Program Overview
The IMPRS-CellDevoSys offers a structured, research-driven PhD program designed for highly motivated scientists from diverse backgrounds including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. Our curriculum combines rigorous interdisciplinary training with collaborative, hands-on research — all embedded within a vibrant international community on the Dresden campus.
🎓 Thesis Advisory Committees
Thesis Advisory Committees (TACs) are the core of our program. They ensure that every PhD student is guided not by one supervisor alone, but by a team of top-level scientists offering expert, interdisciplinary input. Regular TAC meetings provide clear milestones and collaborative feedback to support progress through the often non-linear path of scientific discovery. This structure fosters cross-institutional collaboration, diverse scientific perspectives, and a strong sense of community across the Dresden research campus.
🔬 Cross-Disciplinary PhD Course
In their first year, all IMPRS PhD researchers take part in an intensive, one-month Cross-Disciplinary PhD Course.
Research Group Leaders form interdisciplinary teams of 2-3 RGLs, comprising at least one theoretical/computational and one experimental RGL. Together, the RGL team elaborates an innovative mini-project, with clear scientific and practical goals. As such, this “course” is a real, low-risk-high-reward mini-research project, co-supervised by experimental and theoretical faculty from across MPI-CBG, CSBD, and MPI-PKS. The course fosters critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community building. PhD Course projects have already seeded successful grant proposals and, and even full PhD projects!
We consider our innovative, cross-disciplinary PhD course one of the distinguishing features of our IMPRS.
📚 Thursday Tutorials
MPI-CBG, CSBD etc invites a world-leading scientist to give a talk about their latest reserach on most Thursdays. Before each Thursday seminar, our PhD students take the lead.
In Thursday Tutorials, interdisciplinary student teams prepare a short talk to introduce the speaker’s research field to the wider community — with guidance from faculty. The invited speaker attends the session and enagages in a high-level discussion about the future scientific vision of their field. These sessions build scientific communication skills, spark questions across disciplines, and ensure every student can actively engage with cutting-edge ideas, no matter their background!
🧭 Good Scientific Practice
All students complete a certified Good Scientific Practice (GSP) course, fulfilling TU Dresden and DFG MPG requirements. The course is taught by the GSP Officer and Ombudsperson, covering essential topics like data integrity, authorship ethics, and conflict resolution. It’s an important foundation for a responsible and transparent scientific career.
🧩 IMPRS Program Features
Thesis Advisory Committees (TACs) ensure regular feedback and support from a team of expert mentors, not just a single supervisor.
Friday Seminars give students a platform to present and defend their research internally, with a strong emphasis on peer engagement.
iFIT: Individual Feedback on Interdisciplinary Talks provides optional, tailored peer-review sessions before big presentations, promoting confidence and clarity across disciplines.
Elective Courses in computational tools, experimental techniques, and interdisciplinary theory support advanced training tailored to each student's research.
Fully Recognized Curriculum by TU Dresden — in most cases, no additional credits or coursework are required for PhD graduation.
Collaborative Culture with open-door labs, peer-teaching initiatives, and cross-institutional mentorship.
Postdoc Wrap-Up Year is usually granted to our students for publishing, transitioning, and completing collaborations.
Predoc-driven Activities cross-campus, including PhD student retreat, lecture series, science-on-board, alumni networking opprotunities, career days, and much more!