News in detail

From 1 June to 15 July, the Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology (KoRS-CB) at the University of Konstanz is tendering scholarships for doctoral researchers. Fourteen interdisciplinary projects were created that lie at the interfaces between biology, chemistry and computer science.  Successful applicants can receive a scholarship to begin their research starting on 1 October 2017. Scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), as part of the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP), which will be offered simultaneously, can be awarded starting in 2018. The application process is described on the web page of the Konstanz Research School: www.chembiol.uni-konstanz.de/application

The research projects at KoRS-CB are carried out in the fields of synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, biomedicine and bioinformatics. They are associated with the new research field “ChemLife”, which addresses the interaction between biological and chemical knowledge. At the centre of the research efforts is the aim to understand how biological systems adapt themselves to changing conditions on the molecular network level. Based on this understanding, the goal is to create new hybrid systems with customised properties from biologically and chemically produced components. The currently tendered doctoral projects are therefore interested in either a) developing and utilising chemistry to understand the molecular mechanisms of biological processes, b) to model favourable and unfavourable effects of chemicals on biological networks, or c) to integrate biology and chemistry in order to create new systems with optimised functionalities.  

For the purpose of providing comprehensive supervision of and support for the doctoral researchers, the Konstanz Research School offers interdisciplinary doctoral committees with three supervisors from the involved disciplines. An extensive course programme comprising scientific seminars and transferable skills will ensure that the research topic-related qualifications are further developed and enhanced. The doctoral researchers will also benefit from lecture series, retreats and poster sessions as well as from an exchange with internationally renowned collaboration partners. Currently, approximately 110 doctoral researchers and around 50 supervisors are active at KoRS-CB.

The Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, which is supported by the university Departments of Biology, Chemistry as well as Computer Science and Information Science, has been successful in both phases of the German Excellence Initiative: It has been supported during two funding phases from 2007 to 2017 and is currently still being funded until 31. December 2018. Up until now, 220 doctoral projects have been initiated, of which 120 have been successfully completed.

Further information is available at: www.chembiol.uni-konstanz.de

Information on the research area “ChemLife” can be found at:

www.uni-konstanz.de/en/research/research-profile/current-research-areas/chemlife/