Doctoral researchers in the microspectroscopy lab

Jena Alliance "Life in Focus"

The Jena Alliance of Graduate Schools – A Project of the Carl Zeiss Stiftung

Doctoral researchers in the microspectroscopy lab

Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

Graduate qualification at its best

The Jena Alliance "Life in Focus" promotes a nationally and internationally visible excellent graduate qualification at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena by connecting the university profile lines LIFE and LIGHT through funding of the Carl Zeiss Stiftung for six years (2019-2024).

Under the umbrella of the Graduate Academy, which is known for its high quality in qualifying young scientists, the Jena Alliance connects and strengthens the well-established graduate programmes of the Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC), the Jena School of Molecular Medicine (JSMM), the Abbe School of Photonics (ASP) and the Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP). The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary elements of the graduate programmes are combined by the Jena Alliance and expanded to include innovative aspects of modern doctoral programmes.

Aims of the Jena Alliance:

Building bridges: Networking the participating graduate schools
Organisation of joint events
Coordination of the international recruitment of doctoral candidates
Further development of the cross-cutting, interdisciplinary qualification programme
Introduction of a uniform and interdisciplinary supervision programme

Members of the Jena Alliance

Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC)

JSMC

Image: JSMC

The Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC) at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena is not only an Excellence Graduate School, but also a lively network of scientists from a broad variety of natural & life sciences institutes and an umbrella organization for three Research Training Groups in Jena.

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Jena School of Molecular Medicine (JSMM)

JSMM

Image: JSMM

The international Jena School of Molecular Medicine (JSMM) offers an interdisciplinary graduate program in an attractive and inspiring research environment with a unique combination of expertise in molecular and cellular biology, biophotonics, molecular medicine and clinical research.

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Abbe School of Photonics (ASP)

ASP

Image: ASP

The Abbe School of Photonics (ASP) provides education programs with multidisciplinary coverage of optical and photonics technology field topics, ranging from current scientific aspects to engineering, with product applications possible in major economic sectors such as information and communication technologies, medicine and health, manufacturing and energy consumption.

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Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP)

MPSP

Image: MPSP

The MPSP is an interdisciplinary, nationwide graduate school offering a unique, two-phase PhD program to excellent students from all over the world. It prides itself on a wide-ranging network including highly renowned research institutes and significant establishments within the photonics industry.

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Events and Honorary Guest Lectures

The Jena Alliance event calendar can be accessed via the event website.

The Honorary Guest Lectures are a special lecture series of the Jena Alliance. More information on the series and on how to submit proposals for guest speakers can be found here.

Doctoral candidates

In addition to the interdisciplinary development of the graduate programmes, the Jena Alliance directly funds individual doctoral projects with an interdisciplinary orientation. All doctoral projects are located in one of the participating graduate schools of the Jena Alliance.

Doctoral candidates of the Jena Alliance