PhD Program in Biology and Molecular Biology

Training and inspiring the next scientific generation – EMBL's tradition of excellence

As Europe’s only intergovernmental research organization in the life sciences and as a leading laboratory in molecular biology, EMBL is dedicated to promoting excellence in the molecular life sciences throughout Europe. One of the best ways to achieve this goal is by inspiring and fostering talented young scientists to turn them into skilled and creative future leaders.

The EMBL International Ph.D. Programme is Europe’s ‘best in class’ Ph.D. programme for the life sciences. 240 students from over 40 countries are carrying out Ph.D. research at EMBL at any time. Every year we admit an average of 60 new students, who belong to the top science graduates in their countries. They are carefully selected from a large multi-national pool of applicants that reached over 1700 applications in 2012.

The EMBL International Ph.D. Programme provides comprehensive training that promotes scientific excellence, independence, and creativity. We try to maintain a careful balance between theory and practice, between close mentoring and creative freedom, between collaborative teamwork and independence. A concept that works! More than 95% of our students successfully complete their Ph.D. degree and on average they publish two first author papers based on their Ph.D. work. These successes make the EMBL International Ph.D. Programme a role model, which has inspired many similar programmes at science institutions throughout Europe and the world.

In 1997 EMBL was granted the right to award its own Ph.D. degree, however, in order to integrate our students into national academic networks we have chosen to give degrees jointly, together with 24 partner universities in 17 countries. After graduating from EMBL over 80% take up positions in the member states and thereby enrich the national systems with the expertise, skills, and networks acquired at EMBL.

The growing need for interdisciplinarity is arguably the biggest challenge that life science researchers are facing today. The complexity of current biological research questions frequently demands a combination of expertise. To prepare our students for this challenge the Ph.D. Programme puts great emphasis on interdisciplinarity both with respect to the contents taught and to the scientific experience of the participants. We actively encourage candidates with backgrounds in chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science or engineering to apply and to work hand in hand with biologists to tackle the future grand challenges in biomedicine.

Last but not least, studying at EMBL should of course also be fun. The colorful mix of nationalities and disciplines, the friendly, interactive atmosphere and the passion for science is what unites EMBL’s diverse staff and provides an ideal setting to forge long-lasting friendships and to make studying at EMBL an unforgettable experience.

Research Themes

• Cell Signalling and Differentiation
• Cellular Organisation and Dynamics
• Evolution
• Gene Regulation, Chromatin, and Epigenetics
• Genetics and Genomics
• Metabolism and Metabolomics
• Microbiology and Virology
• Molecular Medicine and Disease Mechanisms
• Neurobiology
• Protein and Proteomics
• RNA Regulation and Transcriptomics
• Tissue and Systems Biology

Methods and Technology Development

• Bioinformatics and Software Development
• Chemistry and Chemical Biology
• Computational Modelling
• Imaging, Microscopy and Image Analysis
• Integrated Structural Biology
• Microfluidics
• Robotics and Automation

Read more about the program on the school's website.

EMBL locations

EMBL operates from six sites across Europe:

• Heidelberg, Germany - main laboratory
• Hinxton, UK - European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)
• Grenoble, France - research and services for structural biology
• Hamburg, Germany - research and services for structural biology
• Rome, Italy - epigenetics and neurobiology
• Barcelona, Spain - tissue biology and disease modelling

Governance of EMBL

EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation specialising in basic research in the life sciences, funded by public research monies from more than 20 member states, including much of Europe and Israel, and two associate members, Argentina and Australia. EMBL is led by the Director General, currently Professor Iain Mattaj, appointed by the governing body, EMBL Council. The Council is comprised of representatives of all member and associate member states.

EMBL’s missions

The cornerstones of EMBL's mission are to:

• perform basic research in molecular biology;
• train scientists, students and visitors at all levels;
• offer vital services to scientists in the member states;
• develop new instruments and methods;
• actively engage in technology transfer;
• and to integrate European life science research.

Research at EMBL

Research at EMBL emphasises experimental analysis at multiple levels of biological organisation, from the molecule to the organism, as well as computational biology, bioinformatics and systems biology.

Research is conducted by more than 80 independent groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. EMBL is international, innovative and interdisciplinary. Its 1600 employees from many nations represent scientific disciplines including biology, physics, chemistry and computer science.

Training opportunities

Outstanding training is available at multiple levels: PhD students, postdocs and visiting scientists. EMBL hosts a comprehensive schedule of courses, conferences and workshops, many organised in collaboration with EMBL's sister organisation, EMBO (short for European Molecular Biology Organization). Additionally, the Laboratory offers a platform for dialogue with the general public through various science communication activities such as lecture series, public visitor programmes and the dissemination of scientific achievements.

Scientific services

Services provided by EMBL include:

• core biomolecular databases and bioinformatics tools, particularly at EMBL-EBI;
• the provision of beamlines, instrumentation and high-throughput technology for structural biology at the Hamburg and Grenoble oustations;
• Core Facilities, which provide cost-effective and efficient access to methods and technologies that are expensive to set up or maintain, or that require considerable expense.

Read more on the school's website.