Modern infrastructure for a research-focused life sciences campus: BioCenters I and II are located close to other important pillars of the natural and life sciences in Mainz, such as the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), the Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, the JGU Department of Chemistry, and the Physics Institutes at Mainz University. The two Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz complete the life sciences campus quarter. Short walking distances between all these institutions support close cooperation between the disciplines.
Press and Public Relations staff unit | JGU
With the research facilities of the institutes, the faculty open up new, innovative fields of research. The Faculty of Biology is organized in three institutes. Some of the working groups of the iomE and the iDN are already housed in the new BioCenter I building, some of them also at the IMB. Since end of 2020 some imP working groups have moved into BioCenter II, most will be located at BioZentrum II from the summer of 2021. Currently, planning for BioCenter III is under way where the remaining groups from iOME, iDN and iMP will be located from appraximately 2025. Our institutes are
The research groups benefit from the professional facilities of our faculty:
Also on the JGU campus is the ‘Institut für Biotechnologie und Wirkstoff-Forschung’ (IBWF) and the Institute for Molecular Biology (IMB), a center of excellence in the life sciences founded in 2011, which is funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The IMB focuses on innovative research fields of modern biology such as epigenetics and developmental biology.
There is also close cooperation with the University Medicine (FB04), the Department of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Geosciences (FB08), the Department of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics (FB09) as well as with the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC).
At the Faculty of Biology, I benefit from the structured doctoral programs with funding and an international focus. With a doctorate, I have the opportunity to pursue a career in science and can aim for a Postdoctoral Teaching Qualification (Habilitation). A constantly growing science:
I have a degree in life sciences and would like to take my research further? Then a PhD at the Faculty of Biology is an Option for me! At the Faculty of Biology, it is possible to obtain the following degrees:
New regulations and procedures governing the doctorate have been in force since 01.04.2018. Persons who are registered in accordance with the previous regulations and procedures governing the doctorate can informally apply to change to the new regulations!
I can find comprehensive information about my doctorate, related grants and further education and training opportunities as well as structured programs:
I have a Ph.D. in life sciences and want to pursue a career in science? The postdoctoral teaching qualification (Habilitation) is a way to provide the necessary evidence for the appointment of professors with respect to an excellent academic performance and a pedagogical (didactical) qualification (teaching qualification). It allows candidates to teach independently in a certain field of expertise at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (venia legendi). The postdoctoral teaching qualification is only possible in fields of sufficient scientific breadth and importance within the Faculty of Biology at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz decided upon by the Joint Committee for Questions Concerning the Postdoctoral Teaching Qualification Regulations.
- Name of the subject
- Curriculum vitae
- Doctoral certificate and a copy of the doctoral dissertation
- Degree certificates program of study
- Professorial dissertation (6 copies)
- Declaration of own academic papers
- List of publications, if possible enclosing one offprint each
- List of courses held with details of type and scope
- 3 proposed topics for presentation and inaugural lecture
- Declaration on habilitation procedures already applied for or initiated
With the core research areas, the faculty strengthens its broad network and its resources for new innovative fields of research. The research units combine cross-faculty expertise with shared visions for the future.
Our core research areas are funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Research Initiative.
SusInnoScience is a cutting-edge research area at JGU Mainz.
The faculty currently has two Coordinated Research Centers and two Research Training Groups funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In the DFG Coordinated Research Centers, scientists cooperate within the framework of interdisciplinary research programs and carry out challenging, innovative and long-term research projects. The DFG-Research Training Groups focus on the qualification of doctoral students within the framework of thematically focused research programs and structured qualification concepts with an interdisciplinary orientation.
Funding Period: from 2019 to 2029 (first and second funding period)
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Helle Ulrich (IMB, FB10)
Coordination: Dr. (John) Jia Jun Fung
Contact: sfb1361@imb.de
Phone: +49 (0) 6131-39-30534
DNA is the carrier of a cell’s genetic information. As such, it needs to be maintained for long-term storage, duplicated as the cell proliferates, and made accessible for read-out in order to support cellular metabolism. However, like all biological molecules, DNA is vulnerable to damage and decay, which necessitates a battery of defensive mechanisms to protect it against a multitude of threats.
SFB 1361
|…| Within the SFB 1361, we aim to understand the regulatory mechanisms that control the choice between the individual pathways in the context of chromatin, the cell nucleus and the cell’s physiological state in general, their fidelity and their interdependencies in response to different insults. |…| This interdisciplinary network brings together experts in structural biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, bioinformatics as well as genetic toxicology and clinical sciences from Mainz, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Munich. It will make use of state-of-the-art tools in microscopy, proteomics, genomics, damage detection and quantification as well as a wide panel of DNA repair assays. The SFB 1361 is funded by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – German Research Foundation).
Funding period: from 2023 to 2028 (first funding period)
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Edward A. Lemke (Faculty 10, imP)
Co-Spokeperson: Prof. Dr. Dorothe Dormann (Faculty 10, imP)
Contact: crc1551-info@uni-mainz.de
In this Cooperation Research Center (Sonderforschungsbereich, SFB) life scientists and polymer scientists will jointly study biomolecules as biopolymers with a focus on their polymeric nature. As shown in recent research, the polymeric nature of biopolymers gives rise to phenomena like phase separation, phase transitions and complex organelle architectures in cells, whose implications for cellular functions are yet to be fully understood. By applying theoretical and experimental concepts from polymer science, this initiative will allow scientists to gain new perspectives on biological phenomena, thereby opening new ways to understand the molecular basis of cellular dysfunction in aging and age-associated diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. | … | By forming interdisciplinary teams, the SFB 1551 aims at expanding the polymer scientist’s knowledge and tool box for studying complex heteropolymers in complex systems on all length scales as well as expanding the biologist’s understanding on how polymer concepts govern cellular function.
SFB 1551
Funding period: 07/2019 to 12/2023
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Susanne Foitzik (iomE, Faculty 10)
Deputy Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. René Ketting (imb, Faculty 10)
Funding period: from 2023 to 2028 (first funding period)
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Brian Luke (Faculty 10, iDN)
Coordination: Dr. Olga Vydzhak
Contact: 4R-RTG@uni-mainz.de
Phone: +49 6131-39-30986
Take advantage of our offers, become active and seek out the contact persons who can help you with your concerns.
If you have any questions concerning our internal research institutions, please contact the Office of the Biological Institutes. You will find further contacts and individual contact Information on the contact page 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.
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 relevant information on 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 would like to attend, 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 ‘Erasmus+ Infoveranstaltung Fachbereich Biologie*’.
Ombudsperson for foreign students
JGU International | FORTHEM
Information to FORTHEM can be found on the JGU International webpage.
Twin Town Representatives
Dijon
Palermo
Valencia
Zagreb
Haifa
The Scientific Workshops at 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
In the Core Facilities at the Faculty of Biology, 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.
Head
Head of Institute
Administration
