International Max Planck Research School on Cellular Biophysics (IMPRS-CBP)

The International Max Planck Research School on Cellular Biophysics (IMPRS-CBP) is an international doctoral training program jointly hosted by the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies. Our mission is to train graduate students to tackle one of the ultimate biological challenges: to gain a complete molecular-level understanding of the cell.

Our program stands out with a unique training program that gives the students an oportunity to gain experience with our research groups before the PhD project officially begins. Additionally, our students benefit from hands-on mentorship, cutting-edge facilities, and the support of a collaborative network.

We’re looking for talented scientists from diverse backgrounds with an interest in biological and biomedical research, who are eager to push the boundaries of cellular biophysics. If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to our coordination office. We’re here to support you throughout your application journey, and we hope to see you here soon!

Take a Look Around...

... and learn more about your opportunities, our research topics, and the program in general.

Our unique PhD concept:

The Faculty of the IMPRS-CBP consists of about 30 highly committed principle investigators from four institutions: the Goethe University Frankfurt (GU), the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies (FIAS) and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics (MPIBP). There are eight institutes associated with four faculties at GU involved the IMPRS-CBP. These institutes as well as the FIAS and MPIBP are located at the heart of “Science City Frankfurt Riedberg”, a high-performance center of the Rhine-Main knowledge region. On the Riedberg Campus, research is being conducted today on the chemical, biochemical and physical applications of tomorrow.

At JGU, two institutes associated with two faculties are involved in the IMPRS-CBP. Due to the geographical as well as thematic proximity between the research groups located in Frankfurt and Mainz, close collaborations and a vivid research environment have already been established between the two sites.

The interdisciplinary research setting allows students to network in an international community of scientific experts, establish collaborations and profit from an outstanding infrastructure with state-of-the-art facilities for in vitro structural biology (e.g. cryo-EM), mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), cellular imaging (E.g. cryo-ET), and advanced light microscopy.

The program offers training in concepts and techniques to explore the structure, function, and interactions of macromolecules, the regulation of cellular processes at the molecular and genome-wide levels, as well as the development of methods to image and model these processes. In addition, the curriculum covers a wide array of transferable skills and includes multi-step career mentoring, specifically aimed at preparing our doctoral students for the challenges of a professional career on the global market, whether that be in academia or industry.

Campus Riedberg: International Science Hub

The IMPRS-CBP coordination office and most of the faculty members' labs located on Goethe University's Riedberg Campus on which the natural sciences faculties of Goethe-University and several other renowned research institutions reside. It is home to a vibrant and international research community. 

The campus is not only the site of the university faculties of geography, physics, biochemics/chemics/pharmacy, and biology, but of several other research institutions like the MPI Biophysics and the MPI Brain, the Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies and the Frankfurt Biotechnology Innovation Center.

Being located in the midst of these outstanding research faculties and institutes, the IMPRS-CBP is ebedded in a broad network of international researchers from various disciplines. 

Find a campus map on the GU website here (external link).