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 opens up new, innovative fields of research. The Faculty of Biology is made up of three institutes. Some of the iomE and iDN research groups are already housed in the new BioCenter I building, others, in part, also at the IMB. Since the end of 2020, some imP research groups have been located in BioCenter II, most of the other research groups relocated to BioZentrum II in summer of 2021. Planning for BioCenter III is currently under way, where the remaining iOME, iDN and iMP groups are expected to move in 2025. Our institutes are

The research groups benefit from the professional facilities available at our faculty:

Also on JGU campus are 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, 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 Medical Center (FB04), the Department of Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Geography, and Geosciences (FB09), the Department of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science (FB09) as well as the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC).

At the Faculty of Biology you benefit from structured doctoral programs with vaious support options and an international focus. A doctorate gives you the opportunity to pursue a career in science and you can aim for a postdoctoral teaching qualification (Habilitation). A constantly growing field

You have a degree in life sciences and would like to take your research further? Then a PhD at the Faculty of Biology is an option for you. 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.

You can find comprehensive information about your doctorate, related grants, and further education and training opportunities as well as structured programs:

Do you have a Ph.D. in the life sciences and want to pursue an academic career? The postdoctoral teaching qualification (habilitation) is one way to provide proof of an excellent academic performance and of the pedagogical-didactic teaching qualification (Lehrbefähigung) required for appointment as professor. As an applicant, you will acquire the right to teach independently in a certain field of expertise at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (venia legendi).

  1. Name of the subject
  2. Curriculum vitae
  3. Doctoral degree certificate and a copy of the doctoral dissertation
  4. Degree certificates for prior programs of study
  5. Professorial dissertation (6 copies)
  6. Declaration of own academic papers
  7. List of publications, if possible enclose one offprint of each publication
  8. List of courses held, including type and scope
  9. Three possible topics for the presentation and inaugural lecture
  10. 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 focal research areas 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 supports two Coordinated Research Centers and two Research Training Groups funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In the Coordinated Research Centers, researchers collaborate within the framework of interdisciplinary research programs and carry out challenging, innovative, and long-term research projects. The Research Training Groups focus on the qualification of doctoral candidates in the framework of thematically focused research programs and interdisciplinary structured qualification concepts.

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

On average, about 10,000 DNA damage events occur in every cell of our body each day. | … | However, cells have a variety of mechanisms at their disposal to repair this enormous amount of damage. To better understand these complex processes, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), in collaboration with the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH Mainz (IMB), TU Darmstadt, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and Goethe University Frankfurt, have established the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1361. The interdisciplinary consortium aims to identify the mechanisms by which cells protect themselves against DNA damage and how these mechanisms are regulated and interact. Thanks to DFG funding for the SFB, researchers in the Rhine-Main region and in Munich can establish a new research focus in this biomedically important field in Germany , thereby catching up with the world’s leading centers in this area.

SFB 1361

Funding period: from 2023 to 2028 (first funding period)

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Edward A. Lemke (Faculty 10, imP)
Deputy Head: Prof. Dr. Dorothe Dormann (Faculty 10, imP)
Contact: crc1551-info@uni-mainz.de

In this Cooperation Research Center ( 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, 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: July 2019 to December 2023

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Susanne Foitzik (iomE, Faculty 10)
Deputy Head: 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 contacts who can help you with your questions.

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