Motivation and Scope
The graduate research school Calcium-signaling and cellular nanodomains at the University of Saarland establishes a research-oriented and systematically structured doctoral program dedicated to the improvement and advancement of graduate education. The medical faculty at the University of Saarland has a long history of catalysing interdisciplinary and innovative research activities in Homburg and, together with the "Sonderforschungsbereich 894" (Ca2+ - Signaling: molecular mechanisms and Integrative Functions), the "Klinische Forschergruppe 129" (Mechanisms of resistance und optimization of antiviral strategies for Hepatitis C virus infections), and the graduate study program GRK845 (Molecular, physiological und pharmacological analyses of cellular membrane transport), ensures career-oriented support of excellent young scientists.
Central to this program are functional analyses of Ca2+-transporting protein structures and intracellular membrane transport as well as Ca2+-regulated processes in the context of intra- and intercellular communication. In this way, the program focuses on one of the most attractive research fields in life sciences. The participating groups provide excellent scientific expertise in the spatial and temporal analyses of Ca2+-signals, as documented by more than 120 publications over the last three years. This research program is accompanied by a demanding and performance-oriented curriculum that covers various specialties in the field of molecular research. Current topics in cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry and neuroscience as well as state-of-the art techniques are taught by distinguished scientists in a comprehensive lecture series and candidates will receive intense training in concepts of intra- and intercellular communication.
