The Vienna BioCenter PhD Program is collaborating with other PhD programs in Europe and the United Kingdom to bring you the Doctoral Insights Symposium.
You will get the chance to virtually visit participating programs individually, interact with representatives of each and gather firsthand information about each program's curriculum, faculty, research facilities, and the vibrant academic community.
The region has an excellent range of high quality programs in the Life Sciences that attract many MSc students from throughout the world; check them out below.
Vienna Area Programs
The CeMM PhD Program focusses on the thematic areas of Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Cancer, Rare Diseases, Network Medicine, and Design Chemistry. We are also increasingly interested in patient-derived organoids and aging research. These areas are built on the pillars of epigenetics and genome integrity, bioinformatics and systems biology, high-throughput genetics, genomics and proteomics, molecular and cell biology, high content automatic imaging, chemical biology, and organic chemical synthesis.
The program
Our goal is to enable and empower students with the ability to successfully design, execute, manage and explain a research project in modern molecular medicine, through a strongly participatory and interactive program. The program is conceptualized in three ‘modes’: collect, connect and contribute. These will guide you through scientific excellence in data generation and validation to responsible and professional scientific citizenship.
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a cross-disciplinary research institution that combines basic science research with graduate education. Our scientists perform theoretical and experimental research in Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Information and System Sciences. They are organized in small to medium-size research groups that interact with each other across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. In 2019, ISTA was ranked #3 in the world-wide Nature Index ranking (normalized). In 2018, ISTA was ranked within the top ten of Nature Index Rising Stars “Top 30 academic institutions under 30” list.
We welcome Bachelor's and Master's students from diverse backgrounds such as Biology, Computer Science, Chemistry & Materials, Data Science & Scientific Computing, Mathematics, Neuroscience, and Physics, to apply for ISTA’s PhD and internship programs.
In the field of Life Sciences, faculty is working at the interface of theory and experiment, offering a broad range of research opportunities. Research groups operate in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment, and employ multidisciplinary, quantitative approaches in molecular and developmental cell biology, structural biology and biochemistry, genomics, evolutionary biology, ecology, and neuroscience.
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The Vienna BioCenter PhD Program mission is to promote interdisciplinary research in the Life Sciences at the highest level and to help excellent PhD students develop into tomorrow's leading scientists through a comprehensive training program. We believe in the power of interdisciplinary research to drive innovation and tackle complex scientific challenges, and we strive to create an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.
The Vienna BioCenter is a world-class scientific research environment where students and group leaders from different backgrounds interact in an inter-disciplinary, open, and creative environment. By promoting the exchange of ideas and bringing together different and often complementary disciplines, they provide outstanding opportunities for ambitious and motivated students to advance their scientific careers.
The training program is designed to educate students in all areas relevant for a career in science, providing additional opportunities to acquire skills relevant for other career paths. We believe that scientific training should be comprehensive and prepare students for a wide range of future opportunities, whether in academia, industry, or beyond. In the program, you will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and be supervised by top scientists in the field, providing you with the resources and support you need to succeed. The campus is highly multidisciplinary, with research areas ranging from molecules to populations, ensuring that you have the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics.
The Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE) is devoted to educating students on the ecology and evolution of extant and ancestral organisms, populations and communities. In Ecology, the focus is on understand the mechanistic and evolutionary drivers of patterns and processes from gene regulation to the structure and function of ecosystems and the impact of communities on the biogeochemical cycles and their adaptive capacity in response to environmental change. In Evolution, we address the processes leading to changes in organization and temporal dynamics of organisms, populations and species at the molecular, developmental, morphological and physiological level.
