The Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC) at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena is not only an Excellence Graduate School, but also a lively network of scientists from a broad variety of natural & life sciences institutes and an umbrella organization for three Research Training Groups in Jena. The JSMC was first awarded funding within the German Excellence Initiative in 2007. In June 2012 the Excellence Status of the JSMC was confirmed and funding for an additional six years was granted to the Graduate School. Since 2019 the JSMC is funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.

Today, JSMC hosts a total of about 130 doctoral researchers. Their research projects are situated at the numerous institutes that make up the JSMC network, including institutes and clinics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena as well as non-university research institutions.

The 5th Alumni Meeting for the JSMC and ILRS postgraduates on Friday, June 27, 2025 is getting closer! Our alumni will share their experiences and some information about their current position.

All alumni and current doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are cordially invited! Participation is free of charge, but please register here by 23rd May to help us plan.

Use this unique opportunity to exchange ideas with alumni and find out more about career opportunities in academia and industry. There will also be plenty of time for discussion and networking.🥳

The Theoretical Microbial Ecology research group, led by Prof. Rosalind Allen, is part of the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the Friedrich Schiller University. The group seeks to understand how microbes survive, grow and interact in complex and changing environments. The group is especially interested in how microbial communities assemble and function and how bacteria respond to antibiotics in the human body. To study these topics the group combines computational and theoretical models with lab experiments. They seek to fill the position of a Doctoral Researcher commencing on 01.08.2025. They offer a part-time position (65%, 26 hours per week), initially offered as a fixed-term position until 31.07.2028.

Further information can be found here.

The JSMC is part of the Jena Alliance "Life in Focus" that promotes a nationally and internationally visible excellent graduate qualification at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

Under the umbrella of the Graduate Academy, the Jena Alliance networks and strengthens the established graduate programmes: Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC), Jena School of Molecular Medicine (JSMM), Abbe School of Photonics (ASP) and Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP).

Want to know more?