Helmholtz International Graduate School for Cancer Research

HELMHOLTZ INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR CANCER RESEARCH

3 CONTENT

Welcome...... 1

Winning the Nobel Prize for . cancer research...... 2

Helmholtz Association...... 4

International Collaborations...... 5

Cancer Research at the DKFZ...... 6

Cell biology and tumor biology...... 7

S tructural and Functional Genomics...... 8

C ancer Risk Factors and Prevention...... 9

T umor Immunology...... 10

Imaging and Radiooncology...... 11

I nfection and Cancer...... 12

T ranslational Cancer Research...... 13

Heidelberg – bright lights in an old city...... 14

Joining Germany’s best university...... 15 graduate Program Outline...... 16

Supporting Students...... 18

The PhD Student Council...... 19

Application and Admission Requirements ...... 20 WELCOME

Welcome to the Helmholtz In- cent comes from the. german ed the Nobel Prize for Medicine ternational. graduate. school state of Baden-Württemberg. or Physiology for his outstand- for Cancer Research at the Ger- ing scientific contribution to man. cancer. research. center In Germany alone, cancer is the the study of human papilloma (Deutsches Krebsforschungs- second most frequent cause of viruses. zentrum, DKFZ). Our interna- death. Each year, over 450,000 tional PhD program warmly in- new cases are diagnosed and Perhaps you too would like to vites you to consider applying 270,000 deaths occur at the be part of this renowned orga- to join its many distinguished hands of this dreaded disease. nization, which is at the cutting scientists in cancer research. Cancer constitutes a particu- edge of cancer research world- larly challenging task for both wide, and to work amongst The DKFZ is Germany’s largest research and clinical practice. It leading scientists from the biomedical research institute affects practically each and ev- field. This brochure hopes to and is a member of the Helm- ery organ in the human body. give you a taste of what life is holtz. association of. national Each type of cancer has its own like in our international PhD Research. centers. More than modus operandi and rules. The program. If you would like to 2,000 staff members, includ- resultant changes in affected join our scientific community ing 850 scientists, are engaged cells are highly complex. after reading this brochure, we in researching the mechanisms are looking forward to receiv- of cancer and are working to In recent years, researchers at ing your application. identify risk factors. Their valu- the DKFZ have been respon- able work is the cornerstone sible for major advances both Best wishes, for developing novel approach- in basic research and in the de- es in the prevention, diagnosis, velopment of novel methods and treatment of cancer. The for clinical application. These German Federal Ministry of Ed- achievements received mo- ucation and Research provides mentous recognition in 2008, Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler 90 percent of the Center’s basic when the. center’s Professor Scientific Director and Chairman funding; the remaining 10 per- Harald zur Hausen was award- of the DKFZ Management Board

1 Wnningi the Nobel Prize for cancer research

In 2008, Professor. harald zur at the University of Freiburg, and. e7 virus genes in human Hausen won the. nobel Prize Germany. Here, he continued cells. She found that the virus- for Medicine or Physiology for his research on papilloma vi- es were able to invade healthy his groundbreaking work in es- ruses with the help of his PhD human cells and cause them to tablishing that viral infections students, Lutz Gissmann, Mi- proliferate uncontrollably, i. e. can cause cervical cancer. chael Boshart, Matthias Dürst become cancerous. This im- and Hans Ikenberg. The aim portant discovery lead to the The story, however, began in was to identify the papilloma idea that it may be possible to the early 1970s, while zur Hau- virus type responsible for cer- use this infective property of sen was working at the Univer- vical cancer. From 1982 to 1984, the viruses to create a vaccine sity of. erlangen-Nuremberg, they succeeded in isolating protecting against HPV16/18 in Germany, as chair of. clinical two human papilloma virus cervical cells. Virology. It was here that he (HPV) genomes from cervical isolated the papilloma virus cancer specimens: HPV16 and In a related development at genome from cervical cancer HPV18. Significantly, they also the beginning of the 1990s, zur tissue samples. This led to his discovered that HPV18 was Hausen’s former students, Giss- hypothesis that warts of the present in HeLa cells, the fa- mann and Dürst, made waves genital tract can be harmful mous cervical tumor cell line in the. united. states. Together and cause cervical cancer in used in research around the with other scientists from the some cases. world since 1949. American. national. institutes of. health, they succeeded in In 1977, zur Hausen took up the In 1983, zur. hausen moved developing a method to pro- chair of Virology and Hygiene again, this time to the German duce a non-infectious protein Cancer Research Center as Sci- component of the. hPV16 vi- entific Director and. chairman rus capsule in large quantities. of the Management Board un- These particles formed the ba- til 2003. Despite the time-con- sis of the subsequent vaccine suming task of directing the – available since 2006 – which Center, his research on papil- has been proven to prevent in- loma viruses continued. Elisa- fection from HPV16 and HPV18 beth Schwarz joined his group and therefore protect against and succeeded in identifying cervical cancer. residues of the dangerous. e6