The disciplines within the VDSEE encompass a wide range of specialties, such as Archaea Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental Change and Biodiversity, Evolutionary Anthropology, Evolutionary Zoology and Palaeobiology, Limnology, Tropical Ecology, Molecular Evolution and Development, Molecular Systems Biology, Plant Evolutionary Biology, and Theoretical Evolutionary Biology.
https://vds-ecology-evolution.univie.ac.at/
https://bsky.app/profile/vdsee-univie.bsky.social
The human environment and the earth’s ecosystems depend on cycles that are maintained by intricate relationships between microorganisms and the solid earth. These cycles are increasingly disturbed by human activity. A sustaining quality of life therefore requires a detailed understanding how microbes interact among each other and with other organisms, how they adapt to changing environments, how they influence energy, matter and information fluxes and how pollutants and nutrients influence microbial community function and human health.
Our doctoral program is unique in offering interdisciplinary training at the interfaces of microbiology, ecology, and environmental geosciences to address current challenges in the 21st century society, including the role of microbiomes, adaptation and resistance mechanisms, biogeochemistry, pollutant dynamics and nutrient fluxes in global change and for human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Our students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of microbes at all levels, from molecular circuits determining the fate of single cells to microbial communities to ecosystem processes and of pollutant dynamics and nutrient and geochemical cycles. They are trained in the interdisciplinary environment at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, which includes molecular microbiology, evolutionary and computational biology, and environmental sciences. Students have access to high-level infrastructure to study microbes, microbe-host interactions, and environmental processes at the forefront of fundamental and applied sciences.
The Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience emerged from an integrative and interdisciplinary alliance of four independent research areas in Psychological Science, Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Neuroscience and the Cognitive Humanities.
Research at the VDS CoBeNe deals with the influence of social and ecological factors on human and non-human cognition and behavior, understanding its underlying cognitive, emotional, physiological, and neurological bases, and probing their evolutionary origins and development.
The school offers an educational program ranging from interdisciplinary exchange to broaden scientific knowledge, methods, and communication, experience training in transferable skills, and at the same time providing in-depth training in the specific study fields fitting to the curricula and dissertation fields integrated in the doctoral school. With the CoBeNe interdisciplinary educational part, the seminar ‘Introduction to CoBeNe’, the retreat-like seminar ‘Into Science’ , and the doctoral conference ‘PhD-Academy’, we support scientific exchange between disciplines and cohort formation among PhDs within and across disciplines.
We strive to support our PhD candidates in becoming independent and successful early career researchers and promote the development of new scientific knowledge, methods, and applications for socially relevant areas.
Czech Republic Doctoral Programs
At CEITEC PhD School, we offer a four-year doctoral programme. PhD candidates can choose from a wide range of research topics in the field of life sciences and molecular medicine under the guidance of experienced supervisors. They also have the opportunity to take specialized courses in their field and soft skills courses on topics like science communication and securing funding. The programme is set in an international, interdisciplinary environment with mentorship provided by a Thesis Advisory Committee, and offers access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
https://bsky.app/profile/ceitec.eu
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceitec---central-european-institute-of-technology/
Germany Doctoral Programs
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is an intergovernmental organisation with more than 100 independent research groups and service teams covering the spectrum of molecular biology. The laboratory operates from six sites in Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, EMBL-EBI Hinxton, and Rome.
Established in 1983, the EMBL International PhD Programme (EIPP), provides PhD students with an excellent starting platform for a successful career in science and beyond by fostering interdisciplinarity, early independence and scientific creativity, excellent science and technology, collaboration and mentoring. Our training programmes span both breadth and depth, supporting the development of PhD students to realise their full potential. In addition to the excellent scientific training fellows receive in the laboratories, they benefit from the EIPP curriculum, which includes a wide range of career development workshops as well as optional training activities and opportunities for public engagement. The international, friendly and collaborative atmosphere, and passion for science is what unites EMBL’s diverse staff and provides an ideal setting to forge long-lasting connections and make studying at EMBL a formative experience.
Two recruitment rounds are organised each year across EMBL's sites, welcoming candidates with diverse backgrounds, such as in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering and Molecular Medicine. Our PhD positions are fully funded and offer broad health care and pension benefits.
https://www.embl.org/about/info/embl-international-phd-programme/
The MDC International PhD Program, founded in 2003, is a collaboration between the Max Delbrück Center (MDC), Humboldt University of Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
The Graduate School currently hosts 82 research groups and more than 350 PhD researchers, 65% of whom come from abroad. We welcome applicants with a university degree equivalent to a Master's (MSc) in biology, biotechnology, medicine, molecular medicine, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, or a related field.
