Here we present the current cohort of the Pre-Doc Award with the doctoral projects. There is also information for the Awardees - Predocs as well as Postdocs.
Insight into the Kick Off Event on 11.11.2024
Cohort 2024/25
Rabbi Aharon Shmu’el Tamaret and Zionism
Rabbi Tamaret (1869-1931) was a very interesting figure of the early Zionist movement who is now largely forgotten. He spent many years as a vocal proponent of the young Zionist movement and publicly defended the Zionists from Orthodox Jewish critics. However, after Tamaret attended the Zionist Congress of 1900 in London, he completely changed his view of Zionism and spent the rest of his life writing fervent critiques of Herzl and his movement. He accused them of seeking to undermine the values that the Jewish collective had developed over thousands of years. His work illuminates the conflict between the traditional Jewish thought-world and Enlightenment paradigms of nationalism that is still playing out between secular and religious Jewish groups in Israel today.
Exploring Species Invasiveness in the Nigerian Flora
Invasive plants are introduced by humans and cause damage in their new environment. They threaten native flora and unique ecosystems and can also have negative impacts on humans. This project investigates the factors that drive species invasiveness within Nigeria, with a focus on identifying key predictors and informing conservation strategies. The project will
use ecological niche modelling to predict future invasion hotspots under climate change scenarios, thereby guiding conservation efforts. Additionally, the project will assess the effectiveness of regreening initiatives, such as the UN’s Great Green Wall and Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), in enhancing climate resilience in northern Nigeria. The results will contribute to managing biological invasions and strengthening ecosystem resilience, thereby supporting sustainable environmental management and biodiversity conservation in the region.
Targeting pathogenic post-translational protein modifications in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative disorders. Both are characterized by the accumulation of specific molecules: amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in AD and alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) proteins in PD.
Post-translational modifications of Aβ and α-Syn are highly abundant in the brains of patients. These modified peptides show increased aggregation, resistance to proteolysis, and increased neurotoxicity.
The major goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that specific enzymes act on these modifications and could potentially detoxify Aβ and α-Syn proteins. Therefore, highly interesting candidate enzymes that might act on Aβ/α-Syn modifications could potentially offer new therapeutic approaches.
The role of Nme2 in hematopoietic stem cell homeostasis
This project investigates how the protein Nme2 affects blood stem cells in the bone marrow, focusing on how shifts in their environment impact their growth and function. Nme2 is thought to link a cell’s energy state to its ability to form various blood cell types, making it a key player in maintaining healthy blood production. We developed a lentiviral tool to identify proteins that interact with Nme2 under different energy conditions to understand how blood stem cells are regulated and how changes in the bone marrow environment might lead to blood disorders. This research could provide insights for developing targeted therapies for blood disorders, focusing on the crucial impact of the bone marrow environment on stem cell health and function.
Unifying Earth Observational Data for Prediction and Forecasting Tasks: A Generative AI Approach
Some of the most pressing questions of our time involve a profound understanding of the impacts of climate change risks, including extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and hazardous near-surface environmental processes. To understand these events, Remote Sensing technologies, for example on satellites, are being used to continuously monitor the land surface for various measurements such as temperature or precipitation. Massive volumes of data are being created this way. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are becoming increasingly important for processing this data. The goal of our project is to explore the potential of using Generative AI
(GAI) for prediction and forecasting tasks in Earth System Sciences
(ESS) and to provide a comparison to numerical methods and traditional Machine Learning based models.
Artificial intelligence for optimizing automated glycan assembly
Branched glycans are found in all living organisms and play critical roles in various biological processes, including cell-cell recognition, immune system function, and protein folding. However, their intricate synthesis is often reserved for experts due to the specialized knowledge required. The objective of this project is to make glycan synthesis more accessible and empower non-experts to the subject. Therefore, we aim to develop two artificial intelligence (AI) tools to advance automated glycan assembly (AGA). First, we will program an AI to propose synthesis routes for given complex glycans. Second, this tool will be combined with machine learning to predict ideal reaction conditions. The results will enable the rapid synthesis and design of branched glycans for a wide range of researchers.
Encounters with the foreign. An alterity-theoretical approach between ethics and aesthetics
The dissertation project aims to bring the philosophers Theodor W. Adorno and Emmanuel Levinas into dialogue about the experience of alterity in aesthetic encounters with works of art (Adorno) and in direct human interactions (Levinas). The central thesis of the project is that artworks, through their unique nature, enable us to experience the foreign in a safe environment. This could help to develop a tolerance for ambiguity – an important aspect of encounters with the foreign in social interactions. By bringing Adorno's aesthetics and Levinas' ethics into a dialogue, the dissertation connects the complementary yet conflicting perspectives of the two. While Adorno wrote countless texts on artworks and art in general and placed a great deal of hope in (avant-garde) art, his work is void of an elaborated ethics. On the other hand, Levinas' comments on aesthetics are far behind his ethics and are extremely sceptical about the possibility of experiencing alterity in art.