2 GREETING

During more than two decades disciplinary research is the or- at the German Cancer Research der of the day, where like (and Center, I have seen the insti- very able) minds engage in tute improve in terms of qual- cutting-edge work to discover ity of research, infrastructure the many facets and nuances and caliber of scientific staff. I of a disease that has been in am convinced that the research existence since the evolution carried out here by some of of man. the world’s best scientists has made the Center deserve its As to the important role stu- place at the very forefront of dents play in the Center’s work, cancer research worldwide. I can vouch for this from personal experience. During my At the. center’s core are its own research into infectious young scientists. Its new inter- agents, which led to the dis- national PhD program recog- covery of cancer-causing hu- nizes that doctoral students man papilloma viruses, three make an important contribu- of my students at the time, tion to the. center’s achieve- Lutz Gissmann, Matthias Dürst ments and encourages you to and. michael. boshart, made apply to join their ranks. If suc- significant contributions. cessful, you will take up a place in a community where cross-

Professor Harald zur Hausen 2008 Nobel Prize Laureate for Medicine or Physiology Former Scientific Director and Chairman of the Management Board of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center), 1983-2003

3 The DKFZ is a proud m students, ember and are legally inde- Outstanding scientist of the Helmholtz Association pendent bodies. These centers of German Research Centers. are equipped with state-of-the- The Association is named after This association is Germany’s art equipment, including large- Hermann von Helmholtz, a dis- largest scientific organization scale scientific facilities and tinguished natural scientist of and has an annual budget of instruments that are only to be the 19th Vncentury. o Helmholtz approximately 2.4 billion euros. found on their sites. was one of the last truly uni- The German federal and state versal scholars, specializing in authorities provide about 70 The Helmholtz Association a natural science that bridged percent of its total budget. The stands for cutting-edge re- the fields of medicine, phys- 15 research centers belonging search, the goal of which is to ics and chemistry. His ground- under the Association’s um- contribute significantly to solv- breaking work brought togeth- brella employ 28,000 people, ing the greatest challenges fac- er theory, experimental and including over 4,000 graduate ing science, society and indus- practical applications. . he was try. Its research focuses on six the founder and first president . energy fields: energy; earth and envi- of the Physikalisch-Technische ronment; health; key technolo- Reichsanstalt (PTR), considered gies; structure of matter; aero- to be the world’s first scientific nautics, space and transport. research institution outside the Networks play a key role and university sector. Helmholtz scientists work with each other and external part- Beginnings... ners across disciplines, organizations and Germany’s borders. The. helmholtz. association was formed in 1958 as a working committee for administra- . structure of Matter Key Technologies tive and operational affairs in German reactor control sta- tions. Initially, the goal was to exchange experiences relevant to operational and safety issues. During the next 40 years, this loose community of research centers expanded to discuss other issues such as

. health . earth and Environment A eronautics, Space and Transport

4 patent management, strategy and other areas of research. In 2007, the. association’s scientific research resulted in 12,617 scientific publications. Dur- ing the same year, more than 4,000 foreign scientists came to its centers to do research. Transferring scientific knowl- edge into innovation and then to the market is something that the Association excels at. Some 400 new patents are registered every year and there are currently more than 2,500 joint projects with industry.

I nTERNATIONAL Collaborations

In addition to working with and expertise. More than 1,000 with other universities and re- other research centers of the papers emanating from nearly search institutes, through, for Helmholtz. association, the 140 joint projects have been example, short-term research German Cancer Research Cen- published throughout the al- exchanges, workshops and ter has collaborations with nu- liance’s existence and joint summer/winter schools. merous international institu- research schools for PhD stu- tions and organizations across dents take place annually. the world. These ties stretch across Europe, Asia and Amer- Other long standing interna- ica, bringing cancer specialists tional collaboration partners in- together regardless of their clude the MD Anderson Cancer geographic location. Center in Houston, USA, the Na- tional University of Singapore One of the oldest of these and the Weizmann Institute of partnerships is with the. is- Science in Rehovot, Israel. These raeli. ministry of. science, Cul- partners add to local collabo- ture and. sport. This recently rators, such as the European celebrated its 30th anniversary Molecular Biology Laboratory after commencing in 1976 with (EMBL) and the Max-Planck In- three projects. It enables labo- stitute for Medical Research. ratory collaborations in both Germany and Israel, as well as Students are encouraged to the exchange of know-how participate in collaborations

5 RESEARCH PROGRAMS

CANCER RESEARCH AT THE DKFZ

The long-term goal of the German Cancer Research Center is to unravel the causes and mechanisms of cancer development and, based on new insights, to develop novel tools for diagnosis, early detection, treatment and prevention. We build on outstanding basic biomedical research, an evaluation of complex systems (systems biology), as well as efficient platforms for the translation of new findings from “bench to bedside” .

