iGRAD-Plant – An International Graduate Program for Plant Science „The Dynamic Response of Plants to a Changing Environment“

Abstract

The International Graduate Program for Plant Science (iGRAD-Plant) is offering a structured PhD program with excellent research possibilities for young scientists. iGRAD-Plant is a joint program with the Jülich Research Center (ICG-3 Phytosphere) and the Genetics Program of the Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, USA. The Graduate Program was established in June 2009 with the financial support of the German Research Council. 1 Since than, the iGRAD-Plant program offers an excellent scientific training in modern plant sciences, interdisciplinary research projects, and an innovative Transferable Skills program to 17 excellent graduate students coming from seven different countries. The iGRAD-Plant faculty consists of 11 junior and senior faculty members at HHUD and the Jülich Research Center, and 15 faculty members at MSU, one of the strongest plant research groups in the United States. The partners at MSU contribute complementary expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, cell biology, and biochemistry. In addition, the international collaboration provides a rich environment for graduate training and promotes mobility and integration of graduate researchers into the international research community. The long-term goal of the iGRAD-Plant program is to evolve the partnership between HHUD and MSU into a joint degree program, through which a student will be able to earn a PhD degree granted cooperatively by both universities. Research In contrast to most animals and microorganisms, plants are sessile organisms, and thus are not able to evade unfavorable environmental change by migration or flight. Instead, plants have evolved multiple complex mechanisms to cope with environmental change. These range from the production of dormant stages such as seeds, which enable plants