We believe that to become a great scientist, one needs to train a diverse set of competencies. Therefore, we offer a structured program in a research-intensive environment, supporting our doctoral researchers to develop both personally and scientifically.
MDC’s research program is centered around three main topics: Genes, Cells and Cell based Medicine, Molecular Processes and Therapies, and Integrative Biomedicine. The training program provides growth opportunities, including advanced scientific courses, personal skills workshops, and career development sessions. Each student is supervised by a Thesis Advisory Committee and participates in regular progress reviews, symposia, and outreach activities.
PhD candidates benefit from full funding through a three-year employment contract, often extended to four years, which includes competitive salaries, health and social insurance.
https://www.mdc-berlin.de/careers/development/graduate-school
The International Max Planck Research School for Living Matter (IMPRS-LM) is a joint PhD program between the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, the TU Dortmund University, the Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, and it is located the cities of Dortmund, Bochum and Essen that are all part of the Ruhr Metropolitan Area, a vibrant, open and multicultural region in Germany.
The IMPRS-LM brings together scientists with different backgrounds, but united by their interest in in dissecting the molecular, chemical and physical properties of living matter. How do cells build predictable responses to stimuli? How do they harness energy to maintain themselves out of thermodynamic equilibrium? How does matter turn alive?
To answer these questions the IMPRS-LM PhD Program aims to train a new generation of life scientists to approach the study of living matter on a molecular as well as a systemic perspective, combining chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular-cellular biology with an intuitive approach to modelling and simulation.
As a graduate student, you will join a top-level research group and you will have the chance to carry out an exciting and novel project with access to state-of-the-art facilities and world class experts.
The IMPRS-LM PhD Program will support you with many training opportunities to develop into an independent scientist and to acquire skills relevant for academia or any other career path.
The International Max Planck Research School for Cell, Developmental and Systems Biology (IMPRS-CellDevoSys) is the doctoral research school of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) and the department of Biological Physics at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS). The IMPRS-CellDevoSys is tightly integrated with the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) and its University partner PhD program, the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB). Together, they form the two pillars of the Dresden International PhD Program (DIPP).
The scientific mission of the IMPRS-CellDevoSys PhD program and that of its constituent institutes is to address the fundamental question: “How do cells form tissues” or, in other words, how do properties of cells emerge from the interactions of individual molecules, and how do the properties of tissues emerge from the interactions of individual cells?
The IMPRS-CellDevoSys excels as a truly multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary PhD program. Living systems are enormously complex. To gain a systems level understanding of cell function, developmental processes and biological organization, the IMPRS-CellDevoSys researchers employ a range of experimental approaches, including single molecule techniques, in vitro biochemical reconstitution or cell culture. These are complemented with physical, computational and engineering approaches and, since this year, mathematics applied to biology, to bridge the different levels of organization and improve our understanding of multimodal data. This collaborative approach is incredibly fruitful: 94% of IMPRS students graduating with summa or magna cum laude honors and have produced around 1500 publications during the course of their PhD. Even despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, IMPRS-CellDevoSys PhD students have made significant scientific contributions, resulting in over 30,000 citations of more than 341 papers in high-impact journals since 2018.
The collaborative track record of IMPRS groups demonstrates the capacity of MPI-CBG, CSBD, and MPI-PKS to drive scientific discoveries in this area. Achieving success necessitates maintaining a cutting-edge approach in the classic fields that query living systems —namely Biology, Chemistry, Biophysics, and Computer Science—while incorporating Mathematics as a new thematic focus to address some of the most challenging problems in biology.
(DIGS-BB) is a well-established, structured PhD program of the TUD Dresden University of Technology. Since its foundation in 2006, it offers PhD positions for up to four years in world-class interdisciplinary research projects ranging from Biomedicine and Bioengineering to Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Regenerative and Degenerative Biology, Biomaterials, and Computational Biology. Approximately 40–50 positions can be filled each year in two highly competitive application rounds.