Based on these three key competences the research divisions and groups of the German Cancer Research Center are organized into seven Research Programs:

A. Cell Biology and Tumor Biology

B. Structural and Functional Genomics

C. Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention

D. Tumor Immunology

E. Imaging and Radiooncology

F. Infection and Cancer

G. Translational Cancer Research

Contributions from many disciplines, an excellent research infrastructure and systematic interactions among the research groups of the Center provide a strong framework for our projects.

The following pages give a brief overview of the research carried out in each of the Research Programs. For more information about the research interests of the divisions and groups within each program, please check our website: www.dkfz.de/research

6 RESEARCH PROGRAM A

CELL BIOLOGY AND TUMOR BIOLOGY Anna Postepska, Poland

E very cancer originates from an individual cell. If its genetic mate- he style of work at the rial has undergone a number of changes that can no longer be DKFZ is very exciting be- corrected, then the cell breaks out of the sophisticated balance of „Tcause the labs are very well growth and renewal and starts to proliferate uncontrollably. Thus, equipped and the only factors to develop new approaches in cancer treatment, we need to un- that limit you are time and derstand the complex processes occurring within cells and their your own ideas. The day is only interactions with neighboring cells and their environment. 24 hours long and sometimes I wish it was at least twice as The research divisions and groups involved in this Research Pro- long. gram study the mechanisms of cell differentiation, i. e. how cells specialize into the various types of differentiated cells and tissues I am lucky to work with a supervisor who is really open to my ideas, even though I am a PhD student. This is very exciting as whatever idea I come up with, no matter how expensive it is, if it is reasonable, my supervisor will find a way to real- ize it.

Once, for my project, it was necessary to conduct genome- wide sequencing, which is quite expensive. We had never used this approach before, so I was the first person to prepare ma- with their specific tasks. To do so, researchers primarily use meth- terial for this sequencing. ods of cell and molecular biology and genetically modified ani- mal models. A focus of their research is the regulation of cell-type This is really great and is some- specific proteins and their functions. In addition, researchers are thing that I would never have investigating changes in the genetic material that cause or pro- been able to achieve doing a mote tumor development. PhD elsewhere.“

Selected Publications

IFN alpha activates dormant haematopoietic stem cells in vivo. Essers, MAG et al., Nature 458 (7240) 904-908 (2009).

Wnt induces LRP6 signalosomes and promotes dishevelled-dependent LRP6 phosphorylation. Bilic, J et al., Science 316 (5831) 1619-1622 (2007).

Angiopoietin-2 sensitizes endothelial cells to TNF-alpha and has a crucial role in the induction of inflammation. Fiedler, U et al., Nature Medicine 12 (2) 235-239 (2006).

7 RESEARCH PROGRAM B

FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL GENOMICS Valentina Kovaleva, Russia

t was not a difficult deci- C ancer occurs when genes in a cell are changed in such a way that „Ision to come here. I was they cause the cell to divide uncontrollably. For this to happen, interested in the reasons why however, a multitude of specific changes have to coincide. It is people got cancer, as I had the task of this Research Program to analyze the genome – the relatives, who suffered from complete set of genes – to lay the foundation for developing new breast and stomach cancer. diagnostic and treatment methods. This involves mapping the Therefore, I would like to find genome, localizing genes within the genetic material and investi- out how likely it is that I or my gating the functions of cancer-relevant genomic areas. children will get cancer. The vast amounts of data accumu- lated in the process are captured and evaluated using bioinformatic methods. By combining approaches from mathematics, statistics, physics, and computer sciences with computer-assisted simulation techniques, the theoretical groups of this Program are bridging the gap to experimental research. The methods developed within the Program are being used directly in I always wanted to work in many areas within collaborations cancer research with patient with numerous divisions and re- materials and to do applied search groups of the Center. Some research, which could be used in hospitals. I want to be able examples are molecular and ge- to see my results helping pa- nomic investigations of the struc- tients in three to five years. ture of genetic material, cancer documentation, medical imaging, During my PhD I have also and biostatistical evaluations of ex- been a member of the five- perimental and clinical data. strong PhD student council, which is elected for a period of one year. Overall, my experience as a foreign student has been very positive, especially Selected Publications as there are a lot of other students from abroad working here.“ Experimental evidence for the influence of molecular crowding on nu- clear architecture. Richter, K et al., Journal of Cell Science 120 (9) 1673-1680 (2007).

Combinatorial synthesis of peptide arrays onto a microchip. Beyer, M et al., Science 318 (5858) 1888 (2007).

Secretion of Wnt Ligands requires Evi, a conserved transmembrane protein. Bartscherer, K et al., Cell 125 (3) 523-533 (2006).

