Dear Participants!

Our cells are constantly subjected to environmental changes to which they must react in order to fulfill their roles in the organism. To do this, the cells must interpret the signals they receive and translate them into the correct output, be that the regulated expression of genes which will change to change its behavior or fate, the recycling of cellular material to survive starvation, or the destruction of potentially harmful material to maintain cell and organismal integrity. Essential for all these processes is the correct wiring of signaling pathways in cells and tissues.

The Max Perutz Labs are home to a strong group of scientists whose common long-term research goal is to investigate and understand how signaling mechanisms impact homeostasis in cell-free, cell-based and organismal systems. The PhD program ‘Signaling Mechanisms in Cellular Homeostasis”, funded by the FWF, offers structured, state-of-the-art training in signal transduction and competitive PhD projects that combine biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics to study cell signaling in different model organisms.

Currently, the PhD Program hosts 33 PhD students from 13 different countries in different stages of their PhD projects. These students are supervised by a core faculty of 12 and 5 associated PIs .

Our mission is to educate excellent PhD students to become independent researchers with a competitive professional profile, by fostering independence, inquisitive thinking, and scientific rigor. By engaging in institutional activities, by influencing and devising new training strategies and projects to increase networking and visibility, such as this Symposium, our students have made us proud and have confirmed us in our strategy.

The Faculty of the Program, past and future, thanks the organizing Committee and the speakers and looks forward to an exciting meeting.

Manuela Baccarini
Spokesperson of the Doctoral Program "Signaling Mechanisms in Cellular Homeostasis"

Facts: Doctoral Program “Signaling Mechanisms in Cellular Homeostasis”

Start: 2017

Current PhD students: 33

Alumni: 6 (Bas, Baumgartner, Benke, Elsner, Platanitis, Steinparzer)

Research groups: 12

Associated groups: 5

Nations: 18 (students: 13, faculty: 10)