Welcome to the Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM), from Molecules to Systems!

The Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM-LMU) offers an international doctoral programme in life sciences covering areas of Anthropology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, Microbiology, Plant Sciences, Systematics and Zoology to motivated and best qualified next generation researchers at one of Europe’s top Universities. The research training on a specific project will be supplemented by seminars, retreats, methods courses, training in transferable skills and participation in at least one international conference.

A city with a kind heart

LMU is situated in Munich, one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. With its unique blend of cosmopolitan flair and traditional warmth, Munich is home to 1.3 million residents and stands as the political, cultural, and economic capital of Bavaria. Ranked as the fourth-best university city in the world, Munich has evolved over the past four decades into one of Europe’s leading hubs for science and industry. The Munich area hosts the German or European headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Despite its modern advancements, Munich is still affectionately known as the "city with a kind heart."

The projects

LSM calls for doctoral applications on a yearly basis, open from the 1 September until the 24 October 2024. Please find below the doctoral projects' descriptions (some as PDF files):

• Geigenberger group (Plant Metabolism): Project 1 and Project 2.
• Grath group (Evolutionary Biology)
• Jung group (Microbiology)
• Leister group (Plant Sciences)
• Osman group (Cell Biology)
• Robatzek group (Plant Biology)
• DAAD-GSSP associated projects: Only international (non-German) applicants, who have not been in Germany longer than 15 months by the nomination time at the DAAD (around Feb/March 2025) are eligible for the DAAD-GSSP scholarships!
• CSC-LMU associated projects: Only Chinese candidates are eligible for the CSC scholarships.

Life at the School

The Graduate School Life Science Munich is part of the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Pharmacy and the Medical Faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München (LMU). These excellent faculties are ranked among the top biology and biochemistry educational institutions in Germany. Together with the LMU Gene Center and the University Hospital (KUM), they belong to the HighTechCampus in Grosshadern-Martinsried south of Munich that is well-known for the international state-of-the-art research in life sciences.

As a doctoral candidate of the Graduate School LSM, you will be part of a vibrant, diverse, active, and truly international research community. We value interdisciplinarity, as it allows you to expand your research network and exposes you to new perspectives and ideas for solving complex research problems and pursuing novel research findings. We aim to prepare young life scientists for the new era of molecular, systems-oriented biosciences. LSM doctorates are given the opportunity to learn and master a variety of techniques. Furthermore, the graduate program holds various workshops and seminars to impart skills that are indispensable for every thoughtful and responsible scientist. The LSM coordination office, together with the student council and the LSM buddy support initiative, assists you with many administrative matters to ensure a smooth onboarding in Munich and at LMU.

Application and contact information

Further information and details about the online application process, requirements and eligibility can be found here: www.lsm.bio.lmu.de/apply

Graduate School Life Science Munich
Nadine Hamze
LMU Munich, Faculty of Biology
Grosshadernerstr. 2
82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lsm.bio.lmu.de

Top photo by ian kelsall on Unsplash. Other images by the Graduate School Life Science Munich.