8 RESEARCH PROGRAM C

CANCER RISK FACTORS AND PREVENTION Jittiporn Chaisaingmongkol, Thailand T his Program is concerned with identifying risk factors (primary prevention), early detection (screening), and approaches to prevent disease progression (chemoprevention). The German Cancer Research Center occupies a leading position in the area of epidemiological studies as well as in nutrition sciences, biostatistics, and the application of biomarkers, characteristic biological fea- tures that are key to the diagnosis or prognosis of cancer. It may be possible to prevent up to 30 percent of new cancer cases within the next 20 to 30 years. To reach this goal, the main activities of this program are focused on: integrating laboratory research, epidemiology, and clinical • have been in Germany for studies „I ten years now, two years • compiling and extending collections of biological samples of which at the DKFZ. I am and databases working on how DNA repair is regulated by epigenetics in • integrating genome, proteome, and biomarker research tumors. into epidemiological and clinical studies on the causes and prevention of cancer What I really like about the research here are the good fa- • studies to identify causal connections such as between diet cilities. You have great, state- and cancer of-the-art equipment to do • educational measures your work and the cooperation between groups at the • research and quality control related to tests and early detec- DKFZ is marvelous. tion programs When I talk to friends at uni- • characterizing new drugs for cancer prevention versities, they complain about • research in the fields of biostatistics and methodological in-house politics, whereas counseling. people here are more open- minded. I made the choice to come to the DKFZ and it’s great.

I do not feel like a foreign Selected Publications student, although I was born in Thailand. I speak German fluently and consider myself Downregulation of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) in chronic a German with an Asian ap- lymphocytic leukemia. Raval, A et al., Cell 129 (5) 879-890 (2007). pearance. I have even taken on many German character- Genome-wide association scan identifies a colorectal cancer susceptibil- istics and people sometimes ity locus on 11q23 and replicates risk loci at 8q24 and 18q21. Tenesa, A et al., Nature Genetics 40 (5) 631-637 (2008). forget that I did not grow up in Germany.“ P53 gain-of-function cancer mutants induce genetic instability by inacti- vating ATM. Song, H et al., Nature Cell Biology 9 (5) 573-580 (2007).

9 RESEARCH PROGRAM D

TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY Markus Brechmann, Germany

cientifically speaking, The immune system is our body’s most powerful weapon to I was interested in mo- combat pathogens and cancer cells. However, tumor cells have a „Slecular signaling in immunol- repertoire of tricks to evade the immune response. The divisions ogy and wanted to combine and research groups of this Program investigate the mechanisms my interest in basic signaling regulating the behavior of immune cells. Research focuses on cell mechanisms with cancer re- proliferation and programmed cell death (apoptosis), as well as on search, hence translational the activation and regulation of immune cells. Also under inves- immunology. This meant that tigation are cancers affecting the immune system itself. The aim the international PhD pro- is to better understand the role of the immune system in cancer, gram at the DKFZ was a per- AIDS, and autoimmune diseases. fect match for me.

The Division of Immunogenet- O ther working areas include investigating the connections be- ics, where I work, has a flat hier- tween natural (innate) and adaptive (acquired) immunity and the archy. There are a lot of people, resistance of tumors to treatment. The findings will be translated with whom you can talk about into new approaches for clinical application to utilize the poten- any problem you might have. tial of the immune system for fighting cancer. We have very close mentor- ing and great supervision. The supervision is not formal and quite personal. It is just fun being in the lab. I would say we have an outstanding working atmosphere and I really like it at the DKFZ.

There are a lot of social activi- Selected Publications ties around and connected to the lab. We don’t just meet at An efficient and versatile system for acute and chronic modulation of re- work but also at weekends for nal tubular function in transgenic mice. Traykova-Brauch, M et al., Nature a beer or to go to the cinema Medicine 14 (9) 979-984 (2008). or a party. I feel very settled in Heidelberg.” CD24 affects CXCR4 function in pre-B lymphocytes and breast carcinoma cells. Schabath, H et al., Journal of Cell Science 119 (2) 314-325 (2006).

10 RESEARCH PROGRAM E

IMAGING AND RADIOONCOLOGY Matthias Reuss, Germany

It is the task of this Program to introduce new findings, meth- he aim of my thesis is ods, and technologies to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. to combine the advan- The goal is to tailor tumor treatment to the individual patient „Ttages of light microscopy, and to improve possibilities for local and systemic tumor control. primarily in live cell imaging, This multidisciplinary Program is divided into two research areas: . with the high resolution that radiological oncology and medical oncology. electron microscopy offers. What is exciting about this Radiological Oncology area is that it is really cutting Work is centered on the development of novel approaches in di- edge, and so at the forefront agnostics and therapy, based on physical methods. The main re- of what is happening in sci- search areas are technologies within the fields of imaging and ence and light microscopy. radiation therapy. The subject’s complexity requires collaboration among scientists from various disciplines: physicists, mathemati- cians, computer scientists, engineers, chemists, and biologists.

