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"Find Your Future Research Destination" - series
Welcome to our event series for master’s graduates, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers from around the world. Are you considering conducting research in Germany but unsure where to start? Then this series is designed for you: we will guide you through the diverse and dynamic research system Germany has to offer.
Find Your Future Research Destination
This online series offers international (early-career) researchers valuable orientation on research opportunities in Germany. Each session is dedicated to a different region or research institution and highlights what makes Germany one of the world’s leading research nations – especially in key future-oriented fields.
4th episode: Find Your Future Research Destination – Research in Germany
15 December 2025 | 3:30pm CET - online
Exploring Germany as a research location
What to expect from the series
This online event series offers international PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the German research system.
Together with universities, non-university research institutions, research-based companies, and representatives from federal and state research institutions, we provide insights into research conditions, funding opportunities, institutional support services, and life in Germany. Each session is dedicated to a specific region, network, or institution and highlights current offers for international researchers.
What sets this format apart is its consistent structure: each session features expert talks by institutional representatives and experienced international researchers who share their personal experiences. All events conclude with an interactive Q&A session, giving participants the chance to engage directly with the speakers.
Moderated by the Research in Germany initiative, this series supports international researchers in navigating their options and connecting with institutions that actively welcome international talent.
In our fourth episode, we will introduce our initiative “Research in Germany” (RiG). This session will focus on pursuing a PhD in Germany, a leading destination for doctoral candidates.
We will outline how RiG supports prospective researchers in navigating their path to Germany, including searching for PhD positions and relevant funding. You will receive an overview of the German research system and guidance on planning your academic career and life in Germany.
We will also provide practical advice on identifying and applying for PhD positions. The episode will conclude with a Q&A session, where you can share your questions and receive live answers.
In our third episode of our event series “Find Your Future Research Destination”, we will speak with four renowned non-university research institutions from across Germany: the Biomedical Center (BMC) at LMU Munich, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Neurocenters in Germany.
Each institution will introduce itself and present its opportunities for international scientists. The event will conclude with an open Q&A session with all representatives.
Based in the beautiful south of Munich, the Biomedical Center (BMC) is a central element in the LMU’s strategy for close integration and translation of biomedical research and patient care. LMU Munich is one of Europe’s leading research institutions and scientists from all over the world encounter excellent conditions for their work.
The BMC is home to around 60 research groups, employing approximately 450 people from over 45 countries, who work in the field of applied cell science. We also actively discuss how we want to work together, conduct research and shape the future. Various initiatives have formed for this purpose.
The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is a leading federal research institute ensuring safety in technology and chemistry. It’s mission is to protect people, the environment, and material assets through cutting-edge research, testing and expert advice in materials science, materials engineering, and chemistryfor the society of tomorrow.
BAM’s work spans research and development, knowledge and technology transfer, scientific and technical services as well as sovereign and public functions . With a modern research infrastructure, an interdisciplinary approach, and an extensive international network, BAM offers outstanding conditions for scientific excellence.
Over half of BAM’s employees come from abroad, making BAM a truly intercultural and diversity-driven s institution. Our Welcome Office supports our international researchers from the very beginning, while the BAM Graduate Academy provides structured frameworks and tailored programs to foster career growth in academia, industry, and beyond.
Through the Adolf Martens Fellowship Program, international postdoctoral researchers have the unique opportunity to spend one year conducting research at BAM —a powerful springboard for a scientific career in Germany.
Whether you're pursuing a PhD, a postdoc, or a senior research position, BAM offers a dynamic environment where international talent thrives—and where your expertise can truly make a difference.
Forschungszentrum Jülich is one of Europe’s largest interdisciplinary research institutions. Around 7,600 employees are dedicated to tackling global challenges in sustainable energy, climate solutions, digitalization, and a circular economy.
At Forschungszentrum Jülich, international and interdisciplinary collaboration is at the heart of our work. Researchers come from 113 countries, working alongside more than 1,000 guest scientists and visiting researchers from 86 nations, and the center is actively involved in numerous EU-funded projects and global partnerships.
Each year, we offer around 1,000 positions – many for PhD candidates, postdocs, and professionals in science, technology, and administration. Early-career researchers benefit from a structured PhD program as well as close scientific supervision and mentoring. Postdocs and experienced scientists gain access to leadership training, while all employees can take advantage of extensive professional development and networking opportunities.
Our inclusive culture embraces diversity and equal opportunities, fostering an environment in which everyone can thrive. The International Advisory Service assists newcomers with relocation, visas, social security, and integration. Beyond the lab, the Jülich research campus, the city of Jülich, together with nearby metropolitan areas such as Cologne and Düsseldorf, offers a vibrant international community and an excellent quality of life in the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The ‘‘Neurocenters in Germany‘‘ are a group of research centers and funding institutions in the neurosciences, distributed all over Germany, who share the structural aim to strenghten Germany as a neuroscience research location.
