PhD Program

The University of Göttingen has launched several initiatives to improve the career opportunities of young researchers. One of these initiatives includes the establishment of several PhD education programmes, organized and coordinated in specific graduate schools. All PhD students of the CRC 860, irrespective of whether they work at the University of Göttingen or at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, are members of the Georg-August University School of Sciences (GAUSS), which has currently 1.400 PhD students enrolled.

Within the “Förderlinie 1” of the excellence initiative, the University of Göttingen has established in 2007 the “Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences” (GGNB) under the umbrella of the GAUSS programme. GGNB is a joint enterprise between six faculties of the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institutes for Biophysical Chemistry, Experimental Medicine, and Dynamics and Self Organisation, and the German Primate Center (DPZ). GGNB offers a joint research-based training program preparing doctoral students for a career in academia or industry. Training includes lectures and seminars, advanced methods courses, courses and workshops in professional skills, and a range of other activities such as student-organized scientific meetings, industry excursions, and intercultural events.

Hence, the CRC provides to young scientists an excellent environment to advance their careers in science. PhD students within the CRC will have the opportunity to receive additional training and education in GGNB, as they can apply for the PhD programmes “Biomolecules: Structure - Function - Dynamics” or “Physics of Biological and Complex Systems". The CRC supports PhD students with the establishment of interdisciplinary PhD committees. They aim on the regular and concrete supervision of the research work, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the participants and organizing concrete specific support options. The overall aim is to shorten the duration of research work and strengthen the scientific training towards a successful scientific career.