PhD Program

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The Graduate Research Academy  offers an attractive education program of immediate relevance for the individual research projects of our PhD students.  It is expected that the PhD students spend around 15 percent of their time aside to further qualify themselve, to gain interdisciplinary knowledge in cell biology, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, biochemistry, biophysics and structure biology and to optimize their qualification for a scientific career or leading positions outside academia.

The qualification concept is directly linked to the individual research project.

  Our PhD students directly benefit from:

• the possibility to spend short term research visits in operating labs abroad to extent the scientific knowledge and methodological repertoire.
• training in generic skills such as organization and management skills shaped according the demands of the PhD students.
• the participation at international method courses and conferences.
• the employment of personal student assistants for the own PhD project.
• an interdisciplinary Lecture Series on RNA Biology and invitation of guest researchers and experts to initiate contacts with internationally known experts in the RNA field.
• an annual Summer Academy.

 

 

Short term research visits

Our PhD students are encouraged to spend short term research visits of up to three months in a foreign top research lab to extend their scientific knowledge and methodological repertoire, to conduct experiments specialized at host institutions, but also to consolidate international collaborations. Host institutes are especially those international research laboratories collaborating with the mentoring PIs like Bolder University, University of Singapore, University of Toulouse, University of California in Santa Cruz etc. Good contacts have been already established between the SFB and these institutions as well as many other universities and international research centres not mentioned here.

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Training in generic skills

In order to train additional scientific and career developing skills the Graduate Research Academy offers a wide range of key competence seminars and workshops tailored to the needs of the PhD students. All courses are free of charge. 

Event Calendar

 

Method Courses

Our PhD students should participate at least at one preferentially international method course to learn and hear about most recent techniques, methods and future developments, but also to make contacts with PhD students from other research centres and countries working on similar biological questions or using similar methods. They should only select and attend courses of direct relevance for their own research projects. Course participation usually should occur during the first (or second) year of the PhD thesis.

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Student research helpers

Our PhD students have the possibility to employ personal student research assistants/ helpers to further support the own  research projects. PhD students supervise the student(s) in agreement with the own mentor. The PhD students learn to assume responsibility and to manage research projects as well as they benefit from their own research projects.

Application Details

 

RNA Lecture Series

In addition to the regular SFB960 seminar the PIs as well as invited speakers will hold in a two-week rotation a lecture series about the various aspects of RNA biology and biochemistry organized by the PhD students of the SFB. In cooperation with the PIs, the PhD students will elaborate and suggest lecture topics, invite PIs and several external speakers to cover all aspects of RNA biology, but also to learn about research topics of SFB labs and different aspects of the RNA world. This lecture series will provide a solid theoretical knowledge background to enhance lively and fruitful discussions. The lecture series will be held every semester. It is expected that our PhD students participate at least one series of lectures during the whole PhD period.

Former Lecture Series

 

Summer Academy

Our PhD students will participate at an annual summer academy organized in collaboration with the Regensburg International Graduate School of LIfe Sciences (RIGeL). The inclusion of PhD students from different disciplines will broaden the scientific horizon of the PhD students and provide a possibility to make contacts outside the SFB. Along with the coordinator the summer academy will be organized and planned by the PhD students. They will moderate the various sessions and present their research data. Usually PhD students in their second and/or last year will give oral presentations while students in the first and second year discuss their research projects through poster sessions. It is expected that all PhD students of the Graduate Research Academy actively participate in the summer academy.

Former Summer Academies

 

Conferences

In order to motivate the PhD students to consider an academic career, to initiate contacts with internationally known experts in the RNA field, to increase their competitiveness and to integrate them into the scientific community, each PhD student shall actively attend up to three conferences and/or workshops including an international conference or symposium in the research fields of the SFB. It is expected that the students either discuss their research data as an oral and/or poster presentation.

 

Bioinformatics Interest Group (BIG)

BIG was founded in 2018 to help connecting young scientists in the field of bioinformatics at the University of Regensburg. Aim of BIG is to get PhD students in touch with like-minded fellows to discuss and solve Bioinformatical problems as well as to learn, teach and inspire new approaches on Bioinformatics. BIG is part of the Graduate Research Academy RNA Biology and the Regensburg International Graduate School of Life Sciences (RIGeL). If you want to learn more about BIG visit the website of the group: