About us

The BIGS-BIO Graduate School has a strong interdisciplinary focus, integrating doctoral students from all fields of biology. The participation of doctoral students and researchers from a wide range of disciplines ensures intensive exchange and the optimal transfer of expertise on various methodologies and approaches in biology and beyond.

BIGS Biology offers you a structured training environment that supports your scientific and personal development. The programme gives you the chance to easily build a network with other PhD students and the wider BIGS community. In addition to advanced scientific training, BIGS Biology places strong emphasis on transferable skills with a range of soft-skill courses and workshops to support your professional growth.

The study program regulations can be found here.

Interdisciplinary

Long and successful collaboration of research groups covering the wide spectrum of biology with cell and developmental biology, genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, molecular plant sciences, plant and animal biodiversity, animal evolution, ecology, palaeontology and didactics.
Experts in diverse fields of biology creating an excellent research environment and offer the best support for their PhD students.
Integration of the Museum Koenig as part of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) and the Botanical Garden, Bonn as associated institutions.

International

The courses offered by BIGS-BIO as an international graduate school are in English.
Numerous existing collaborations between researchers in the Biology Department integrate international activities of doctoral students into their doctoral projects.
To practise presenting research results to an international audience, part of the graduate training involves active participation in an international conference and compulsory participation in lecture series with a high proportion of international speakers.

Structured training

BIGS BIO offers talented PhD students a 6-8 semester structured training program in addition to their individual PhD research project.
It includes regularly and personalized supervision through a dedicated Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC).
BIGS BIO enables you to connect with fellow PhD students from beyond your immediate research area.
Participation in workshops, scientific seminar series and soft skill courses lead to the acquisition of versatile, transferable skills to support your professional growth.