Medical Oncology This area is concerned primarily with questions of toxicology, pathology, and chemotherapy, as well as approaches in gene therapy. The aim is to develop novel systemic diagnostic and therapeutic methods and to immediately transfer these into a clinical setting. This is achieved through intensive collaboration between the fundamental research divisions and groups of this Program and the Clinical Cooperation Units of the German Can- cer Research Center. As for the multi-disciplinary approach at the DKFZ, this Selected Publications can really help. For example, we do light microscopy but we are physicists, so we don’t Vascular normalization in Rgs5-deficient tumours pro- always know about how we motes immune destruction. can best apply it. That’s why Hamzah, J et al., Nature 453 we collaborate with cell biolo- (7193) 410-414 (2008). gists who explain problems, to which we can find answers STED microscopy reveals that together. synaptotagmin remains clus- tered after synaptic vesicle The DKFZ cares about get- exocytosis. Willig, KI et al., ting the very best students. Nature 440 (7086) 935-939 This provides an environment (2006). where you can flourish as you are among very good scien- Molecular ultrasound imag- tists.“ ing of early vascular response in prostate tumors irradiated with carbon ions. Palmowski, M et al., Neoplasia 11 (9), 856- 863, (2009).

11 RESEARCH PROGRAM F

INFECTION AND CANCER Rodrigo Mora, Costa Rica

hen I was in school, Vyiruses pla a crucial role in a number of cancers. This Program „Wsome people around investigates the mechanisms through which viruses cause cancer me died from cancer; a close and the ways in which the body defends itself against viruses. In family lost the father and a addition, researchers are isolating and characterizing unknown daughter within a year, and I viruses from tumor material. Special attention is placed on the di- lost a good friend. agnosis, prevention, and treatment of such viral infections. Scien- tists are also working on methods that use viruses to selectively In my country, I found medi- kill cancer cells or as vehicles for introducing therapeutic agents cine limiting as you only apply into cells. the research of others. I wanted to do something else to make The current focuses of tumor-virological research include: • Papilloma viruses and their role in cancers of the genital organs, the mouth and throat, and the skin • Parvo viruses as direct inhibitors of tumor growth and as gene vectors for cancer treatment •. retroviruses (HIV, spuma viruses) for developing specific therapies •. anello viruses (TT viruses) and their effect on the host cell genome •. herpes viruses (Epstein-Barr virus) in the development of malignant tumors and as gene vectors for cancer therapy. things better for cancer suffer- ers. That is exactly why I am here. It’s idealistic but I am still sticking to this original plan!

I always prefer to work effi- ciently. This means that when Selected Publications you have some results, you stop and consider what you have, taking your time to do so A specific signature of Merkel cell polyomavirus persistence in human and not allowing anything to cancer cells. Hausen, HZ, PNAS 105 (42) 16063-16064 (2008). detract from your motivation. Intranucleolar sites of ribosome biogenesis defined by the localization of The Division of Tumor Virol- early binding ribosomal proteins. Krueger, T et al., Journal of Cell Biology 177 (4) 573-578 (2007). ogy was where I could combine what I had learnt in clinical mi- The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein controls ciliogenesis by crobiology with cancer research. orienting microtubule growth. Schermer, B et al., Journal of Cell Biology The DKFZ has a nice working at- 175 (4) 547-554 (2006). mosphere and it’s easy to make lots of friends. As a member of the PhD student party team I help organize the parties where I get to know a lot of the other graduate students.”

12 RESEARCH PROGRAM G

TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESERARCH William Aaron Grandy, Canada

T his Program is composed of two divisions, Translational Oncol- am studying the devel- ogy and Preventive Oncology, both of which are located at the Na- „I opment of the kidney tional Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and equipped and how carcinomas develop by the. german. cancer. research. center. Under its umbrella are in this organ. I work with the. clinical. cooperation. units, which are operated jointly with three different institutes in the University Medical Schools of Heidelberg and Mannheim. The the immediate area around Program also includes a number of other divisions and research Heidelberg, which is really re- groups of the Center that are engaged in translational research. warding. I have three supervisors; my main supervisor is at The program has three main objectives: the DKFZ. One is from EMBL, and the other is at a clinic in •. supporting the preclinical research of the Center’s translational research portfolio •. offering centralized services for the effective preparation and realization of investigator-initiated trials and basic research projects with patient material • Facilitating patient access for systematic clinical implementation of phase I to IV trials, in collaboration with the University of Heidelberg.