To enhance international visibility and networking of researchers, the centers inform about the research and training opportunities in a broad spectrum of the neurosciences in Germany.
Find the recording of the event here.
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Research in Bavaria is a joint initiative of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and 27 universities in Bavaria.
Our online portal is featuring career, research, and funding opportunities—addressing international researchers from all over the world.
We invite young international academics to discover the scientific opportunities in the region and to push their academic career to the next level by joining the Bavarian research community.
Job vacancies and news are regularly published on social media. Website
The University of Bayreuth is a dynamic, mid-sized campus university in Germany, home to seven faculties spanning the natural sciences, food sciences, engineering, law and economics, as well as the humanities, languages, and social sciences.
Our commitment to interdisciplinary research defines who we are. With state-of-the-art facilities, strong research infrastructure, and a collaborative culture, Bayreuth offers an environment where doctoral and postdoctoral researchers can thrive. Here, you'll find an intellectually stimulating atmosphere shaped by the interplay between academic freedom, scientific innovation, and real-world relevance—all grounded in a deep sense of social and cultural responsibility.
Bayreuth also offers an active international research network, while maintaining the advantages of a welcoming and close-knit campus community. In short: those who come to Bayreuth will find an ideal place to develop and pursue their research goals.
A hallmark of our university is the strategic coordination of research in interdisciplinary Focus Areas, which unite strong disciplinary foundations with the innovative potential of cross-field collaboration. Among our internationally renowned research initiatives are:
- The Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, a global leader in reconfiguring African Studies
- The Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics (BGI), recognised worldwide for groundbreaking work in Earth sciences
- Cutting-edge polymer and colloid research, driving innovation in future-oriented materials
In 2020 alone, the University of Bayreuth secured over €56 million in third-party funding, accounting for a full quarter of our annual budget—testament to the strength and impact of our research.
As one of the most successful young universities in Germany, Bayreuth ranks 38th worldwide in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Ranking 2024.
The Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, founded in 1743 and commonly referred to as FAU, is committed to responsibly shaping the future while being aware of its strong tradition. Under the motto "Moving Knowledge," it connects scientific disciplines against the backdrop of a diverse academic culture and a highly differentiated range of subjects, focusing on innovative research and teaching.
FAU is one of the strongest research universities in Germany and, with around 40,000 students, the largest in Northern Bavaria. The range of study programs at FAU is unique in its diversity and interdisciplinary networking across Germany. Modern and innovative degree programs in natural sciences and engineering coexist here with studies in economics, law, medicine, and humanities. Even during their academic training, students at FAU have the opportunity to engage with research at the highest level.
FAU's high scientific potential makes it a capable partner for business and culture. Through intensive collaboration with extramural research institutions and the economy, it plays a pioneering role in developing concepts and technologies for the future. Therefore, FAU maintains an excellent network with impressive partners in science, business, and society.
FAU is a founding organization of the European University "EELISA," which aims to harness the complementary strengths and profiles of its partner universities to promote engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Europe. Together with universities in Madrid, Paris, Pisa, Budapest, Bucharest, and Istanbul, FAU has established the university alliance "EELISA – European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance." In this strong network, the partners work together to shape innovation and society's future while addressing global challenges with intelligent and sustainable solutions.
The University of Regensburg (UR) is a full-spectrum university on a modern campus. It is located on the southern edge of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Regensburg and embedded in a culturally rich and economically prosperous region.
Founded in 1962, UR is a nationally and internationally acclaimed center for research and teaching with a strong commitment to build bridges to the future. In light of the University’s overall objectives UR focuses on four key areas in order to ensure its continuing relevance in an evolving context: Dynamics in the Global World; Digital Transformations; Integrated Sciences in Life, Health, and Disease; Material Worlds and Sustainability.
Within these thematic areas, UR offers its scientists numerous opportunities to participate in individual and collaborative research projects. UR is characterized by cutting-edge multidisciplinary research in highly renowned research centers, research training groups, and research units across all academic fields. The recent establishment of several extra-university research institutions on site, of a Faculty of Informatics and Data Science, of the outstanding interdisciplinary ‘Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy’ and the acquisition of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Center for Chiral Electronics’ through the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments in 2025 are exemplary for the dynamic future-oriented development of our university.
Early career scientists and young scholars are particularly important to us. Promoting them while fostering equal opportunity, engaging in knowledge transfer, and encouraging innovation through new funding programs is both an obligation and a challenge that we gladly accept. A wide range of support and service structures are offered on our campus to provide comprehensive support for academics in the early career phase as they arrive, work and live in Regensburg.
We are proud of our dense international network and our campus is characterized by openness, hospitality, and a cosmopolitan atmosphere – we welcome you to the University of Regensburg to jointly build bridges to the future!
The Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) is one of Germany’s oldest and most research-intensive universities, with a history spanning more than 600 years. It offers young researchers an inspiring environment that combines academic excellence with personalized support. JMU covers a wide range of disciplines—from natural and life sciences to medicine, engineering, humanities, and social sciences. Key research areas with international visibility include artificial intelligence, quantum physics, life sciences, climate change, and digital humanities. Early-career researchers benefit from close ties to excellence clusters such as ct.qmat and NUCLEATE, as well as interdisciplinary centers like the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (CAIDAS) and the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI). Doctoral candidates and postdocs are supported through structured programs, individual mentoring, and diverse funding opportunities. Services such as the Graduate Schools, Welcome Center, Service Center InterNational Transfer, and Career Center assist international talents with arrival, integration, and career planning. These are complemented by transferable skills training, mentoring, and networking formats offered by the Research Advancement Centers. Würzburg itself is a vibrant university town known for its high quality of life, cultural diversity, and short distances. The close connection between the city and the university fosters a welcoming and collaborative atmosphere for research and exchange. Whether pursuing a doctorate, a postdoctoral project, or establishing an independent research group, JMU provides a strong foundation for the next steps in an academic career.
Find the recording of the event here.
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The Research Campus of Central Hessen unites the strengths of three universities: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and THM University of Applied Sciences. With close to 11,000 researchers, FCMH fosters complementary interdisciplinary collaboration and establishes Central Hessen as a leading research and innovation hub in Europe. Through FCMH, the three universities advance joint research and its transfer, promote talent and foster research careers and share resources effectively.
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Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) is a research university with a long-standing tradition which attracts around 25,000 students. Apart from the wide range of subjects on offer ‒ extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences to linguistics and cultural studies it offers a selection of life science subjects that is unique not only in Hesse: human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006 JLU has been receiving continuous funding from German central and state governments in the Excellence Initiative and the Excellence Strategy.
JLU offers a variety of support structures for early career researchers. Four graduate centres offer consultations, networks, workshops, structured PhD programmes and interdisciplinary exchange for (prospective) PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers: the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GGK/GCSC), the International Giessen Graduate Centre for the Life Sciences (GGL), the Giessen Graduate Centre for Natural Sciences and Psychology (GGN) and the Giessen Graduate Centre for Social Sciences, Business, Economics and Law (GGS).
Postdoctoral researchers will find further options for support at the Postdoctoral Career and Mentoring Office (PCMO), such as individual coaching and counselling as well as seminars on planning an academic career in English and German language.
Our International Office Team looks forward to helping you to settle, deal with administrative matters and get to know the university as well as the city of Giessen and its surroundings.
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Join us for an inspiring event dedicated to exploring the University of Marburg and the dynamic academic and professional landscape of Central Hessen. Whether you're a prospective PhD candidate, postdoc, or international researcher, this event will showcase everything the region has to offer.
Learn about the University of Marburg’s diverse research profile, spanning a wide range of disciplines—from the humanities to cutting-edge life sciences. Discover the university’s key research strengths and how they complement other institutions in the regional research network through strategic collaborations and joint initiatives.
The event will also highlight career opportunities for early-career researchers, including current job openings and tailored support structures. Find out more about dedicated funding lines for international PhD candidates and postdocs, and get to know the university’s wide array of support services: from Graduate Schools and International Offices to Dual Career Services and the Postdoc Career & Mentoring Office.
Beyond academia, get a taste of life in Marburg and the surrounding region—renowned for its rich history, vibrant student life, and high quality of living in the heart of Germany.
Whether you're looking to start your research career or take the next step, this event will provide you with valuable insights, practical guidance, and direct contacts to help shape your future in Marburg.
The Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM) is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Germany, offering a wide range of study programs. Its three main campuses in Friedberg, Giessen, and Wetzlar are conveniently located in Central Hesse, a region within the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan area, known for its high quality of life, entrepreneurial spirit, and economic strength situated just outside Frankfurt. A strength of THM is its application-oriented research with diverse industry collaborations. Key research areas are biotechnology, medical engineering, materials research, aerospace applications, and energy management.
In eight interdisciplinary Centers of Competence, scientists from various fields work together across disciplines and collaborate on projects with other research institutions as well as industry partners.
THM provides excellent innovative research opportunities for young researchers in a multidisciplinary and application-oriented environment. Many doctoral projects at THM are conducted in cooperation with universities in Germany and abroad. At THM the highly regarded German doctorate “doctor of engineering (Dr.-Ing.)” can be obtained through the Graduate Centre for Engineering Sciences (PZI), situated at the Research Campus of Central Hesse. As the first university of applied sciences in Germany, THM holds the independent right to award the doctorate in engineering in the field of Life Science Engineering.
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Participation opportunities for German institutions
If you represent a German university or university of applied sciences, a non-university research institute, a German company or cluster of excellence, we invite you to consider enriching our online events with your offerings for international students.
Should you have any questions or wish to express interest, please contact Clarissa Rademacher (rademacher@daad.de). We look forward to hearing from you!