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Obesity is a growing unmet medical need in companion animals and a shared biological challenge across Animal Health and Human Pharma. Dogs and cats develop obesity under similar environmental pressures, yet they differ markedly in metabolic disease susceptibility and progression. For example, cats are particularly prone to obesity-associated diabetes mellitus, whereas dogs exhibit distinct patterns of insulin resistance, inflammatory responses, and obesity-related comorbidities. These differences are likely to reflect species-specific regulatory mechanisms operating across multiple tissues and organ systems, including adipose tissue, liver, pancreas, skeletal muscle, and immune compartments, as well as the endocrine and inflammatory networks that coordinate whole-body energy homeostasis.

While adipose tissue acts as a central endocrine and inflammatory organ, the liver and pancreas are critical regulators of glucose, lipid, and insulin homeostasis. Differences in adipose tissue signaling, hepatic metabolic flexibility, and pancreatic adaptation to chronic nutrient excess may contribute to the divergent susceptibility of dogs and cats to obesity-associated metabolic disease. Understanding the interplay between these tissues is therefore essential for identifying conserved disease drivers, species-specific modifiers, and robust therapeutic targets.

Rather than representing a limitation, these species-specific differences provide a powerful opportunity for translational target discovery. Dogs and cats can be viewed as naturally occurring variations of a shared metabolic disease system, where conserved biological pathways reveal fundamental drivers of obesity, while divergent molecular and cellular responses highlight mechanisms that influence disease susceptibility, target sensitivity, efficacy, and safety. Understanding why some regulatory networks remain conserved across species while others differ may help identify therapeutic targets that are both biologically central and resilient to biological variability.

The proposed postdoctoral research program within Boehringer Ingelheim's Animal Health Non-Infectious Diseases group should apply innovative approaches to suitable in vitro and ex vivo canine and feline models to identify conserved molecular drivers of obesity while systematically characterizing species-specific regulatory mechanisms.

By integrating molecular, functional, and network-level datasets across relevant metabolic tissues, the project aims to distinguish conserved driver networks from species-specific modifiers and thereby prioritize robust, pharmacologically actionable therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

The successful candidate will work within a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment where Animal Health laboratories are closely integrated with Human Pharma research teams, providing exposure to both cutting-edge biology and industry drug discovery processes.

  • Novel systems biology approaches to identify conserved obesity driver networks across species
  • Innovative experimental strategies using canine and feline adipose tissue explants, primary adipocytes, stromal vascular cells, or related ex vivo and in vitro models
  • Multi-omics approaches including transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and integrated data analysis
  • Comparative network modeling to distinguish conserved pathways from species-specific modifiers
  • Identification and validation of druggable molecular targets and associated biomarkers
  • Methods for evaluating translational relevance and pharmacological risk
  • Development of species-specific veterinary products without relevance to conserved disease mechanisms
  • Purely clinical or epidemiological studies lacking mechanistic investigation
  • Studies focused exclusively on infectious diseases
  • Projects without an experimental or systems biology component
  • Solutions limited to descriptive observations without target identification or mechanistic insight
  • Research requiring in vivo animal experimentation as the primary focus
  • Approaches unrelated to obesity, metabolic dysfunction, adipose tissue biology, or target discovery

As a winner of this call, you will have the unique opportunity to pursue your own submitted research project as a fully resourced PostDoc project in the Animal Health NID team at Boehringer Ingelheim at the Discovery Research site in Biberach/Riss, Germany.

You will obtain a position for up to 3 years* with Boehringer Ingelheim within a cross-functional, international team of world-class scientists working on non-infectious diseases in companion animals, integrated with Human Pharma research teams. The grant would also allow you to carry out parts of your planned experiments at your current home institution. [*The offered position initially covers a duration of 24 months with an option for extension by another 12 months.]

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At Boehringer Ingelheim, you will have access to a fully equipped laboratory in a state-of-the-art research facility including access to all relevant tools (e.g., adipose tissue from cats and dogs) and technologies. Benefit from mentoring through our internal experts, have the chance to attend international conferences, and to publish your results in high-ranking journals. You will be part of the vibrant PostDoc community at Boehringer Ingelheim in Biberach with manifold opportunities for scientific, cross-functional exchanges for your personal development. You will have the opportunity to learn the process and challenges of drug discovery from the inside, including additional training and mentoring programs.

In addition, benefit from the rich packages for employee benefit. Our most important asset in achieving our global vision is our people. We prioritize your growth, investing in our people through mentoring, coaching, skill-building, leadership development, and academic support. Our infrastructure promotes wellness with sports groups, health counseling, onsite medical services, and regular check-ups. Achieve work-life balance with flexible work hours, remote working, childcare support, counseling, and convenient amenities. We ensure financial health with employer loans, private insurances, access to discounts, and a company pension scheme. Benefit also from our excellent and healthy on-site catering and the opportunity for take-away meals. We offer relocation support and interim accommodation to make joining us easy.

  • PhD with strong background in Molecular and Cell Biology or veterinary sciences
  • Experience in systems biology, bioinformatics, or multi-omics analysis is desirable
  • Hands-on in vitro and ex vivo experience in the field of metabolic disease
  • Displayed examples of creativity that led to out-of-the-box scientific ideas and results
  • Good understanding of the underlying biology and the pathways that drive the pathophysiology of developing obesity- either in pets or in humans
  • Track record of independent research as exemplified through publications or patents
  • Very good oral communication and presentation skills as well as the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams in a matrix environment
  • Fluent language skill in English are mandatory, German language skills is a plus

Please use our PostDoc grant application template to provide a 4–5-page non-confidential proposal (available for download here). Please complement with your CV, publication list, and recommendation letters.

If confidential data exists that would strengthen the proposal, please indicate that information is available to share under a Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA). If we find the non-confidential concept proposal sufficiently interesting, we will execute a CDA for confidential discussions.

All incoming applications accompanied by a research plan will be evaluated by a scientific jury, and, upon selection, you as the winner will have the opportunity to pursue your research project as defined by yourself as part of your PostDoc studies at Boehringer Ingelheim. An attractive package including salary, expenses, and additional company benefits will apply.

We can only accept research proposals if they arrive by the submission deadline on October 21, 2026, 11.59 pm PST.