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PhD Positions

PhD Spring Selection 2025 – Open Projects

This is a list of currently 16 group leaders who are intending to recruit in the PhD Spring Selection 2025 and potential projects they’re offering.

Please note: this list will be constantly updated. Therefore, in your application you are welcome to include other groups of your interest.

Portrait Marius Ader

© CRTD

Marius Ader

Open Project
  • Mechanism and functional integration of human photoreceptors and RPE cells transplanted into pre-clinical mouse models of retinal degeneration
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biomedicine & Regenerative Biology

Portrait Mareike Albert

© CRTD

Mareike Albert

Open Project
  • Epigenetic regulation of human cortical development
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Neurobiology

Portrait Oliver Bruns

Oliver Bruns

Open Projects
  • Biomedical imaging beyond the visible
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biochemistry, biology, biomedicine, bioengineering
    → Detailed information as PDF

  • Biomedical imaging beyond the visible

Portrait Frank Buchholz

© CRTD

Frank Buchholz

Open Project
  • Development and validation of genome editing tools for therapeutic treatment
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Gene Editing

Portrait Federico Calegari

© TUD/Magdalena Gonciarz

Federico Calegari

Open Project
  • Decoding the computational role of adult neurogenesis in hippocampus
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Neuroscience, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science
    → Detailed information as PDF

Portrait Christian Dahmann

© Kirsten Lassig

Christian Dahmann

Open Project
  • From genes to shape: Molecular control of mechanical forces during tissue morphogenesis
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics
    → Detailed information as PDF

Portrait Stefan Diez

© TUD CMCB, Magdalena Gonciarz

Stefan Diez

Open Projects
  • Oscillatory Behaviour of Molecular Motors in Biological and Engineered Systems
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Cell Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering

  • Generation of Helical Movement and Torque by Cytoskeletal Motor Proteins
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Cell Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering

Portrait Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich

Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich

Open Project
  • Regulation of epithelial cell shape through distinct surface tensions
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biophysics, Physics, Biology, Biotechnology

Portrait Anthony Gavalas

Anthony Gavalas

Open Project
  • Human pluripotent stem cell derived, vascularised pancreatic islet miniorgans as models for human development and diabetes
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Molecular Biology or related

Portrait Claudia Goettsch

Claudia Goettsch

Open Project
  • Cytoskeleton Dynamics and Extracellular Vesicles in Arterial Remodeling
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biology, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, biomedicine
    → Detailed information as PDF

Portrait Felix Müller-Planitz

© Jan Greune

Felix Müller-Planitz

Open Projects
  • The decline of chromatin structure and function during cellular ageing
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Epigenetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, functional genomics (all wet-lab). Some dry-lab experience in genomics is beneficial

    Suggested reading: PubmedID: 37994698 (Boltengagen et al., 2024)

  • Phase separation of chromatin: Exposing the dynamic network of interactions that underlies chromatin structure
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: in-vitro protein biochemistry, enzymology, structural biology (all wet-lab)

    Suggested reading: PubmedID: 38664566 (Vizjak et al., 2024)

Portrait Anna Poetsch

Anna Poetsch

Open Projects
  • Using DNA language models to understand genome evolution
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biology, Machine Learning

  • Hijacking of chromatin architecture in leukemias
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biomedicine, Computational Biology

  • Following glioma development with gene regulatory networks from single cell multi-omics data
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biomedicine, Computational Biology

Portrait Tian Qiu

Tian Qiu

Open Project
  • 3D-Printed In Vitro Tumor Models for Micro-/Nano-robots
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: A Master degree in Biophysics, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Tissue Engineering, Cell Biology or relevant fields is required
    → Detailed information as PDF

Portrait Mirko Schmidt

Mirko Schmidt

Open Project
  • Role of EGFL7 in brain lymphatics and malignant brain tumors
    Preferred Course of Study/Expertise of Candidate: Biology, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, microscopy, neuroscience
    → Detailed information as PDF

PhD Spring Selection 2025

call is closed

video interviews with admission committee:
6–10 January 2025
interview week:
4–7 March 2025

PhD Summer Selection 2025

call opens 3 March 2025
call closes 6 May 2025

video interviews with admission committee:
16–20 June 2025
interview week:
19 – 22 August 2025

PhD Winter Selection 2026

call opens 18 August 2025
call closes 28 October 2025

video interviews with admission committee:
8–12 December 2025
interview week:
3 – 6 February 2026

For additional opportunities you might want to consider our partner program
IMPRS-CellDevoSys