PhD Research Training Group MeInBio

MeInBio is a structured PhD program (research training group) at the Medical, Biological and Technical Faculty of the Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Germany, and the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics Freiburg, Germany. In MeInBio Life Sciences meet Bioinformatics to understand gene regulation. Currently, 23 PhD students from all over the world work in 13 different research groups - both wet-laboratory and bioinformatics/ statistics groups - to advance the understanding of transcriptional control at high spatial and temporal resolution. Work at the research project is complemented by a specific qualification program like workshops, soft skills trainings and meet-ups. MeInBio is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and aims at creating excellent conditions for PhD education and networking. All participating groups employ high-throughput sequencing approaches and high-resolution technology. Professional bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput sequencing data is currently both a quantitative and qualitative bottleneck in many laboratories. MeInBio hence aims to train PhD researchers in both wet-laboratory and bioinformatics approaches to overcome this shortage. Core of the concept is the creation of interdisciplinary research tandems to provide opportunity for wet-laboratory PhD researchers to gain a deeper understanding of bioinformatics know-how by joining a bioinformatics group. Bioinformatics PhD researchers in turn will gain knowledge about the molecular approaches used to generate big data sets. The structured training program of the RTG therefore specialises the PhD researchers for the specific demands of a growing job market, which needs combined bioinformatics and laboratory experience.