Great importance is attached to creating a solid infrastructure, such as obtaining patient material through systematic tumor and serum banking (biobanking), developing regulatory clinical protocols by trial physicians and validated laboratory investigations accompanying trials, as well as biostatistical support and Mannheim, who is my kid- evaluation. The goal is also to speed up implementation in clinical ney and statistics expert. This research by overcoming the greatest obstacles that arise between means having not just one view of your topic but three. the laboratory workbench and the hospital bed. You meet a wide variety of Selected Publications people, from maybe 30 or 40 different nationalities, at the DKFZ student parties. This is Yes and P13K bind CD95 to sig- really great. I come from a nal invasion of glioblastoma. place in Canada that is not so Kleber, S et al., Cancer Cell 13 (3) mixed, an island on the east- 235-248 (2008). ern coast called Newfound- land. When I came here, it was Genomic instability and myelo- a nice change. I never knew dysplasia with monosomy 7 consequent to EVI1 activation people from Russia or South after gene therapy for chronic Africa before but now I have granulomatous disease. friends from there and all over Stein, S et al., Nature Medicine the world.“ 16 (2) 198-204.

Effective gene therapy with nonintegrating lentiviral vectors. Yanez-Munoz, RJ et al., Nature Medicine 12 (3) 348-353 (2006).

13 H geiDELber – bright lights in an old city

Heidelberg combines the best both medieval and renaissance Scientific hub of excellence of many worlds. Its historic old styles, until it was sacked and town transports visitors im- destroyed by the French at the Last but not least, Heidelberg mediately back into the Middle end of the seventeenth cen- is very much a modern city, Ages with its narrow lanes and tury. Karl. theodor, the Prince which prides itself on being at ancient buildings. Flanked by Elector, rebuilt the palace at the cutting edge of scientific hills and lush forests, there is the end of the eighteenth cen- research. The DKFZ is located plenty to tempt nature-lovers. tury but shortly afterwards in the. neuenheimer. feld, one The gateway to. heidelberg’s lightning destroyed the build- of the largest biomedical cam- medieval core is the unmistak- ings. The ruins have since in- puses in Germany. This site also able. old. bridge, with its two spired many a poem and song hosts the science faculties of towers, also known by its of- and were especially popular Heidelberg. university, as well ficial name, the Karl. theodor with the. german. romantic as the University hospital and Bridge. This landmark’s nine literary movement of the nine- other research departments. sandstone arches straddle the teenth century. Some of the DKFZ buildings Neckar. river, whose banks or are located in a thriving bio- Neckarwiese attract both lo- technology hub, known as the Contemporary highlights cals and tourists alike to while Technology Park. Also close by away time. Heidelberg has much to of- are other DKFZ collaborators, fer the modern-day visitor, in- the. european. molecular. biol- cluding an enviable cultural ogy Laboratory (EMBL) and the Landmark castle palette, ranging from theater Max-Planck Institute for Medi- Overlooking the. neckar and and music to film festivals, and cal Research. forested hills are the majestic even its own beers. Thanks to ruins of the Heidelberg Castle. the presence of many interna- And all this in a town with a It is thought that the oldest tional companies in the region population of nearly 140,000, part of this edifice was built and quality research faculties more than 20 per cent of whom in 1400 when what was origi- belonging to the University of are students. You do the math nally a fort was extended to Heidelberg, the city is a mag- and don’t just take it from us – build a castle. Over the next net for cosmopolitan individu- come and see for yourself. two centuries, the castle un- als from multicultural back- derwent further expansion in grounds.

14 Joining Germany’s best university

A s participants of the inter- well as nation and worldwide medical and science faculties national PhD program, you student discounts and the are the DKFZ’s neighbors in join a thriving community of right to use university sport the heart of the Neuenheimer postgraduate students on the facilities at a greatly reduced Feld. The University is also part DKFZ site. You will also have price. of the. cellNetworks national formal and informal access to cluster of excellence of which the wider student community As one of Germany’s oldest uni- the DKFZ is also an active in. heidelberg. All entrants to versities, Heidelberg has an un- member. For more information the. helmholtz. international paralleled reputation when it about this seat of learning, Graduate. school for. cancer comes to excelling at academ-. take a look at its web site at:. Research must register with a ics. In 2008, it was named the www.uni-heidelberg.de. university. Most DKFZ gradu- top university in. germany by ate students opt for the. uni- the. times. higher. education- versity of. heidelberg, one of Quacquarelli. symonds (THE- Germany’s oldest and most QS) World University Rankings. distinguished universities. This With its 625th birthday in 2011, provides a gateway to a world the establishment has more of extra benefits, including ac- than 400 professors, some cess to lectures arranged by 3,500 non-professorial staff the University departments as and over 25,000 students. Its

