Structured Doctoral Programs in Heidelberg
Structured doctoral programs – general information
It is the goal of Heidelberg University to foster the establishment of elements of structured doctoral programs in all of the academic disciplines and to support the introduction and development of graduate schools, research training groups and other “structured doctoral programs”. This corresponds to the recommendations of the German Council of Science and Humanities (2002) and the German Rector’s Conference (2003) on the professional development of young researchers.
There are currently more than 40 structured doctoral programs involving different levels and varying elements of structure at Heidelberg University. Structured programs have been established predominantly in the natural and life sciences; however, their numbers are also increasing in the humanities, social sciences and law, where the traditional model has been individual doctoral training.
Doctoral programs in Heidelberg
General information
In Heidelberg, there are three different forms of structured doctoral programs:
- Graduate Schools (Graduiertenschulen) – large facilities with 150–300 doctoral candidates covering a wide range of research fields.
- Research Training Groups (Graduiertenkollegs) – medium-sized groups with 15–50 doctoral candidates. The individual dissertation topics often come from a variety of research fields and faculties but are all focused within a defined topic area.
- Research Training Groups (Promotionskollegs) – small groups with five to seven doctoral candidates covering very specific research questions.
Lists of the Heidelberg programs
Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
Graduate Schools 
Heidelberg Graduate School for Humanities and Social Sciences (HGGS)
Director: Dr. Astrid Wind
Heidelberger Graduiertenschule für Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften (HGGS)
Universität Heidelberg
Voßstr. 2, Geb. 37, Raum 108e (1. Etage)
69115 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 54 - 3783
Fax: +49 (0)6221 54 - 3664
Email: astrid.wind@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de
LGF Research Training Groups
Was ist Tradition? Zu Genese, Dynamik und Kritik von Überlieferungskonzepten
in den westeuropäischen Literaturen (German only)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dirk Werle
Germanistisches Seminar
Universität Heidelberg
Hauptstr. 207–209
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 3229
Email: dirk.werle@gs.uni-heidelberg.de
Art, Culture and Markets. The History of the European Cultural Industries from the 18th century to the present (German only)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Cord Arendes, Prof. Dr. Katja Patzel-Mattern
Zentrum für Europäische Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaft (ZEGK) an der Universität Heidelberg
ZEGK-Zentralverwaltung
Ursula Dentz-Gattig
Seminarstraße 4
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 3566
Email: cord.arendes@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de; kpm@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de
Digital law
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Reimer, Prof. Dr. Michael GertzJuristische Fakultät
Universität Heidelberg
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 6-10
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 7467
Email: digitales_recht@uni-heidelberg.de (reimer@uni-heidelberg.de; gertz@informatik.uni-heidelberg.de)
Research Training Groups funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation
Graduate Program "Dementia"
Chair: Prof. Dr. Andreas Kruse
Institute of Gerontology
Contact:
Dr. Birgit Teichman
Network Aging Research (NAR)
Bergheimer Str. 20
69115 Heidelberg
Phone: +49(0)6221/ 548124
Email: teichmann@nar.uni-heidelberg.de
Cluster of Excellence: Doctoral Program
Asia and Europe in a Global Context
Directorate: Prof. Dr. Joseph Maran, Prof. Dr. Axel Michaels, Prof. Dr. Barbara Mittler
Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies
Voßstr. 2, Gebäude 4400
69115 Heidelberg
Scientific Project Manager: Oliver Lamers, M.A.
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 4005
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 4012
Email: lamers@asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de
Graduate Program Director: Jule Nowoitnick, M.A.
