21.07.2009
New Graduate College of Preclinical Molecular Imaging in Tübingen
The University Hospital in Tübingen is now offering graduate college study in preclinical molecular imaging. Graduates in various natural science disciplines from Germany and abroad can apply for the first five places until 30 September 2009. Successful applicants will receive a scholarship grant for three years as well as a fixed research budget which they will be responsible for managing themselves. The Werner Siemens Foundation, which since last year has financed a chair for preclinical imaging and imaging technology in Tübingen to the tune of over three million euros, will also support the graduate college with 1.2 million euros over the next three years.
Molecular imaging deals with questions such as: How can individual cells, mediators or antibodies be made visible in a living, undamaged organism? How can the migration of cells (such as cells of the immune system) be technically monitored and imaged? Biochemistry, chemistry, medical, IT and physics graduates will need to work their way into areas covered by other disciplines in many cases in order to solve the problems which arise in these contexts.
“The programme we are now offering breaks completely new ground,” explains the director of the Graduate College, Prof. Bernd Pichler. Students will not only acquire the interdisciplinary expertise and practical instruction they need to undertake their research, they will also assume financial responsibility for their work at a very early stage. This means they will be better prepared to take on later managerial responsibilities than has previously typically been the case. The new college at the University Hospital is supported by 13 other university departments and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics by the allocation of appropriate PhD thesis topics and teaching. It is also hoped that close cooperation between experts will lead to the rapid development of clinical applications for new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Moreover, the students will have the opportunity of participating as visitors in research projects in the USA.