The DIGS-BB offers their PhD students extraordinary opportunities to explore their capabilities, brainstorm their ideas, develop professionally and personally, and to shape themselves as outstanding scientists. Our mission is to help them become visionary research leaders. To accomplish this goal, we offer a structured training program with exciting interdisciplinary projects and outstanding expert supervision. In addition, built on a strategy of excellence, our PhD program has an open door policy and offers direct access to campus-wide facilities. Our world-class faculty will help our predocs build a network that extends also to our alumni worldwide and will accompany them throughout their lifes.
Website: https://www.digs-bb.de/
The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) International PhD Program (https://www.dkfz.de/en/career/international-phd-program?mtm_campaign=phd&mtm_kwd=dis) within the DKFZ Cancer Research Academy (https://www.dkfz.de/en/career/cancer-research-academy), is a fully funded, structured program that provides tailored mentoring and training in aninterdisciplinary research environment. PhD projects focus on various aspects of cancer research, including cell and tumor biology, functional and structural genomics, cancer risk factors and prevention, immunology, infection and cancer, as well as imaging and radiooncology. PhD students are integrated into research groups at the DKFZ's main site in Heidelberg, as well as at partner sites such as the National Centers for Tumor Diseases (NCT) (https://nct.dkfz.de/en/index.html), HI-TRON Mainz (https://hi-tron.dkfz.de/),and the DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medicine Mannheim (https://www.dkfz.de/en/research/translational-centers/dkfz-hector-cancer-institute-at-the-university-of-mannheim).
Each PhD student benefits from the guidance of a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), which provides continuous support and feedback throughout the doctoral journey. The training program encompasses scientific and professional skills courses, the DKFZ PhD Retreat and opportunities to attend international conferences. The DKFZ also has a dedicated Career Service to assist PhD students in planning their professional futures, providing workshops, personal guidance, and networking opportunities with alumni in academia, industry, and beyond.The 600-strong, vibrant DKFZ PhD community actively organizes initiatives and events, contributing to a dynamic scientific and social environment.
All PhD positions at the DKFZ are fully funded for the duration of their PhD, typically 3-4 years, offering competitive salaries that include social security contributions. There are no tuition fees for PhD studies in Germany.
www.dkfz.de/phd (hyperlink: https://www.dkfz.de/en/career/international-phd-program?mtm_campaign=phd&mtm_kwd=dis)
LinkedIn: DKFZ German Cancer Research Center https://www.linkedin.com/school/dkfz-de/ (LinkedIn DKFZ page)
DKFZ Careers & Alumni Relations https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dkfz-alumni/ (LinkedIn Careers & Alumni focus page)
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The International PhD Programme (IPP) in Mainz was established in 2011 and is a collaborative initiative of the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU), and the University Medical Center (UMC). With its broad range of interdisciplinary research expertise, the programme offers a large spectrum of doctoral research opportunities in molecular biology: From basic research in DNA repair, genome stability, epigenetics and RNA biology to more translational research covering ageing, development, and disease mechanisms.
To support our more than 200 active PhD students from 42 countries, the programme offers an advanced training and career programme providing our PhD students with scientific and professional skills, as well as many networking and career development opportunities.
We recruit new students for our fully funded PhD positions via two recruitment rounds per year, one in summer (June/July), and one in winter (January). Our positions are fully funded and PhD students receive competitive salaries through employment contracts.
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https://www.linkedin.com/school/institute-of-molecular-biology-imb-/
Italy Doctoral Program
The HT International PhD Programme aims at training the new generation of researchers equipped the multidisciplinary knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to address complex challenges in the life sciences. HT researchers explore human biology from atoms to populations, driving innovative projects in Structural Biology, Genomics, Neuroscience, Computational Biology, Health Data Science and Molecular and Cell Biology. By fostering collaboration across disciplines, the Programme aims to train versatile PhD graduates who can effectively contribute to innovation and progress in diverse professional environments, including academia, industry, and research management, among others.
