Graduate School in Plant Biology to Continue Long-Term

The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and the University of Cologne agree on permanent interdisciplinary graduate training / Predominantly international researchers complete a structured doctoral programme in a forward-looking field of research.
 

Graduate training at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) and the University of Cologne has been given a long-term perspective: The international doctoral programme in plant biology, which has existed in close cooperation since 2001, will continue from 1 January 2026. The Managing Director of the MPIPZ, Professor Dr Raphaël Mercier, and the Rector of the University of Cologne, Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee, have agreed on a cooperation that secures the future of joint graduate training. The graduate school will in future be named “IMPRS on Interdisciplinary Plant Biology” and is one of a total of 68 International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) across Germany.

Together with the University of Cologne, the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research currently trains around ninety predominantly international early-career researchers in a structured doctoral programme in interdisciplinary plant biology. Its graduates now work worldwide in academia, industry, and science management.

“The interdisciplinary graduate training programme offered jointly with the MPIPZ provides researchers from Germany and abroad with the best possible support for further qualification in an excellent research environment,” says Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee, Rector of the University of Cologne.

“This milestone marks an important step for the MPIPZ and demonstrates our long-term commitment to training the next generation of plant scientists and advancing research in plant biology,” says Dr Monika Schlosser, IMPRS Coordinator at the MPIPZ.

The Cologne-based IMPRS on Interdisciplinary Plant Biology was established to train excellent researchers from around the world in plant science. It combines the research expertise of the MPIPZ with one of the University of Cologne’s key research areas, which is reflected, among other things, in the Key Profile Area “Sustainable Plant Production”. Between 2013 and 2025, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf was also involved. Numerous IMPRS scientists are also involved in research projects at CEPLAS, the joint Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences of the two universities.

On 1 January 2026, Professor Dr Miltos Tsiantis assumed the role of Speaker of the established IMPRS. He succeeds Professor Dr George Coupland and Professor Dr Paul Schulze-Lefert, who shaped and further developed the programme over many years. Under its new leadership, the IMPRS continues to conduct interdisciplinary research at the interfaces of genetics, evolution, ecology, and computational modelling.

 

Contact IMPRS:

Dr. Monika Schlosser
MPIPZ Graduate School
+49 221 5062 124
gradschool@mpipz.mpg.de

 

Press and communication:

Mathias Martin
+49 221 470 1705
m.martin@verw.uni-koeln.de

Mia von Scheven
+49 221 5062 670
pr@mpipz.mpg.de

 

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.mpipz.mpg.de/doktorandenprogramm