A key challenge in modern biology is to translate the vast amount of data that is produced by high-throughput methods, such as genome or transcriptome sequencing, into understanding of the biological processes. This program teaches you the computational methods required for turning data into understanding. It focuses on both methodological principles and biological applications with the aim to enable you to assess appropriate strategies for solving a given problem and possibly to contribute to method-development yourself.

Environments on Earth and prevailing ecological and evolutionary processes are currently facing its most dramatic changes since the last millennia. This indicates the necessity for a thorough understanding of underlying processes of evolution comprising the smallest and the largest organisms and applying the most modern techniques ranging from ultrastructural analyses and genomic studies to field research and theory driven experiments. The combination of modern laboratories and sequencing facilities, new field stations and access to the Zoo Nature Conservation Center are unique in the German university landscape which are provided for the Ecology, Evolution and Environtment track of the Master program.

Developed countries offer the benefit of a high life expectancy but also face the increased incidence of aging-associated disorders as a consequence. Understanding these disorders and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging to improve medical treatment and life quality is a central challenge when studying aging.

This research area introduces students to the key concepts in modern aging research and advances their knowledge of the cellular, molecular as well as systemic processes and mechanisms regulating organismal lifespan and underlying the development of aging-associated diseases. It is taught by internationally recognized scientists who are experts in diverse topics of aging research including genetic determinants of longevity, DNA damage and repair, protein quality control, mitochondria regulation, immunosenescence and inflammation, stem cell and tissue maintenance, endocrine control of metabolism, the role of the environment as well as the biomedical aspects and implications represented by various age-related diseases.

The genome of each living organism contains all the information that is needed to build, maintain and reproduce that respective organism. Understanding the structure, organization and function of genes and genomes as well as their regulation is key to understanding the molecular processes of life at the cellular and organismic level. The Master's program "Molecular Genetics" teaches the theoretical knowledge and practical methods of modern molecular biology and genetics with a focus on the regulation of gene- and protein function.

Plants are the basis of life on Earth and humans rely on plants for food, fibre, pharmaceuticals, fuel, and many other products. To ensure supply of these products for future generations in a sustainable manner and under the challenge of changing climate and environment, requires a new generation of scientists who are able to integrate and apply knowledge ranging from the molecular to the ecological scales. In our Master´s course “Molecular Plant and Microbial Sciences” we focus on fundamental biological processes used by plants and their associated microbes. Our course provides an integrated view of plant and microbial sciences that incorporates molecular, cellular, physiological and ecological approaches to this vital subject that has direct relevance to the future challenges that society faces.

In animals, including humans, all behaviors result from information processing in the nervous system. An important goal of neuroscience is to understand how the nervous system is organized and forms networks to process information, how the component neurons change their activities under changing physiological conditions, and how neurological disorders affect neuronal organizations and functions. To address such questions, research is required at various levels of analysis, ranging from molecular mechanisms and electrophysiology on the single-cell level to anatomical, computational, and network analyses on the system level.

This research-oriented Master’s program is taught by neuroscientists from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. The program provides students with the essential theoretical foundations and practical skills to understand current issues in neurobiology and contribute to answering current questions that reach from the molecular and subcellular level to the systems level. We offer a broad up-to-date methodological spectrum that is applied in the participating research groups: in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiology and imaging techniques, neuroanatomical techniques, techniques for genetic manipulation of neuronal function, methods of computational neuroscience and techniques for the analysis of behavior.