15 Graduate Program Outline

Funding whom is external to the DKFZ. necessary courses and having TAC meetings take place once completed and defended your The typical duration of the PhD a year, where the students thesis successfully. program is three years. During are expected to prepare short this time, students are funded written reports and give pre- Course Program by DKFZ stipends or third-party sentations of their work. The fellowships. These salaries are purpose of the TAC meetings is An important feature of the competitive by national and to monitor the student’s prog- Graduate. school is the course international standards. All ress, offer feedback on research program. Students attend sci-. graduate students at the DKFZ already conducted and discuss entific and non-scientific cours- are enrolled at the. helmholtz future plans and any other is- es and lectures and participate International. graduate. school sues, which might be relevant in additional activities. This en- for Cancer Research, regardless to the student’s work. courages students to broaden of how they are funded. their horizons, while learning valuable skills for their future Degree career. Supervision Once you have finished your Group leaders and division PhD you are granted your de- Participation in the following heads supervise students. A gree by the university with activities is required, however Thesis. advisory. committee which you initially registered. there remains a lot of flexibility (TAC) – personal to each stu- The degree you are awarded to allow students to tailor their dent – provides further sup- depends on your area of re- education to meet their own port. This TAC consists of their search and your university fac- needs and interests. supervisor and at least two ulty. This is, of course, depen- other senior scientists, one of dent on having attended the

16 PhD Initial Course International Conference All new PhD students are in- Every student must also par- vited to join the one-week ticipate (with either a poster PhD Initial Course, where they or talk) in an international con- attend seminars giving an ference. Students often have overview of the DKFZ, visit the the opportunity to travel to core facilities and take part in conferences abroad, but with a team-building event. This is so many scientific institutes in a great chance not only to get and around. heidelberg, you’ll to know the DKFZ but also to also find excellent internation- meet other new PhD students. al conferences taking place lo- cally. Progress in Cancer Research Lecture Series Scientific and Soft-Skills Courses Often it’s easy to get so involved in your own research While working at the bench will project that you lose sight of form the main part of your PhD, the big picture. This lecture se- it is important that you gain ries, which takes place once a the additional skills required to week during semester time, is complete your PhD. Students designed to give every student therefore collect credit points an overview of the current by attending scientific and soft- Additional Activities state of cancer research. skills courses, such as “Con-. focal microscopy”, “Scientific There are many other activi- writing” or “How to present in Active Participation in Seminar ties supported by the. gradu- English”. Many such courses Series ate. school, for example par- are organized by the DKFZ, but ticipation in summer schools, An important part of PhD students are also encouraged student-led activities, English training is learning to ex- to attend externally-organized or. german language classes, plain your research to other. courses. teaching responsibilities… the scientists. Therefore, students list goes on… are required to present their DKFZ PhD Poster Session work regularly in larger division seminars. Every year there is a large PhD poster presentation, organized in the same style as PhD Retreat those at scientific conferenc- Organized for PhD students by es, where students have the PhD students, this is a great chance to present their work chance to take a step back and get feedback from other from the lab bench and find students and scientists, in out what your colleagues are addition to finding out what working on. For more informa- other students at the DKFZ are tion, see page 19. working on.

17 Supporting Students

Graduate Program Office why the. graduate Program confidential advice and help to also has a dedicated. career solve the issue at hand. Student welfare at the DKFZ Advisor on hand to provide you has top priority. There is a dedi- with information about future PhD Student Council cated Graduate Program Office careers and give you access to to help you deal with the minu- the resources you require for But that’s not all: to ease your tiae of being at the DKFZ and planning the next stage in your transition into life in. heidel- much more. This office man- career. berg, there are PhD. student ages the entire PhD program Teams, led by the PhD Student – including the bi-annual can- Council, to provide support and Ombudsperson didate selections – and takes to answer any questions you care of participants’ concerns. For help in the rare instances might have. when things go wrong, the Graduate Program also has Career Advisor an ombudsperson to offer as- Of course, completing your sistance. As a DKFZ principal PhD is just the first step. That’s investigator, they can provide

TeP h hD StUDENT teams

Eylected b students from students to get to know each among the postgraduate com- other and broaden their hori- munity, the five-strong PhD- zons. The teams are: Student Council is in office for a year. It is the official liaison Welcome team between the PhD students and administrative and scientific T his team provides new stu- executive boards. dents with a warm welcome and friendly advice, easing Each council member is re- their transition into their new sponsible for a PhD student community. They produce a team. . these teams organize Newcomers’ Guide filled with a number of events that allow chapters of practical infor-

18 mation about working at the Pizza&Talk team Homepage team DKFZ and living in Heidel- berg. T he Pizza&Talk seminar is an This team looks after the Stu- informal forum where PhD student Council’s web pages, Retreat team dents regularly meet, present- known as the. student Forum. ing their latest results or even For more information, check T his group organizes the an- research problems concerning out www.dkfz.de/studentforum. nual PhD student retreat, their thesis. Each Pizza&Talk which all students attend at seminar consists of two short The PhD. student Teams are some point during their PhD. talks (around 15-20 minutes always looking for volunteers. The format of the retreat is each). After the scientific pre- There are plenty of opportuni- similar to a conference, where sentations, there is always ex- ties to get involved. PhD projects are presented tended pizza time to exchange either as posters or as short ideas and socialize. lectures. Social and cultural events are also an integral part Party team of the retreat. Teo mak sure that it’s not all just work, parties are regularly organized for all students at the DKFZ. These offer a chance to meet people from other research groups at the DKFZ in a relaxed atmosphere, where non-scientific discussions are strongly encouraged!

