We encourage you to get some international experience under your belt while with us and will support you in this effort. Doing a single or two back-to-back lab placements abroad will be the typical way to do this. The faculty of the IFIB has considerable contacts abroad which we will use to facilitate your search. In addition, the institute has a formalized exchange program with Capital Normal University in Beijing, China.
Marco's story: Marco studied biochemistry as part of the Diploma degree that preceded the current Master program. He first went to Cambridge, USA as part of a lab placement during his studies in Tübingen. There, he got to know a top structural biology lab and the principal investigator got to know him. So well, in fact, that she encouraged him to apply for the MIT's PhD program. And this is what he is currently up to, enjoying the excellent science and the fun city.
Susanne's story: To follow her interest in melanoma, Susanne went to work in a lab in Uppsala, Sweden. She very much enjoyed the multi-cultural atmosphere and met many people from all over the world. She says, one of the most important tradition in Sweden is Fika, the coffee break with friends. After her time in Sweden, she went on to a 2nd internship in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. She reports that after demonstrating her independence in the lab, she was given the opportunity to devise her own experiments and projects. Her perfect day in Boston is having lunch in Chinatown with delicious dumplings and then go sailing on the Charles River.
