Doctoral Research Degrees und Postdoctoral Degrees
A doctoral research degree ('Promotion'), e.g. a PhD, is evidence of your ability to conduct independent and original research. Therefore, the successful completion of a doctoral research degree is usually a prerequisite for a career in academia.
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Entering Academia
Charité offers excellent conditions for young researchers hoping to enter a career in academia. These include outstanding research and work environments, as well as a comprehensive program of courses aimed at doctoral students. You can complete your doctoral studies by either opting for a traditional doctorate (which is equivalent to a PhD) or by choosing a 'structured doctoral program' (access to which is dependent on your aptitude and how suited you are for the subject area as well as your successful completion of the selection process).
For further information on doctoral studies and relevant contacts, please go to the web pages provided by the Office of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies.
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Medical Neurosciences
The Medical Neuroscience program is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the human brain, which combines both basic and clinical research. Doctoral students gain the skills and knowledge to describe and understand both the physiology and pathophysiology of the brain. The program aims to prepare doctoral students for careers at the 'bench-bedside interface' of neuroscience or in application-focused research in the biomedical sciences.
Regenerative Therapies
The Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT) promotes the interdisciplinary training of young researchers, and ensures this training is in line with the highest international research standards. One of the greatest challenges of interdisciplinary research is effective communication between researchers. Clinicians, biologists, biochemists and engineers effectively speak different languages, yet need to be able to work closely together. For this reason, the training program is not limited to teaching comprehensive knowledge of cell and molecular biology, bioengineering, biotechnology and biomaterials; rather, it also offers key qualifications in areas such as delivering research presentations and scientific writing, and provides training in clinical studies, economic aspects, and career planning. The School’s close links with the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) ensure constant access and exposure to the latest research findings within the field, and help to create a range of different development opportunities.
Integrative Oncology
The Berlin School of Integrative Oncology (BSIO) offers a three-year doctoral program in integrative oncology, which sees life scientists work and study side-by-side with (future) physicians. The aim of the program is to enhance the students’ understanding of cancerous growth processes. Experimental and simulation modeling are used to widen the focus of molecular biology, cell biology, organ-based and systems mathematics-based research, to promote the development of new diagnostic processes and innovative therapies for rapid translation into clinical practice. In addition to an outstanding research environment, the BSIO also offers a career support and mentoring network, which aims to optimize the support available to talented young researchers building an academic research career in the field of clinically-oriented translational cancer research.
Health Data Sciences
The Health Data Sciences doctoral program is aimed at qualified researchers wishing to improve their methodological knowledge in the areas of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Meta-Research and Population Health Sciences, and further develop their competencies in research and teaching.
Health Data Scientists use innovative analytics to recognize data patterns and causal structures, which will yield reliable evidence to inform health promotion strategies. In addition to working on their research projects, doctoral candidates enrolled on this program will visit lectures on research methodologies employed in the fields of:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Meta-Research, and
- Population Health Sciences
A range of seminars will assist students in the task of presenting their research concisely and within its broader scientific context. Doctoral students will also work with university teaching staff to prepare, and subsequently teach, lessons in Health Data Science methodology.
Re-Thinking Health
Embedded in the Strategy 2030 of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Else Kröner Promotionskolleg Re-Thinking Health is a structured training program for medical students aiming for substantial scientific activity at an early stage and a long-term career as clinician scientist. The thematic focus of the college is to understand molecular mechanisms of health and prevention in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of health and thus develop options for interceptive therapeutic and preventive interventions.
The interdisciplinary, translational PhD topics, which are designed for a 12-month period, are integrated into an intensive curriculum, which can be completed alongside studies. Close supervision beyond the period of experimental work until graduation is an essential part of the program and is supported by a special mentoring program tailored to female physicians, which also shows career paths using internationally leading female physician scientists as role models.