The Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, is currently recruiting international PhD candidates for four doctoral positions in the following research disciplines:

• Protein Structure and Function
• Synthetic Biology and Signaling 
• Immunology/Virology
• Molecular Medicine
• Developmental Biology 
• Molecular Plant Sciences

An overview of the potential thesis supervisors and projects can be found here. 

The positions will be funded by the DAAD Graduate School Scholarship program and will be awarded in a multi-step process. 

Detailed information about the application and selection procedure can be found on the SGBM website www.sgbm.uni-freiburg.de (under “Application” – DAAD GSSP scholarships).

Eligibility criteria

Candidates who are to be nominated for a GSSP scholarship must meet the following criteria:

• excellent academic profile. At the starting date of the scholarship/preparatory German course, the nominees must have completed their studies with a master's degree in life sciences or equivalent,
• have an excellent command of the English language,
• at the time of nomination, applicants must not have been resident in Germany for more than the last fifteen months prior to the nomination,
• as a rule, applicants should not have graduated any longer than six years before the time of nomination (Possible exceptions are listed in the “Important information for scholarship applicants” in section A, point 2).
• must not have completed a PhD previously

What we offer

- a high-profile research environment

- an efficient supervision and mentoring program

- courses in novel technologies and soft skills 

- an interdisciplinary teaching program

What we expect

- motivation and interest to join one of the interdisciplinary research areas of the Graduate School

- excellent communication skills in English

- interest in participating actively in the curricular and social activities of the school

Timeline of recruitment

Application deadline: March 9, 2025

Online interviews: early May 2025 (dates tba)

Nomination of selected candidates to the DAAD: end of May 2025

Earliest possible PhD start date (pending decision by the DAAD): October 2025