The qualification program of the RTG relies on five columns: student seminars including progress reports, theoretical and interactive hands-on courses and workshops, lectures with international experts in the fields of pancreatic research, annual retreats of both the whole RTG as well as students-only retreats, and the attendance of national and international conferences with multifaceted networking opportunities.
Built on successful concepts developed in the first funding period, the qualification program is implemented under the umbrella of MLU's International Graduate Academy (InGrA) and its strong infrastructure, connecting it to RTGs like RTG2467 (Intrinsically Disordered Proteins) and RU5433 (RNA in Focus). For PhD students, the educational program aims to complete a thesis in three years, while MD students conduct experimental research as part of a one-year program. The program also integrates MDs participating in the Clinician Scientist program, facilitating efficient and fruitful collaborations between basic research and clinical disciplines.
The qualification program emphasizes high-level experimental research, interdisciplinary thinking, and innovation, preparing students for diverse careers inside and outside academia. Students will further be supported by individual discussions and unbiased guidance on specific projects.
Schematic overview of the RTG's qualification program: student seminars, interactive workshops and courses, lectures by international experts, annual retreats and attendance of national and international conferences form the five pillars on which the interdisciplinary qualification program rests.
IfVoe: Institute of behavioral economics.
Planned Courses and Workshops
Courses and workshops are mainly provided by the InGrA, complemented by activities of local RTGs and the HaPKoM program. The qualification program also includes specifically designed professional skills training courses taught by the principal investigators of the RTG, other faculty members of the MLU, and external experts.
| year / month | course / workshop | duration | content | participation |
| 1. year | ||||
| month 1-2 | Kick-off Retreat | 2 days | Introduction to RTG structure, presentation of projects, networking, alumni session | mandatory |
| month 1-4 | Good Scientific Practice | 2 days | Research integrity, data management, ethics | mandatory |
| month 1-4 | Laboratory Animal Science (FELASA-B course) | 4-6 weeks online, 2 days practical | Online theoretical module (LAS), 2-day hands-on course | voluntary |
| month 3-5 | Workshop 1: Pancreas Clinic | 3 days | Clinical aspects of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer (lectures from Internal Medicine & Surgery), hospital ward visit, OR tour, lecture on biobanking & sample collection, overview of therapies | voluntary |
| month 4-6 | Workshop 2: Cell Culture in Pancreas Research | 5 days | Introduction to available cell lines and organoid models, hands-on practice with different cell types, Live Cell imaging 2D, 3D cultures - imaging and image analyses | voluntary |
| month 6-10 | Workshop 3: Advanced Lab Animal Science – Pancreas and Obesity Models | 2 days | Pancreas- and obesity-specific research needs, i.p. injection & oral gavage, Pancreas dissection & perfusion, Pancreas ligation techniques, Project-specific adaptations and troubleshooting | voluntary |
| month 8-10 | Workshop 4: Introduction to Statistics & Bioinformatics | 3 days | R introduction, statistical basics, data management, simple omics datasets | mandatory |
| month 10-12 | Soft-Skills Workshop 1: Project Organization | 1 day | Time and project management for PhD projects | mandatory |
| 2. year | ||||
| month 13-14 | Workshop 5: Histology & Pathology | 3 days | Principles of histology and pathology, hands-on staining techniques and microscopy | voluntary |
| month 15-18 | Workshop 6: Cloning Club | 5 days | Molecular biology techniques: cloning, CRISPR/Cas, hands-on experiments | voluntary |
| month 16-20 | Workshop 7: Flow Cytometry & Seahorse | 2 days | Flow cytometry (analysis, sorting), Seahorse metabolic assays | voluntary |
| month 22-24 | Workshop 8: Bioinformatics II – Omics Data Analysis | 3 days | Analysis of RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, integration of omics data, network biology | mandatory |
| month 22-24 | Soft-Skills Workshop 2: Scientific Communication & Networking | 2 days | Presentation skills, scientific networking, science communication to diverse audiences | mandatory |
| 3. year | ||||
| month 24-28 | Students-Only Retreat | 3 days | Organized by PhD students; focus on soft-skills and invited speakers (talks or hands-on) | mandatory |
| month 26-30 | Workshop 9: Spatial Transcriptomics & Single-Cell | 4 days | Introduction to spatial transcriptomics & single-cell technologies; hands-on practice; data analysis | voluntary |
| month 30-32 | Soft-Skills Workshop 3: Grant Writing & Fundraising | 2 days | Structure of funding applications (DFG, EU, foundations), peerreview simulation, writing practice | mandatory |
| month 32-35 | Soft-Skills Workshop 4: Career Development in Biomedical Research | 1 day | Career paths: academia vs. industry, entrepreneurship, alumni panel | mandatory |
| month 36 | Final Retreat & Mock Defense | 3 days | Final presentation of projects, mock thesis defense, peer and faculty feedback | mandatory |
Overview
An overview of all planned courses and workshops is provided under events, while all previous workshops can be found in the events archive.
Weitere Elemente des Ausbildungsprogrammes
- annual RTG retreats (mandatory)
- broad selection of workshops organized by the RTG (mandatory) and the InGrA (voluntary)
- workshops based on suggestions from the doctoral students (voluntary)
- lab rotation to an external lab in order to acquire hands-on practice in new methods and techniques (mandatory)
- conferences (mandatory), annual participation in national conferences and over the course of one funding period at least one participation at an international conference
- regular lab seminars, colloquia and guest lectures (mandatory)
- Thesis Advisory Commitee (TAC) meetings twice a year for a regular assessment of the project's progress and discussion of next steps together with the scientific coordinator (mandatory)