New Doctoral Program in Structural Biology and Infection Research

Photo: Unistra/Catherine Schröder The doctoral program is another important component of the strategic partnership between the universities of Hamburg and Strasbourg - Researchers from Universität Hamburg and the University of Strasbourg have established a Franco-German program for doctoral researchers working at the interface between structural biology and infection research. The program, called Integrative Biology of Infection and Diseases, will be funded by the Franco-German University for 4 years starting in January 2022. The goal of the new Franco-German Integrative Biology of Infection and Diseases (IB-ID) doctoral program is to offer structured training with a focus on the molecular understanding of infection and disease biology using supplementary biophysical tools to investigate cellular, molecular, and structural systems biology. The research project grew out of basic research and should foster greater understanding of infections, thereby facilitating efforts to fight them. Local coordinators at Universität Hamburg and the University of Strasbourg will oversee the program. Among other things, there are plans for the respective research teams to make both short and long-term visits at each other's universities, courses on scientific topics, ideas for soft-skills and intercultural topics, and an annual symposium and summer school. Doctoral researchers taking part in the program will be supervised by members of both institutions, ultimately receiving a doctorate from one but recognized by both.