19 Application and Admission Requirements

By the time you have reached First of all, there are a number rounds each year in summer this page, you might be think- of criteria that candidates have and winter. To find out the ex- ing that the DKFZ is the right to fulfill. The most important act deadlines for this year and place for you to do your PhD. If ones are: to apply online, please check so, then why not send in your the website: www.dkfz.de/phd. application? University degree The application form asks for information about your back- Applicants should, or expect ground, including your educa- to complete within 6 months tional qualifications, honors, of the application deadline, a skills and interests. A state- masters degree or equivalent. ment of motivation is also re- You will find further informa- quired. When filling in the on- tion about the university de- line form, remember to have grees accepted by the DKFZ at electronic copies of your aca- www.dkfz.de/phd. demic certificates and evidence of other honors and English proficiency skills to upload with your application. You are also asked to I f you are not from Germany provide the names and con- or a native English speak- tact details of two referees. er, you will need to provide proof of your proficiency in What makes a successful ap- English. Accepted qualifica- plication? tions are a minimum TOEFL. test score of 240 (computer- The. selection. committee will based) or 600 (written), an evaluate whether you are a IELTS score of band 6.5+ or the good match for the. graduate Cambridge Certificate in Ad- School. Here is a non-exhaus- vanced English (CAE). tive list, outlining some of the characteristics, which the Com- Graduate Record Examina- mittee will look for: evidence of tions (GRE) preferred intellectual brightness, creativ- ity, aptitude, perseverance, in- The. selection. committee en- dependence and the ability to courages students to take a work in a team. GRE. Interviews Online application Within six weeks after the The first stage of the applica- deadline, the DKFZ will inform tion process takes place on- you of the outcome of your ap- line. There are two application plication. If you are through to

20 IMPRINT

Published by: German Cancer Research Center in the Helmholtz Association

Editor: Dr. Lindsay Murrells Graduate Program Office (M070) German Cancer Research Center Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany Phone: +49 6221 42-2141 the next selection round, you givet a shor oral presentation E-mail: [email protected] will be invited to. heidelberg of a recent research project. for an interview. In preparation Authors: for the interviews, you will be Success? Faryal Mirza provided with a list of PhD proj- Dr. Lindsay Murrells ects and asked to choose sever- You can expect to hear from al labs in which you would be the DKFZ within days of the Design: Dagmar Anders, interested in working. The final final evaluation as to wheth- www.different-arts.de evaluation lasts several days er you are offered a place in Printed by: and takes place approximately the. helmholtz. international CITY-DRUCK HEIDELBERG eight weeks after the applica- Graduate School for Cancer Re- tion deadline. This visit will search at the DKFZ. give you the chance to meet If you have any questions IageCeditsm r potential supervisors and col- about applying, please do not leagues and to get to know the hesitate to contact the Gradu- F ront: DKFZ, K. Böhnke; U2 (top): DKFZ, DKFZ. As part of the final evaluate Program. office (email: N. Schuster; U2 (bottom), p. 7 (bottom), ation, you will be expected to [email protected]). p. 8 (left), p. 9, p. 10 (left), p. 11 (top), p. 12, p. 13 (top), p. 16, p. 17 , p. 18 (top), p.19, back: DKFZ/Y. de Andres; p. 1 (top): DKFZ, p. 1 (bottom): DKFZ, S. Kallakuri; p. We are looking forward to receiving your application! 2 (top): DKFZ, N. Flerlage, p. 2 (bottom): private; p. 3, p. 4, left row (bottom), p. 13 (bottom): DKFZ/T. Schwerdt; p. 4, left row (top): IPP, p. 4, left row (middle): A. Zschau, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, middle row (top): Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, S. Herrmann, p. 4, middle row (bottom): photo: S. Hermann, copyright: Alfred- Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeres- forschung, right row: ESA/NASA; p. 5: DKFZ, L. Murrells; p. 6: DKFZ, M. Nici; p. 7 (top): DKFZ, C. Leufke, p. 7 (right): DKFZ, S. Pinto; p. 11 (bottom): DKFZ, C. Zech- mann; p. 14 (left): Heideberg Marketing GmbH, p. 14 (right): Wikimedia com- mons; p. 15: University Hospital Heidel- berg, Medienzentrum; p. 17: DKFZ, C. Schlude; p. 20: University Hospital Heidelberg, Medienzentrum; p. 21 (top): University of Heidelberg, p. 21 (bottom): DKFZ, A. Shukla.

21 German Cancer Research Center in the Helmholtz Association Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 D-69120 Heidelberg Germany