivation of the bacterial toxin Malleicyprol by the enzyme BurK. This illustration was taken from the respective publication in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, doi: 10.1002/anie.202521105, created by Jonas Fiedler, Leibniz-HKI.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 12/12/2025

Meet our #December #calendar 2025 feature Wolfgang Vivas & Dolly Montaño, postdocs from Venezuela 🇻🇪 at Leibniz-HKI. How do they both juggle demanding research 🧪 with family life 👨🏻‍👩🏻‍👦🏻 while also keeping their creativity alive? 🎨 Find it out in their interview: lmy.de/Ibiul #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

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Balance of the Microverse @microverse.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

"May the phage be with you!" 🎬🧬 Julia Frunzke (@fz-juelich.de) joined our #JEMS at @leibniz-hki.de! She discussed antiviral defense & how delayed phage DNA replication buys cells time to respond. Great science + movie quotes = 💯. Thanks for the visit, Julia! #ScienceSky #Microbiology #Phage

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 11/12/2025

The research network #PerMiCCion, funded by the #BMFTR, enters its 2nd funding phase to uncover why more young adults develop colorectal #cancer, and how the gut microbiome can enable earlier detection and personalized prevention. ➡️ lmy.de/fZkRG @mbdlab.bsky.social @uni-jena.de #Microverse

Transparent anatomical 3D illustration of the human abdomen showing the digestive tract, with the colon highlighted in bright orange and red to indicate inflammation and tumor-affected areas. © Adobe Stock / appledesign

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 08/12/2025

The German Research Foundation (@dfg.de) welcomes the provisional agreement announced by the European Union on a new legal framework for so-called NGT-1 plants produced using new genomic techniques (NGT). The DFG and #Leopoldina have been campaigning for years for this classification. lmy.de/QqMLB

lmy.de

DFG welcomes EU agreement on new plant breeding techniques

The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) welcomes the provisional agreement announced…

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 05/12/2025

Funded PhD position 9/9: Study the role of human p11-dependent EGFR in regulating phagosome maturation and antifungal defense & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/saMIG #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A lab scientist in a white coat and blue gloves looks through a microscope, with computer screens showing colorful data in the background.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 04/12/2025

Funded PhD position 8/9: Develop scalable moss-bacteria co-cultivations for the discovery and production of new natural products & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/diSOz #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Four young adults are jumping with their arms raised on a grassy area in front of a modern, curved building, smiling and appearing joyful.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 03/12/2025

Funded PhD position 7/9: Discover mycoparasites as unexplored resource for antiinfectives & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/FMclh #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A laboratory researcher wearing a white coat and blue gloves uses a pipette to transfer liquid into a tray of small tubes, surrounded by lab equipment and bottles.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 02/12/2025

Funded PhD position 6/9: Explore liver-on-chip based macrophage-drug interactions in invasive candidiasis & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/ZAZGj #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A scientist with dark curls and black glasses in a white lab coat and blue gloves holds up a sample slide for inspection in a bright laboratory, slightly smiling, with lab equipment, shelves and a big window in the background.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 01/12/2025

Funded PhD position 5/9: Study microbiome-enteric nervous system interactions in sepsis & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/ybPgD #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Two researchers in white lab coats and blue gloves stand in a laboratory, smiling and reviewing a document together, surrounded by scientific equipment and supplies.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 29/11/2025

Funded PhD position 4/9: Advance image quantification of organ-on-chip-based experiments within JIPipe & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/tSJYf #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A woman sits at a desk with two computer monitors, focused on her work in a bright office; a blurred screen with a scientific graphic is visible in the foreground.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 28/11/2025

Funded PhD position 3/9: Investigate how Candida albicans lipases shape fungal-bacterial interactions & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/VyUor #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A woman in a white lab coat and blue gloves works at a lab bench, smiling as she uses a pipette to transfer liquid into a small tube. Colorful laboratory containers and equipment are arranged in front of her, and another person works in the background.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 27/11/2025

Funded PhD position 2/9: Study neutrophil extracellular vesicles as a key defense mechanism against Aspergillus fumigatus & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/yisip #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A man and a woman in white lab coats sit at a computer in a bright laboratory. The man, wearing blue gloves, smiles and points at the monitor while the woman beside him also smiles, watching the screen.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 26/11/2025

