1st Joint Retreat of the PhD Students
in Experimental Plant Sciences
The German Graduate programme
"International Max Planck Research School" (IMPRS)
The International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) was launched by the Max Planck Society together with the Association of Universities and other education institutions in Germany, as an initiative to promote young researchers.
In Cologne, the IMPRS on "The molecular basis of plant development and environmental interactions" is organised by the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIZ), together with its partners from the Institute of Botany and the Institute of Biochemistry (University of Cologne).
The School offers an interdisciplinary education for highly motivated students. In addition to the PhD training programme, regular research seminars and practical courses on reverse genetics and gene isolation, advanced microscopy, 3-D-structural analysis of proteins, bioinformatics, functional reconstitution and characterization of transport proteins, and novel mass spectrometry-based protein biochemistry are included in the basic training.
Each IMPRS is organised by a Scientific Coordinator, whose main tasks are to select candidates for the programme and to assist students throughout their PhD with issues concerning administrative (registration up to thesis defence procedure), financial (scholarships and travel support), social (help with local authorities), and scientific aspects (organising the curriculum and giving scientific and career advice).

go up The IMPRS PhD representatives

Each of the four departments within the Max Planck Institute has one PhD representative, chosen each year by the PhD students of the respective department. Additionally, there is a fifth PhD representative for the IMPRS students working within research groups at the University of Cologne. Within the MPIZ, not all students are part of the IMPRS and therefore the representatives are not necessarily part of the research school. The main task of the representatives is to facilitate the information flow between students and Scientific Coordinator, or even within each department between students and director, as well as students within the MPIZ and PhD students from other Max Planck Institutes. Each year, they assist the Scientific Coordinator to organise an event meant to improve networking between PhD students. The students’ contribution is to develop the concept and to be actively involved in its completion; the present conference is such an event.

IMPRS research

The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research represents an excellent environment for the scientific development of PhD students. Besides its state-of-the-art facilities and its researchers, the institute hosts weekly seminars given by leading scientists, whom the students have a chance to directly approach during an informal discussion.
Within the MPIZ, basic molecular-biology research is conducted with the goal of developing more efficient breeding techniques and environmentally sound plant protection strategies for industrial crops.

The institute is organised in four research departments:

The Department of Plant Microbe Interactions (P. Schulze-Lefert) is conducting research on the fundamental molecular processes underlying interactions between plants and pathogens. Special attention is given to molecular mechanisms of signal processing in plant cells, the formation of compounds involved in plant defence mechanisms, disease resistance in plants, control of programmed cell death, recognition of pathogens by plants, mechanisms of gene activation and repression, systemicly acquired resistance, lower molecular defence substances and integration of biotic and abiotic stress signals.

The Department of Plant Genetics (H. Saedler) investigates the development and evolution of flowers. Research focuses on transcription factors, molecular analysis of flower induction and development in Antirrhinum majus and Arabidopsis thaliana; molecular studies of the evolution of MADS-Box genes and of flower organs in informative taxa; transposons and genetic diversity; population genetic studies of En/Spm-containing Arabidopsis lines.

The Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics (M. Koornneef) is centered on the genetics of complex traits using natural variation, quantitative resistance against Phytophthora and nematodes, tuber quality traits in potato, plant architecture and branching in tomato and Arabidopsis, seed dormancy and plant performance. Furthermore, the department concentrates on population and evolutionary aspects of natural variation using molecular and bioinformatic tools.

The Department of Plant Developmental Biology (G.Coupland) is focused on understanding molecular mechanisms that underlie the flexibility of plant development in response to environmental stimuli. Further research topics are: molecular mechanisms for the control of plant growth and differentiation; development of methods for the examination of such mechanisms; molecular basis of circadian rhythms in plants; role of the modification of proteins by ubiquitin and SUMO in plant development.

In addition, the institute supports Independent Junior Research Groups. These operate outside of the departmental structure, have their own research focus and are led by young scientists for a limited period of five years. At present, these are Plant Computational Biology and Plant Chemetics.

IMPRS students also carry on research within Cologne University research groups, focused on biochemistry, go up as well as plant biology and molecular genetics.