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 4009
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 4012
Email: nowoitnick@asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de
Further Programs
Ph.D. in American Studies program at the HCA
Coordinator: Dr. Anne Sommer
Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA)
Universität Heidelberg
Hauptstraße 120
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 3713
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 3719
Email: asommer@hca.uni-heidelberg.de
German-French PhD-Program in Historical Studies
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris – Historisches Seminar, Heidelberg
Historisches Seminar
Grabengasse 3-5
69117 Heidelberg
Program coordinator: Prof. Dr. Nikolas Jaspert
Email: nikolas.jaspert@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 2270
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 2438
Academic advisor: Dr. Sebastian Kolditz
Email: sebastian.kolditz@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 7859
Doctoral Program Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) at the Faculty of Theology
Programme coordinator: Christopher Nunn
Theologische Fakultät
Kisselgasse 1
691117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 3970
Email: christopher.nunn@theologie.uni-heidelberg.de
Joint Doctoral Program on "Semantic Processing" (Department of Computational Linguistics, HITS)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Michael Strube
HITS gGmbH (Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies)
Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35
69118 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221/ 533243
Fax: +49 (0)6221/ 533298
Email: michael.strube@h-its.org
Life Sciences
Graduate Schools
Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School (HBIGS)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Jochen Wittbrodt
Coordinator: Dr. Rolf Lutz
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 501
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6720
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54- 6718
Email: contact@hbigs.uni-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg Graduate School of Global Health
Speaker: PD Dr. Dr.med. Sabine Gabrysch
Coordinator: PD Dr. Volker Winkler
Institute for Public Health
Im Neuenheimer Feld 324
69120 Heidelberg
Email: V.winkler@uni-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg Graduate School of Surgery
Coordinator: Dr. Mandy Skunde
Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Marsilius-Turm West
Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 56 - 37255
Email: Mandy.Skunde@med.uni-heidelberg.de
LGF Research Training Group
BBW ForWerts Graduate Programme
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Rausch
Coordinator: Dr. Ines Petersen
Dr. Ines Petersen (Managing Director)
BBW ForWerts Graduate Programme
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 360
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 5336
Email: ines.petersen@cos.uni-heidelberg.de
Elucidation of molecular mechanisms as foundation for an evidencebased complementary and integrative medicine ("train4CIM")
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Yvonne Samstag
Institut für Immunologie
Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 305
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 56 – 4039
Email: yvonne.samstag@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
International PhD Program of the German Cancer Research Center
Helmholtz International Graduate School for Cancer Research
Coordinator: Dr. Lindsay Murrells
German Cancer Research Center (M070)
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 6221 42-2141
Fax: +49 6221 42-2144
Email: higs@dkfz.de
Further Programs
COS PhD Program
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Sabine Strahl
Centre for Organismal Studies (COS)
Im Neuenheimer Feld 360
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6286
Email: sabine.strahl@cos.uni-heidelberg.de
Doctoral Program of the Center for Molecular Biology
Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie (ZMBH)
Im Neuenheimer Feld 282
69120 Heidelberg
Contacts:
Dr. Ralf Tolle
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6816
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 5507
Email: r.tolle@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de
Prof. Dr. Elmar Schiebel
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6814
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 5892
Email: e.schiebel@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de
Doctoral Program of the Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences (IZN)
Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Neurowissenschaften (IZN)
Universität Heidelberg
Neuenheimer Feld 364
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 8694
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6700
Doctoral Program of the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Christian Klein
IPMB Medizinische Chemie
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 364
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6442
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6430
Email: c.klein@uni-heidelberg.de
Doctoral Program of the Dep. of Infectious Diseases - Molecular Virology
Contact: Dr. Sandra Bühler
Department Molecular Virology
Im Neuenheimer Feld 345
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 56 - 4225
Email: Sandra_Buehler@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Doctoral Program of the Biochemstry Center of Heidelberg University (BZH)
Coordinator: PD Dr. Cordula Harter
Biochemie-Zentrum der Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 328
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 6758
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 4163
Email: cordula.harter@bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
PhD-Program of the Institute of Pathology
Coordinator: Dr. Kai Breuhahn
Institut für Pathologie
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 220/221
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 56 - 4675
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 56 - 5251
Email: kai.breuhahn@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Graduate Program of the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research (MPImF)
Contact: Dr. John Wray
Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung (MPImF)
Jahnstr. 29
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 486 - 277
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 486 - 585
Email: john.wray@mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de
Natural Sciences
Graduate Schools
Graduate School for Fundamental Physics
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Klingeler
Graduate School of Fundamental Physics
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 226
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 9199
Email: klingeler@kip.uni-heidelberg.de
Office:
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 19635
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 19549
Email: sekretariat@gsfp.uni-heidelberg.de
Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences
Director: Prof. Dr. Peter Bastian
Administrative director: Dr. Michael J. Winckler
Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences (HGS MathComp)
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 368
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 / 54 - 4981
Email: Michael.Winckler@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de
LGF Research Training Groups
Mathematical Modeling for the Quantitative Biosciences (MMQB)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Anna Marciniak-Czochra
Institut für Angewandte Mathematik
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 294
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 / 54 - 4871
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 / 54 - 5331
Email: anna.marciniak@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de
Basic building blocks for quantum enabled technologies
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Selim Jochim
Physikalisches Institut
Universität Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 226
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 / 54 - 19472
Email: jochim@uni-heidelberg.de
Digital law
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Reimer, Prof. Dr. Michael GertzJuristische Fakultät
Universität Heidelberg
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 6-10
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 54 - 7467
Email: digitales_recht@uni-heidelberg.de (reimer@uni-heidelberg.de; gertz@informatik.uni-heidelberg.de)
International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS)
Astronomy and Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg
Speaker: Prof. Hans-Walter Rix
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
Königstuhl 17
69117 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 528 - 210
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 528 - 339
Email: rix@mpia.de
Precision Tests of Fundamental Symmetries
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Manfred Lindner
IMPRS-PTFS
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
Postfach 103980
69029 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 516 - 800
Fax : +49 (0)6221 / 516 - 802
Email: manfred.lindner@mpi-hd.mpg.de
Quantum Dynamics in Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Christoph H. Keitel
IMPRS-QD
MPI für Kernphysik
Postfach 10 39 80
69029 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 / 516 - 150
Fax: +49 (0)6221 / 516 - 152
Email: christoph.keitel@mpi-hd.mpg.de
