Find out about the participating research groups here: https://www.lsm.bio.lmu.de/faculty/current-members/index.html
All courses, lectures and seminars at the LSM are held in English. Students can however choose to write their doctoral thesis in German.
Annually on 31 October
The Graduate School Life Science Munich – From Molecules to Systems (LSM) offers an internationally structured doctoral programme to outstandingly qualified students in the life sciences.
Students benefit from the excellent quality of research, complemented with coursework and teaching at the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacy at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, while they are able to live in the attractive city of Munich. The members are integrated into a stimulating research environment composed of excellent faculties and a large network of institutions and facilities. The HighTechCampusLMU in Grosshadern-Martinsried is synonymous with well-connected and internationally renowned research in life sciences at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. This one-of-a-kind cluster supports research at the highest level, often in direct collaboration with the adjacent Max Planck Institutes for Biochemistry and Neurobiology and with the German Research Center for Environmental Health (Helmholtz Zentrum München). The special characteristic and incentive of the LSM lies in its transdisciplinarity and intersectoral broadness. The school not only covers all biological disciplines at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München from anthropology to ecology, molecular cell biology, botany, and zoology, but also includes life sciences relevant to pharmacy and chemistry. This combination of disciplines provides a transdisciplinary environment by combining training elements from natural science, public/private entrepreneurship, ethics, responsibility in science, and public outreach.
Doctoral researchers at the LSM acquire state-of-the-art knowledge of biology and biochemistry and are given a profound overview of the current fields of research in the different areas of life sciences. They are also encouraged to attend international conferences to present their research and get in touch with the international research community.
Additional support is offered by the GraduateCenter.
Research at LSM covers the areas of anthropology, biochemistry, chemical biology, cell biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, plant sciences, systematics, and zoology. Research activities are complemented by lectures and seminars, and all workshops are held in English. The purpose of the programme is to teach not only the technical expertise necessary for success in research but also to impart skills that are indispensable for every successful and responsible scientist. This includes the ability to communicate in simple language as well as a willingness to engage with bioethical issues and participate in the public discourse they may provoke. International students are offered the opportunity to participate in German language courses including intercultural topics on campus to facilitate integration.
Basic fee of 85 EUR per semester + additional fee for the Deutschlandticket
Living costs (including accommodation and health insurance) in Munich range from 1,000 EUR to 1,500 EUR per month.
In general, doctoral students receive funding from their supervising research group. Additionally, LSM supports the doctoral candidates with travel funds.
LMU Travel Grant, LMU Completion Grant
Requirements include a Master's degree or Bachelor's degree with honours in biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, medicine, or in a related discipline. Requirements for the four-year Bachelor's degree include the following: a written thesis and written or oral final examinations.
It is not necessary to hold the respective degree at the time of application. However, the degree must have been awarded before the doctoral project commences.
Participants have to be fluent in written and spoken English and should be able to document their proficiency in English. Therefore, a "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL) or a test by the "International English Language Testing System" (IELTS) is strongly advised but is not compulsory.
Annually on 31 October
The online application portal is open for applications annually around September. For more information, please visit: https://www.lsm.bio.lmu.de/apply/index.html
The International Office helps visiting academics, PhD students, and postdocs who are travelling to Munich for a set period of time to find accommodation.
For further information, please visit the following link:
https://www.lmu.de/en/study/important-contacts/international-office/index.html
Rooms in shared flats are popular on the private market and reasonably priced at 500-700 EUR per month if located in central parts of Munich.
https://www.lmu.de/en/workspace-for-students/career-services/
LMU Gateway supports international doctoral candidates throughout many phases:
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