Funded PhD position 1/9: Explore RNA modification by natural products across species & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/szeVW #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

A woman and a man wearing white lab coats sit together at a desk in a bright office, looking at a laptop screen. The woman is smiling and gesturing toward the laptop as they discuss the information displayed.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 24/11/2025

🎙️ For #WAAW, our Director Axel Brakhage joins the German podcast “Contagious Enthusiasm” to discuss natural products in antibiotic development, the need of innovative #AMR strategies & the challenging conditions for researchers. lmy.de/EWdVZ 🎧 Spotify: lmy.de/bsezx 🎧 Deezer: lmy.de/Jzccq

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 21/11/2025

Meet our #November feature Sophia Hitzler, a doctoral researcher at Leibniz-HKI, in this year’s #calendar 2025! From a fascination with fungi 🍄 to mentoring 👩‍🏫 and an unexpected dream job 🐳, discover her journey here: lmy.de/sBQAV #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI @aps-hki.bsky.social

A young woman with curly reddish-brown hair stands by a staircase railing in a modern building. She is wearing a long yellow pleated skirt, a black top, and black boots. She is holding several notebooks or books in her arms and is smiling gently at the camera.

A woman with curly reddish-brown hair is working in a laboratory. She is wearing a white lab coat and blue gloves and is examining a transparent bottle filled with liquid. In the background, another person in a lab coat is seated at a workstation. The room is bright and equipped with typical laboratory instruments.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 07/11/2025

📖 Perfect weekend reading for fungal fans! 😉 Our @mpm-hki.bsky.social colleagues uncover how #CandidaAlbicans manages to invade tissue as hyphae but spread as yeast. Published in @femsjournals.bsky.social. 🧑🏻‍🔬: @jlspragu.bsky.social

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 05/11/2025

🎉 #LeibnizHKI has again been honored with the TOTAL E-QUALITY rating for our equal-opportunities personnel policy – for the 5th time in a row! This year, we also received the Sustainability Prize 2025 for our long-term commitment to equality, diversity & inclusion. 🗞️✨ lmy.de/zVSiL #TotalEquality

Christine Vogler, Equal Opportunities Officer at Leibniz-HKI, accepted the TOTAL E-QUALITY award and the Sustainability Award.

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Slavica Janevska @slavi-jan.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

📣 I’m excited to share two open positions in my lab @leibniz-hki.de. For this interdisciplinary project with @luziagyr.bsky.social, I’m seeking (1) an enthusiastic PhD student interested in fungal natural product research and genetic engineering, as well as (2) a technical assistant 👇🏻

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 17/10/2025

🍁 Meet our #October #calendar 2025 feature: Zoltán Cseresnyés, imaging specialist at our @appsysbio.bsky.social research group. From 1980s Hungary to super-resolution microscopy at Cambridge, he now helps researchers unlock insights from complex images. 🔬🌌 lmy.de/LsPim #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 08/10/2025

Over the past two days, @leibniz-hki.de has hosted the Junior Groups in Infection Research Annual Meeting. We talked a lot about collaborations, the future of infection research and enjoyed dinner at the Botanical Garden @uni-jena.de. #bmftr #infection #research #science

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 06/10/2025

🏆The @leibniz-hki.de receives the Thuringian Animal Welfare Award 2025! An innovative lung model reduces animal testing in infection research by up to 90%. Science and animal welfare go hand in hand🤝 #AnimalWelfare #Research @soziales.thueringen.de Picture Credits: TMSGAF; Delf Zeh

Kerren Volkmar and Maria Straßburger from the Leibniz-HKI are honored with an award and flowers

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 26/09/2025

Dose makes the difference! #Candidaalbicans uses the toxin #candidalysin not only to cause infections but also to quietly colonize the mouth – too little fails, too much triggers immune defense. @natmicrobiol.nature.com @mpm-hki.bsky.social picture credits: Erik Böhm, @leibniz-hki.de

