Graduate school •

Description/content

The GGL provides an interdisciplinary, concisely structured graduate programme for all Life Science disciplines at the Justus Liebig University (JLU) in the fields of Human, Dental, and Veterinary Medicine; Psychology and Sport Sciences; Biology; Chemistry; and Nutritional, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Based on the diverse set of disciplines at JLU, we have built a comprehensive concept for doctoral education in which topic-oriented doctoral projects are embedded into the multidisciplinary research background of the GGL. This concept combines experimental projects leading to a dissertation with a flexible curriculum consisting of scientific training and a doctoral development programme designed to improve your professional skills. In order to promote an international atmosphere, the GGL conducts all communications and events in English.

The GGL is a network of ten interdisciplinary research sections. These sections offer a structured scientific curriculum organised in seminars, guest lectures by renowned scientists, and practical courses. A staff of senior scientists and members of their respective institutes and research labs contributes as dedicated teachers and active researchers to each specific programme. The scientific focus in each section is driven by current topics in Life Sciences: collaborative research projects and graduate training groups are major contributors to the section’s profiles.

You may choose one of the research sections as your scientific home base.

Research Sections
Section 1 - Nutrition and Metabolism
Section 2 - Infection and Immunity
Section 3 - Heart, Lung, and Blood Vessels
Section 4 - Protein and Nucleic Acid Interaction
Section 5 - Neurosciences
Section 6 - Reproduction in Man and Animals
Section 7 - Bioresources, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology
Section 8 - Chemical Design and Analysis of Molecular Systems
Section 9 - Ecology and Global Change
Section 10 - Clinical Sciences

Faculties

Psychology and Sports Science
Biology and Chemistry
Nutritional, Environmental, and Agricultural Sciences
Veterinary Medicine
Human Medicine and Dentistry

Course language

English

Financial support

No

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Career advisory service

We consider your career to be a constant process and therefore will provide you with a multitude of impulses that will help you to refine your career goals. For instance, we will connect you to our alumni, who present their career paths and job profiles during our annual Career Days. Our business training for life sciences will not only help you to understand the German job market, but might also teach you the essential skills to acquire your first positions in the Life Sciences industries. Members who aim for a career in academia will find advice, training, and a vibrant network in our Postdoc Programme.

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Welcome event
• Accompanying programme
• Cultural and linguistic preparation

List of doctoral programmes and other offers

Our Doctoral Development Programme accompanies you through your studies as a junior researcher and prepares you for your future career. The programme features workshops including the following topics: self-organisation, research environment, intercultural awareness, communication skills, research and career management, networking, computing and software as well as business training for life scientists.

The GGL Annual Conference functions as a platform for presenting new results of doctoral projects, while internationally renowned guest speakers set the scene for the presentation programme of each research section. This creates a productive atmosphere for new ideas and is a highlight of GGL membership.

Because of a constantly high percentage of international doctoral researchers (40-50%) in the GGL, we are truly experienced in supporting our international members. For instance, we offer a range of special services, such as language courses in German and English and workshops in intercultural training. You can also count on us when it comes to planning your next career steps, in academia or industry.

Justus Liebig University Giessen

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen is one of Germany's top research universities. It is not only rich in tradition but also highly innovative. Another unique feature is JLU Giessen's extraordinarily broad range of subjects. Additionally, JLU Giessen's 26,500 students and its ever-growing student community substantially contribute to making Giessen the city with the highest student ratio of all university towns in Germany. This singles out JLU Giessen as a key player in the region. However, with 40% international doctoral students, an international student community of around 11%, high-profile international partnerships, and two top-class international research facilities funded by Germany's nationwide Excellence Strategy, JLU is also a very active and highly attractive networking partner worldwide.
Internationalisation is at the heart of JLU's institutional self-concept, and its internationalisation strategy with the motto "future through internationalisation" is a critical success factor for research and teaching as well as the personal development of its members. Excellent basic research combined with socially relevant application, the exploitation of interdisciplinary synergies, support for outstanding next-generation scholars, first-class university teaching, and an explicit international orientation define JLU Giessen in the fifth century of its existence, making it fit for the future.

University location

With around 92,000 inhabitants, Giessen is Germany's most student-dominated city and its two universities with their "extra population" of 40,000 students provide a unique college-town atmosphere. The city centre offers plenty of diversion for students, including film theatres (with student concession tickets), the municipal theatre with its experimental studios, swimming pools and sports and workout facilities, and a wide variety of pubs, restaurants (continental and ethnic), and night life venues. Therefore, you can add lots of flavour to your studies. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.

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