International students holding a Master’s degree in (molecular) biology, (bio-)chemistry, physics, mathematics, computational biology, computer science, epidemiology/public health studies and related subjects are invited to apply for the international PhD programme.
PhD students are supported by a Thesis Advisory Committee, participate in scientific and professional skills courses, attend international conferences and receive career development support. The PhD programme’s teaching language is English. Full funding is provided for the duration of the PhD, either by the DKFZ, third-party sources or in collaboration with the DAAD within their Graduate School Scholarship Programme.

Research at the DKFZ is organised into the following programmes:

• Cell and Tumor Biology
• Functional and Structural Genomics
• Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention
• Immunology and Cancer
• Imaging and Radiooncology
• Infection, Inflammation and Cancer

In addition, the programmes offer many possibilities for interacting and participating in interdisciplinary PhD projects across different topics.

Internationals holding a Master’s degree in the natural sciences who wish to obtain a doctorate in the field of cancer research

Master of Science (MSc) or academic equivalent
Applicants who have not yet obtained their Master’s degree should have completed the Master’s degree no later than 6 months after being admitted to the PhD programme.

36 PhD positions per year

3 years

All PhD positions at the DKFZ are fully funded for 3 years. The salaries are competitive by national standards in this field.

You will find the online application system as well as information on the application procedure here.

Application deadlines are 15 May and 15 December of each year.