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 24/09/2025

🍄 #Psilocybe & #Inocybe magic mushrooms use completely different enzymes to make #psilocybin as a team from @leibniz-hki.de and @uni-jena.de have discovered. 🗞️ Press release: shorturl.at/imyW2 🔎 Original paper: doi.org/10.1002/anie... @angewandtechemie.bsky.social @microverse.bsky.social @dfg.de

ways of the Biosynthesis of Psilocybin
© Tim Schäfer, Leibniz-HKI

The "Kubanische Kahlkopf" (Psilocybe cubensis), a bunch of brown mushroom.
© Felix Blei, Leibniz-HKI

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 22/09/2025

Biophelion, a @leibniz-hki.de spin-off, turns industrial waste into sustainable materials! 🌱♻️ Using a black yeast, they create biodegradable polyesters, pullulan & new eco-friendly surfactants. @sprind-de.bsky.social @tilltiso.bsky.social Pictures: @sprind-de.bsky.social, Tillmann Franzen

Biophelion aims to recover new recyclable materials from industrial waste in the future.

Biophelion also gives young scientists the opportunity to gain qualifications.

The two founders, Lars Regestein (left) and Till Tiso (right), on their way to the laboratories of the BioInstrumentezentrum.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 18/09/2025

Meet our #September feature Hannah Büttner in this year’s #calendar 2025! 👩🏻‍🔬 She explored fungal-bacterial symbiosis, loves both music & art, and carries science in her bag wherever she goes. 🎒🏜️ Read her interview here: lmy.de/FUIJC 🎙️ #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

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Balance of the Microverse @microverse.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

🌍 Today is the #InternationalMicroorganismsDay! On this occasion, we are naming the Microverse #MicrobeoftheYear 2025: Candida albicans. Carried by up to 95% of people, it usually lives harmlessly in our bodies – but can also cause infections. www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news/micr...

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Leibniz-Lab Pandemic Preparedness @leibnizpandemic.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Virusinfektionen sind ja leider oft nur die halbe Miete. Pilze finden geschwächte Körper nämlich auch ganz gut ⬇️ #zombies @leibniz-hki.de

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Slavica Janevska @slavi-jan.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

A little more than 2 weeks to apply for a Postdoc position in our lab @leibniz-hki.de 👇🏻

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 27/08/2025

We’re accelerating antiinfective discovery with #ISMEA! This automated system powers high-throughput screening via #JenXplor, enabling efficient, error-free handling of substances and boosting research with ML-driven predictions. ➡️ lmy.de/Hyqtb

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 22/08/2025

🌱 “Researching and working in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way is both a #process and a #challenge. We are happy to take on these tasks, as they make a lasting contribution to positive climate development,” says our Director Axel Brakhage. #Sustainability @patricks-science.bsky.social

Two researchers in white lab coats working at a biological safety cabinet. One is handling lab equipment while smiling and looking toward the camera, with his reflection visible in the glass. The other researcher is partly visible in the foreground, wearing blue gloves.

Two researchers in white lab coats sitting side by side at a biological safety cabinet. They are handling test tubes and laboratory tools inside the sterile workspace, with their backs facing the camera.

Two researchers in a laboratory. One, wearing glasses and blue gloves, is focused on preparing samples at a bench. The other is standing beside him, looking at a smartphone. Both are dressed in white lab coats.

Two young male researchers wearing white lab coats smile brightly into the camera. They are standing in a modern biological laboratory. In the background, there is a white wall cupboard over a workbench with lots of colorful equipment.

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Leibniz-HKI @leibniz-hki.de · 21/08/2025

Solar panels, recycling waste heat, efficient freezers. Small steps, big impact: We are working on making research and our institute more energy-efficient. #Sustainability #EnergyEfficiency #SolarPanels #LeibnizHKI

View from the roof of the HKI Biotech Center over Jena, which lies in a valley between small green mountains. Further ahead is a blue lake, to the right a green meadow and to the left many green deciduous trees. In the background you can see the houses and red roofs of the city as well as a high-rise building.

Close-up view of a solar panel with dark blue photovoltaic cells and white grid lines, reflecting sunlight. The panel stretches into the background toward blurred mountains and a blue sky.

Side view of a mounted solar panel supported by metal brackets fixed into the ground. The foreground shows dry grass and yellow wildflowers, while the background reveals a distant valley and hills under a clear sky.

Yellow wildflowers and tall dry plants in focus in the foreground, with a solar panel installation slightly blurred in the background. The scene is set in a grassy area with mountains and blue sky in the distance.

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