Helmholtz Space Life Sciences
Research School

The DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne, Germany offers in cooperation with the universities of Aachen, Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Kiel, Magdeburg, Regensburg and the German Sports University Cologne excellent and interdisciplinary training for up to 25 doctoral students from different fields. Together with the cooperating institutions we intend to qualify a new generation of internationally competitive young scientists in the field of space life sciences research. They will be prepared for taking over leading positions in research, management and policy, industry, or consulting and education.

• Aims:
  SpaceLife aims to improve the qualification of the participating doctoral students and provide an optimal research environment towards their doctoral degree. Students will learn to develop integrated concepts to solve health issues in human spaceflight and in related disease patterns on Earth, and to further explore the requirements for life in extreme environments, enabling a better understanding of the ecosystem Earth and the search for life on other planets in unmanned and manned missions.
  
  
• Funding:
  SpaceLife is partially funded by the "President’s Initiative and Networking Fund" (“Impuls- und Vernetzungsfonds des Präsidenten”) of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
  
  
• PhD degree:
  SpaceLife gives the opportunity to carry out a full-time doctoral thesis at the end of which the doctoral students will receive a Dr. rer. nat., Dr. hum. biol., Dr. oec. troph., Dr. med. vet., Dr. rer. medic., Dr. Sports Sciences.
  
  
• Start of Program:
  May 2009. The introductory Summer School “Living with a star: Basics in Space Life Sciences” took place in the “Physikzentrum” Bad Honnef, Germany, on August 24-28, 2009.
  
  
• Application: The next announcement of scholarships will be in 2012. Start of new theses is foreseen for end of 2012. The application forms will be available when the new announcement is posted (not before 2012).