DAAD scholarships

DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Program (GSSP)

Doctoral education in structured PhD programs is an essential part of the qualification process of young academics in Europe and Germany.

For the second consecutive time, Graduate School Life Science Engineering (LSE has been awarded the prestigious DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Program (GSSP). This programme offers up to four doctoral scholarships – two scholarships each in 2025 and 2026 for international candidates. Each DAAD scholarship covers a funding period of up to four years.

Since 2012, the DAAD GSSP aims to increase the number of DAAD-funded international PhD students in structured doctoral programs in Germany. It also aims to support the establishment and expansion of research collaborations with foreign partners in the long term.

Scholarship recipients not only have the opportunity to complete a DAAD-funded doctorate at TU Darmstadt but also become part of the interdisciplinary Graduate School for Life Science Engineering. They can expect an international and interdisciplinary research environment with individual support.

We are delighted to welcome talented young scientists from around the world and to provide them with the best possible conditions for their scientific careers.

Don't miss the chance and apply for the DAAD-GSSP scholarships in 2026

The Graduate School Life Science Engineering (GS LSE) at TU Darmstadt announces a unique opportunity for international PhD students under the prestigious GSSP Programme funded by the DAAD.

What we offer:

  • Interdisciplinary Research: Explore cutting-edge projects at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, and life sciences
  • Global Network: Join a vibrant community of scientists and experts from diverse backgrounds
  • Excellence in Supervision: Conduct your doctoral studies under the supervision of renowned scientists and benefit from the accompanying PhD programme of the Graduate School LSE

The call for application will open from January 12 – February 22, 2026. Please read the application requirements BEFORE applying.

Application requirements:

  • Applicants must not have been resident in Germany for more than the last 15 months prior to the nomination
  • The last final exam (Master Degree) should have taken place no longer than six years before the time of nomination
  • Application documents comprise a CV, a motivation letter, transcript of records (BSc. & MSc.) and at least 2 contacts for recommendation letters (or recommendation letters if available)
  • Applicants must not have completed a PhD previously
  • Applicants should refer to their preferred research group offering a PhD position

📌 Applicants who receive their master's degree after the application deadline may also apply for the program.

Admission process:

  • A selection committee of the Graduate School LSE will review the applications and select candidates for a nomination to the final decision process of the DAAD
  • Nominated applicants must further submit their application documents to the DAAD for the nomination procedure
  • Applicants successfully accepted by the DAAD will be offered a full PhD scholarship, funded by the GSSP programme

👉 Please submit your application via the online application form when the call for application is open. Applications sent via mail are not accepted!

Take the first step towards shaping the future of interdisciplinary research in one of the following research groups:

The Stein lab can host research projects in the field of protein engineering and synthetic biology. A particular emphasis is on engineering protein sensors, switches as well as transport processes across cellular and biomimetic membranes while focussing on metabolites, drugs and other biotechnologically relevant small molecules.

Applications for the envisaged protein technologies are diverse. For instance, protein sensors can be used for the real-time analysis of metabolites and drugs in both live cells and complex diagnostic samples. Similarly, protein switches can be applied to control molecular functions with exquisite specificity and temporal resolution. Further, sensors and switches can be used to build sense-and-respond circuits that operate autonomously in live cells and intelligent (bio)materials. Finally, tailor-engineered transport processes across biological and biomimetic membranes can form part of integrated biomolecular sensing and separation technologies.

Molecular engineering endeavours are complemented by the development of dedicated enabling technologies (e.g. combinatorial DNA assembly methods, high-throughput screening systems and robotic automation) that are combined with high-resolution analytical methods (e.g. electrophysiological measurements in lipid bilayers and live cell fluorescence microscopy in microfluidics) to gain fundamental insight how artificially engineered proteins functions and ultimately facilitate the underlying construction process.

The development of RNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has impressively demonstrated the enormous potential of RNA therapeutics. This has led to a strong global research focus on RNA therapeutics not only for combating viruses, but also for other diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

In this PhD project, we aim to develop RNA-based devices that enable the control of RNA therapeutics. Synthetic riboswitches are being developed that can sense their cellular environment and specifically activate translation when the therapeutic has reached the target cells, and self-destruct when it is no longer needed. Thereby, we employ a variety of methods ranging from in vitro selection of aptamers, their detailed biochemical and genetic characterization, and the engineering of aptamers into synthetic riboswitches, up to their application.

Suess Lab

Engineering Light-Driven Biomineralization in Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are unique among bacteria for performing oxygenic photosynthesis, enabling the fixation of atmospheric CO₂ into organic biomass. Under specific conditions, some species can additionally convert dissolved inorganic carbon into calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), forming biogenic minerals without expending cellular energy. This natural process represents a promising basis for sustainable carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies.

This PhD project aims to enhance cyanobacterial biomineralization capacity through synthetic biology approaches. Strategies include engineering cell-surface proteins to promote CaCO₃ nucleation, implementing recombinant surface-display systems, and applying adaptive laboratory evolution to optimize strain performance under industrially relevant conditions such as high-temperature, CO₂-rich flue gas environments.

The successful candidate will characterize engineered strains for efficiency and stability, generating insights with dual relevance for biotechnological CCS applications and the understanding of natural biomineralization and cementation processes. The project bridges microbiology, synthetic biology, and geo-ecology, offering interdisciplinary training in molecular methods, microbial physiology, and environmental biotechnology.

Applicants should hold a strong background in microbiology or molecular biology, experience with genetic engineering techniques, and a genuine interest in cyanobacterial ecology and physiology.

We are an interdisciplinary, dynamic team in Chemistry searching for new nanoporous materials, manufacturing and functionalization methods to push the limits of nanopore transport with benefits in the areas of water management, sensor technology, and synthetic biology.

Compartmentalized cascade reactions are developed aiming to design artificial cells. To enable chemical information processing between synthetic or biological compartments we aim to integrate synthetic nanopores to control molecular transport in time, and thus to design chemical information exchange between compartments. The porous materials controlling transport can be mesoporous films, particles or printed compartments. Precisely controlled concentration-time profiles of signaling molecules between compartments for signalling require a precise nanopore fabrication, nanopore functionalization, e.g. using polymers, and nanopore device integration. Based on our expertise on nanopore functionalization and transport control, we aim to develop functionalized nanoscale porous ceramic materials allowing temporally controlled molecular transport or release. We aim to interface such nanoporous materials with biological cells or chemical reactions and to integrate them into multi-compartment materials or microfluidic devices.

Candidades should have experience in synthetic (polymer) chemistry, sol-gel chemistry or in characterization of polymers at interfaces, porous materials and release or transport processes. The ability to work in an interdisciplinary team, a very high degree of independence, the ability to develop your own ideas, a very high level of motivation are desired.