general

The Graduate School of Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience graduate program in Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience was established at the University of Tübingen in 2007 through the joint efforts of the Medical School, the School of Biology and the School of Biochemistry & Pharmacy. The school is strongly supported by prestigious research centres such as the Hertie Institute of Clinical Brain Research (HIH), the Tübingen Centre of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN) and the Natural & Medical Sciences Institute (NMI).

The program provides research-oriented training with a focus on neurologic and psychiatric disorders employing genetic, molecular and cellular approaches as well as molecular imaging techniques and transgenic mouse technology. Of particular importance is basic and clinical research on pathogenetic mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative diseases of the aging brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and Chorea Huntington. A second research focus in Tübingen is on sensory organs, in particular on the genetic causes and pathomechanisms of hereditary retinal disorders, the molecular mechanisms of myopia development, the role of epigenetic and transcription factors for inner ear development, and the molecular mechanisms of hearing loss and tinnitus. Further research topics include neurooncology, neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity and neuroregeneration.

The  graduate program in Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience offers a unique curriculum and exciting research opportunities for graduate students who wish to pursue careers in neuroscience either in the pharmaceutical industry or in academia. The integrated curriculum offered in this program will give students a broad expertise that is not easily achievable in any individual department.

Our aim is to provide students with state-of-the-art practical and theoretical training in the molecular and cellular biology of neurodegenerative diseases, in mechanistic aspects of neural plasticity and neuroregeneration, in basic mechanisms of learning and memory and in neurodevelopment. This goal will be accomplished through a one-year initial interdisciplinary program of coursework and lab rotations, followed by the transition into a master’s and, eventually, a doctoral thesis.

Students in the program will not only benefit from the participation of the highly reputed faculty within each of the participating departments and research centres, they will also benefit from the financial support of our cooperation partners, the Hertie Foundation and the Helmholtz Association, who will provide scholarships for master and doctoral students. Moreover, the Graduate School has tight links to its sister Graduate School on Neural & Behavioural Sciences and, thus, allows the interested student to get also educated in aspects of systems neuroscience and neurocognition.

Did we spark your interest?  We are looking forward to hearing from you.