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At IMB, we explore the molecular biology of the nucleus with an overarching focus on gene regulation, epigenetics & genome stability

IMB Internship Programme

What we offer  Participating Groups  Internship Application 

Apply for an Internship at IMB

Do you want to join one of IMB's research groups for a research internship or for your thesis work? You can apply anytime throughout the year. 

Find below an overview of our application procedure, and information on how to apply. For more information on research internships at IMB, please read our FAQs.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for an internship at IMB, you must fullfil the following criteria:

  • Fully completed application submitted via email according to our instructions (see below), at least 4-5 months before the ideal start of your internship. If you are not an EU-citizen and you don't study within the EU, please apply at least 6 months before the ideal start of your internship.
  • Current enrollment at university in a life science related subject for a minimum of three years (unless you apply for Bachelor's thesis work). If you have already graduated, you can apply up to three months after the end of your studies.
  • Full details of at least one referee; if applicable, it should be someone who has supervised you in a research project.
  • High level of both spoken and written English.
  • Previous research experience is a plus.

Please note that if the application form is not completed in all its fields, and if some required documents are missing from the single PDF file, we won't be able to process your application.

Type & Duration of Internships

We accept applications for the following type of internships: 

  • Bachelor and Master thesis work: duration according to your study programme's regulations.
  • Mandatory internships required by your study programme (non-thesis work): duration according to your study programme's regulations.
  • ERASMUS internships: duration according to the fellowship. 
  • Voluntary internships = internships not required by your study programme:
    • If you have your own funding/fellowship: duration according to the fellowship you've been granted.
    • If you don't have your own funding: maximum 3 months.

Application Process

Before you apply, please carefully read the information in the FAQs; please note that the majority of questions that we receive from applicants, are explained in in the FAQs section. We invite you to also check our example application form to prepare your application (see point 2 below).

Ready to apply for an internship at IMB? Follow the steps below to prepare your application! 

1) Choose your group(s) and projects of interest

For your IMB internship application, you can select up to 5 IMB research groups that you are interested in among any of the ones listed in our Participating Groups page. 

Please note that you can apply for any of the listed participating groups, whether they have an internship position currently advertised or not. However, if a group is not listed in the Internship Programme's webpage, it means they are currently not accepting internship applications.

2) Prepare your application

Once you have selected your groups of interest, please first read the FAQs and then digitally fill in our Application Form (Download form here). The form must be filled in English.

Information required for application (click here to download a commented example of application):

  • Your personal data, including your current university or institute affiliation and contact details
  • Details of your current or most recent studies (BSc, MSc)
  • IMB research groups that you are interested in working with; up to 5 may be selected
  • Motivational statement describing your interest in a research internship at IMB and your chosen groups (maximum of 400 words)
  • Full contact details of one referee. Your referees should be senior scientists (group leaders or professors) and know you well, if possible having supervised you during a research project

In addition, you will need to submit the following documents:

  • Curriculum vitae, including:
    - Details on your degrees (BSc, MSc)
    - Details on any research experience (internships, research stays abroad) during studies 
    - Details of any other post-graduate degrees, awards, honours or distinctions
    - List of your publications (PubMed format) and your conference contributions (title of presentation or poster, date and location of the conference), if applicable
    - Contact of additional referees, if more than one is available
  • Your certificates, including:
    - University registration certificate that confirms your status as a student (if applicable)
    - University studies as far as completed (including certificates of qualification and transcripts of records)
    - High school certificate
    - Relevant extra-curricular activities or awards
    - English language test certificate (optional)

3) Submit your application

Please prepare one single PDF file (max size 5 MB) including:

  1. Application Form, completed electronically in English
  2. Your CV, in English
  3. Your certificates

All documents must be submitted via email as a single PDF file to training(at)imb.de.

If degree forms and records from your university or high school certificates are not available in English, we do not require authorised translations for this application. If you encounter any technical problems, please contact us (email).

4) Selection of participants

Your application will be evaluated in a multi-level selection process which may include an interview with our group leaders. Please note that we screen evaluations monthly, on the 15th of each month. We kindly ask for your understanding that it may take about 4 weeks after submission until we inform you of the final outcome.