Arbeitsgruppe Prof. Moerschbacher

We are an international group of ca. 15 BSc-, MSc-, and PhD-students, technical assistants and post-doctoral researchers, with strong international and interdisciplinary links to partners mainly in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, and India. Most of our research projects are supported financially by the European Union and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst DAAD. Recently, we have successfully secured financial support from Deutsche Forschungs-Gemeinschaft DFG for the First Indo-German International Graduate School on Molecular and Cellular Glyco-Sciences - MCGS.

our network of partners in the world

Students of the University of Münster

If you are interested to join our team, please see Prof. Moerschbacher during his weekly consultation hour on Tuesdays from 14:30 to 15:30 or anytime you meet him in the Department (best after prior arrangement of an appointment e.g. via email). BSc students may join us during their third year in the "Projekt-Modul" and for the Bachelor research project ("BSc-Arbeit"). In general, prior successful completion of a "Vertiefungs-Modul" in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or Molecular Genetics is a prerequisite for participating in our projects. MSc students may join us during the first year in a "Forschungs-Modul", typically after having successfully completed at least one "Fortgeschrittenen-Modul" in the IBBP. Successful completion of a "Forschungs-Modul" is a prerequisite for taking up a Master research project ("MSc-Arbeit") in our group during the second year. Joining our group for a PhD project usually will require the successful application for a PhD fellowship with one of the national or international funding agencies.

Students from abroad

Should you be interested, after studying our research projects, to become part of our team, you may consider to send an application to us using our Expression of Interest form. Be advised, however, that (except when we specifically advertise positions in an externally funded graduate school or research project) the University of Münster and the Department of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology do not have the option to offer scholarships to students so that you will have to apply separately for a research scholarship with one of the appropriate national or international organisations before joining us. Without the successful application for a fellowship from a third party for which you are responsible, you cannot be accepted as a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher in our Department. Should your experiences and interests meet our expectations, we will of course assist you in preparing a strong research proposal. Admission, however, requires the granting of a fellowship due to a successful application which you have to submit to a third party of your choice. Possible funding agencies may e.g. be found here.

The results of our research are generally published in international journals. Obtaining a PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) usually requires the writing of at least three manuscripts, one of which must be accepted for publication at the time of thesis submission. The thesis may be written in German or English. Knowledge of the German language is not a formal prerequisite for taking up PhD studies at the University of Münster, and the weekly Lab Meeting of our group as well as the Seminar Series of our Department are both held in English. Acquiring basic skills in German, however, is highly recommended for everyday life in Münster, and for easy socialisation with your colleagues in the lab. The University offers free language classes for foreign PhD students.