To achieve these goals, each student will be accompanied from the beginning by a mentoring team consisting of the PhD supervisor and two mentors. The first mentor should be a RIGeL faculty member belonging to the Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine of the University of Regensburg and the second mentor should be affiliated with another University. Before beginning with their project, the students will summarize it in a research proposal that includes an experimental plan.

The combined expertise of the mentoring team will help students to critically evaluate their PhD project from time to time, find new ways to solve or sidestep technical problems and to achieve good and meaningful progress. At least once a year, students will present their results to their mentoring team and discuss results, problems, and follow-up strategies.

Students within each of the four fields of study, i) cellular biochemistry and biophysics, ii) molecular ecology and evolution, iii) neurobiology, and iv) biomedicine, will meet on a regular basis to exchange ideas and techniques. The annual summer academy will certainly be a highlight in this respect where advanced students will present their PhD projects to their fellow students and will have the opportunity to enjoy scientific and other discussions.

One focus of the training program is on the course "Laboratory techniques: Introduction and training". Here, each  member of the RIGeL faculty teaches up-to-date methods in short courses  that are well-established in his/her own laboratory (e.g. Tissue culture and cell manipulation, Protein related techniques, DNA+RNA related techniques, Microscopy techniques). From this extensive set of methods, PhD students will choose those that are highly interesting to them and / or potentially helpful to their project.

RIGeL students are encouraged to self-organize and actively participate in seminars (journal clubs and progress reports). In parallel they will obtain training in topics like oral presentation, rhetoric, and communicative skills. Didactical skills will be acquired by teaching courses and by supervision of undergraduate students.

In a modern laboratory, knowledge in biological or radiation safety is mandatory, so RIGeL students will have the opportunity to get appropriate training which will give them additional qualifications.

Insights into industrial research and other academic institutions will be provided by visits and tours to companies, research institutes, trade fairs, and others.

Active participation in both national and international conferences is important in several ways: By presenting their results as posters or oral presentations RIGel students will have the possibility to get feedback from the scientific community, they will learn to defend their projects in scientific discussions, make contacts and start promising collaborations. In brief,  they will build their personal scientific networks early in their career.

In summary,  when finishing their PhD training, RIGeL students will be prepared to take on new challenges.


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