Have you completed your degree program in the life sciences? Would you like to further specialize your research or even pursue a scientific career in the life science biology? Then a doctorate at the Faculty of Biology is an option for you! Do you prefer individual supervision at the faculty or would you like to benefit from a structured program?
A constantly growing scientific field: Since 1973, a total of 2619* doctoral students have successfully obtained a doctorate at the Faculty of Biology. More than 420* PhD students are currently enrolled, with 31* candidates currently in middle of the doctoral degree assessment procedure (*as of April 2025, the numbers are constantly changing).
You can obtain the following degrees at the Faculty of Biology:
The regulations and procedures governing the doctorate have changed on April 1, 2018. Should you wish to change from the old to the new regulations, simply submit your request in written form.
Advanced infrastructure for a research-focused life sciences campus: BioCenters I and II are close to other important pillars of the natural and life sciences at JGU, such as the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), the Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, the JGU Department of Chemistry, and the JGU Physics Institutes. The two Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz complete the life sciences campus quarter. Short walking distances between these institutions support close cooperation between the disciplines.
Press and Public Relations | JGU
JGU’s Faculty of Biology is committed to diversity and equal opportunities. As the faculty’s Equality Commissioner, I see the various programs and activities for female scientists to support their scientific work and careers as a valuable contribution. These include, for example, mentoring programs for female doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers as well as coaching opportunities for senior postdocs who want to pursue a career in science.
Prof. Dr. Marion Silies, Equality Commissioner from April 2023 to March 2026
Please send us your documents by regular mail or, within the university, by internal mail. In exceptional cases, personal appointments can be made beforehand by telephone or email during office hours.
For degrees at JGU’s Faculty of Biology no official certifications are required. If you have an external degree, you can either send us certified copies, or simply copies at first, and submit the originals at a later point. In the latter case, admission as a doctoral candidate is then subject to the condition that the originals have yet to be submitted.
The application for admission should be submitted as early as possible, i.e. at the beginning of the experimental doctoral dissertation stage.
If you have obtained the degree certificate entitling you to pursue a doctorate abroad, your degrees must first be recognized by the International Admissions Office. Please note that this recognition can take up to 6 weeks and is a prerequisite for admission as a doctoral candidate at the faculty.
You can switch to the new doctoral regulations at your own request. A corresponding written application can be made informally to the Dean’s Office.
The application form for opening the doctoral degree assessment procedure can be downloaded as a pdf. Before applying, please read the information sheet first (refer to the relevant regulations and procedures governing the doctorate, dating either from 2003 or 2018!).
The actual doctoral degree assessment procedure begins with the application for admission to the doctorate. Please note the following points when submitting your application for a doctorate:
Take advantage of our offers, become active, and seek out the contacts who can help you with your questions.
Appointments at the Dean’s Office, the Student Advising Office, and the Examination Office can be arranged by telephone or email during service hours. Please note that appointments can only be arranged for matters that cannot be settled by telephone, mail, or email. Appointments by prior arrangement only.
Head of Institute
Assistance
Appointments at the Dean’s Office, the Student Advising Office, and the Examination Office can be arranged by telephone or email during service hours. Please note that appointments can only be arranged for matters that cannot be settled by telephone, mail, or email. Appointments by prior arrangement only.
Head of the Dean’s Office
Dean
Vice Dean for Research
Vice Dean for Teaching
Assistance
Graphic Design
Appointments at the Dean’s Office, the Student Advising Office, and the Examination Office can be arranged by telephone or email during service hours. Please note that appointments can only be arranged for matters that cannot be settled by telephone, mail, or email. Appointments by prior arrangement only.
Full Professor
Second-level support
All relevant information about your doctorate at the Faculty of Biology – e.g. on admission and the request to obtain a doctoral degree as well as the required documents and deadlines, structured doctoral programs, etc. – can be found on our “Doctorate” subpage.
PhD Representatives at the Faculty of Biology
PhD Representatives at JGU
The Representation of Doctoral Candidates (DoV) is a representation elected by PhD candidates from all faculties and currently consists of 21 members. As an official body of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, it is firmly anchored in the Higher Education Act of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
You will find all important contacts for our international activities in the following overview:
JGU International | Erasmus+
All the information about the Erasmus+ program can be found on the JGU International webpage.
Erasmus+ Coordinator
There is an annual online information event via MS Teams. The dial-in code for the event and the date (usually early/mid-January) will be sent via a system message in JOGUStine. If you are interested, please register for the event in JOGUStine. A checklist and deadlines, e.g. application deadline for the respective academic year, will be announced in mid-February via the relevant Moodle Faculty of Biology Erasmus+ info event.
Ombudsperson for foreign students
JGU International | FORTHEM
Information about FORTHEM can be found on the JGU International webpage.
Partner Cities Representatives
Dijon
Palermo
Valencia
Zagreb
Haifa
If you have any questions concerning the internal research institutions, please contact the Office of the Biological Institutes. Further (specific) contacts can be found on the contact pages of the individual institutes.
Office of the Biological Institutes
The close cooperation with our external research institutions is favored by their physical proximity at the campus.
Two cross-faculty focal research areas are currently being funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Research Initiative. For the relevant contact persons, please visit the respective webpages.
Two research projects are currently being funded as research training groups by the German Research Foundation (DFG). For contact details, please visit the respective websites.
Two long-term research institutions are currently being funded by the DFG. For contact details, please visit the respective webpages.
The Scientific Workshops of the Biological Institutes are made up of the workshops for electrical engineering, precision mechanics, and wood/plastic processing. Our job is to turn your scientific ideas into technical solutions!
Workshop
In-house technician
Service hours
At the Faculty of Biology Core Facilies you will receive competent support for your scientific and technical questions. There are four teams with different scientific orientations as well as two competencies for the infrastructure.
Full Professor
Managing Director
Office