A major strength of the programme is its emphasis on high-quality research training. PhD students engage in world-class projects guided by expert mentors, with HT Group Leaders receiving leadership training to enhance their supervisory roles. The Scientific Training team supports students with regular feedback and ad hoc mentoring, ensuring continuous professional growth.
HT’s commitment to innovation is evident through specialized training in research and transferable skills, weekly seminars featuring leading international scientists, and PhD Bootcamps and workshops to further refine essential skills like project management, creativity, and career planning.
The programme also offers several professional development opportunities. The annual HT PhD and Postdoc Symposium allows students to present their research, while initiatives like the “Chalk Talk Series” and networking events connect them with industry leaders and academic experts.
Pursuing a PhD in Milan offers the advantage of being in a vibrant and international city, renowned for its rich scientific and cultural heritage. Milan is home to a dynamic scientific community, prestigious universities, and a thriving innovation ecosystem. Beyond academia, the city’s artistic legacy, world-famous cuisine, and stunning landscapes—from the historic architecture to the nearby Alps and lakes—create an inspiring environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and personal growth.
PhD Students at Human Technopole - Human Technopole
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Spain Doctoral Programs
The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) is an international biomedical research institute located in Barcelona, dedicated to understanding the complexity of life from the genome to the cell. Renowned for its interdisciplinary approach, CRG brings together experts in biology, bioinformatics, physics, and medicine to tackle fundamental questions in health and disease.
The CRG International PhD Programme offers an international and interdisciplinary training experience in the life sciences. It provides fully funded positions to outstanding students from around the world, with cutting-edge research opportunities in areas such as genomics, bioinformatics, cell and molecular biology, systems biology, computational modelling, and artificial intelligence. The programme emphasizes scientific excellence, personalized mentorship, and career development activities in a vibrant, collaborative research environment at the forefront of data-driven biology.
CRG PhD training programme includes close supervision through thesis committees, PhD onboarding course and a variety of activities fostered by PhD students (symposia, retreats, seminars, etc.). Furthermore, our active and dynamic PhD community, consisting in more than 100 PhD students from 29 nationalities, has the opportunity to implement its own initiatives through the Graduate Committee and PhD Council.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-genomic-regulation-crg-/
https://es-es.facebook.com/centreforgenomicregulation
Sweden Doctoral Programs
Switzerland Doctoral Programs
The Life Science Zurich Graduate School (LSZGS) is a joint institution of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and the University of Zurich (UZH). ETH is an institution of the Swiss Confederation, federally directed and financed. It has 16 departments in 5 disciplines: Architecture and Civil Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, System-Oriented Natural Sciences, and Management and Social Sciences.
The University of Zurich is a "classical" university with 7 faculties and over 150 departments and institutes. Being Switzerland’s largest, most diverse university, UZH offers a wide variety of Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programs covering some 100 different subject areas.
Principal investigators affiliated with the Life Science Zurich Graduate School perform cutting-edge research and provide training at the intersection between basic life sciences, engineering, computational science, clinical and medical research. LSZGS consists of 17 PhD programs with a broad range of different research topics. Our 1'600 doctoral students carry out their thesis project in on of more than 500 research groups. The programs offer a structured mentoring system, a challenging training and research environment and they actively support students to become part of a vivid scientific and social community.
United Kingdom Doctoral Programs
The comprehensive Crick PhD programme ensures that, as well as developing skills as an independent research scientist, our students have strong career prospects in science. We are proud to be a diverse, open, international institute. We welcome and encourage candidates of all different backgrounds, identities, nationalities, and lived experiences to apply to our PhD programme.
What we offer
- 4Y PhD programme
- An annual tax-free student stipend of £27,715
- Extensive scientific & transferable skills training, career development activities
- An extensive seminar & conference programme, and vibrant & connected student community
https://www.crick.ac.uk/careers-and-study/students/phd-students
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