Investigating peripheral TMS-effects – How do peripheral and transcranial effects relate to each other?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique widely used in clinical applications and basic research. As a research tool it has the unique potential to transiently interfere with cognitive functions by manipulating a specific brain area (transcranial effect). It therefore allows to investigate causal involvement of cortical hubs in cognitive processing. Beyond transcranial effects, TMS goes along with side effects, such as clicking sounds, skin sensations and consequent attention shifts (peripheral effects). These peripheral effects were shown to modulate cognitive functions additionally, potentially interfering with transcranial effects and thus limiting interpretability of study results. This project is dedicated to shed light on the relationship between transcranial and peripheral TMS effects and will contribute to the understanding of TMS’ mechanisms-of-action.
The development of social intelligence in three ungulate species: cattle (Bos taurus), pigs (Sus domesticus), and sheep (Ovis aries)
This project aims to gain a deeper understanding of the ontogenetic and evolutionary drivers of social intelligence in ungulates, with a focus on implications for animal welfare. Although ungulates play a key economic role for humans, their social behavior remains understudied, particularly how social skills develop throughout their lifespan. We will (1) assess individual developmental trajectories of socio-cognitive skills in different ungulate species, (2) link these trajectories to the ontogenetic context experienced and to the socio-ecological characteristics of the species, and (3) evaluate how these factors predict and mediate welfare. A comprehensive understanding of ungulate cognitive development during ontogeny will provide valuable insights on the way they perceive their environment and on the measures that most increase their welfare, and will contribute to shed light on the evolutionary origins of social cognition.
A Closer Look at Grasslands - Monitoring Grassland Communities via Remote Sensing Techniques to Evaluate the Influence of Biodiversity on Functional Traits
This project explores the use of remote sensing techniques to investigate how plant diversity influences grassland community responses to climate change, focusing on assessing key functional traits such as leaf angles and flowering onset. Grasslands play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, regulating climate, and providing essential ecosystem services, making them highly susceptible to rising temperatures and extreme weather events. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of proximal sensing and machine learning techniques to estimate critical functional traits. By refining methods for automated trait detection, the research aims to establish a foundational approach for monitoring grassland responses to climate stressors, providing a starting point for future applications and more comprehensive studies. Ultimately, this approach will help understand how biodiversity enhances resilience and stability in grassland ecosystems under changing environmental conditions.
Internal Variability Storylines – Exploring Plausible Near-Future Climate States
In the context of anthropogenic climate change and the unfolding of its impacts on society, there is a growing need for actionable climate information for adaptation measures, particularly at the regional scale and in the near-term future. However, skillful predictions on these scales are especially challenging and characterized by both epistemic uncertainty in the response to forced climate-change and aleatoric uncertainty, due to the internal variability of the earth system.
Through the development of internal variability storylines and their application to regional, near-term climate predictions, we aim to disentangle the drivers and uncertainties of near-term change and thus to improve both our physical understanding of these changes as well as their communication towards relevant stakeholder groups.
Geophysical evidence of Early Bronze- and Iron Age water management at Bisya archaeological sites in Oman
The archaeological site of Bisya/Salut lies 30 kilometres south of the historic city of Bahla in a fluvial plain were two major river (wadi) systems converge making it a favourable area for oasis and agriculture. The area has been inhabited, with a few exceptions, since the fourth millennium BC. The castle of Salut and its surroundings are becoming an important place for tourism in Oman. The large concentration of archaeological sites and the still unknown extent of the historical water management system makes these places interesting for geophysical and remote sensing surveys in a geoarchaeological context. This Pre-doc project is aimed at identifying remnants of the Bronze and Iron age water management and irrigation system, such as ditches, channels, wells, falaj (so called gravity-driven filtration galleries constructed for draining groundwater) and the potential presence of gardens and houses. We will use geophysical and remote sensing methods to characterize both the archaeological and hydrogeological features in the areas, leading to the development of a larger PhD project through the writing of a proposal grant.
Navigating the Dilemma between Universalism and Particularism
The principle of universality, which asserts the equal capacity of all human beings to reason, is challenged by the particularity of judgments, which are shaped by individual, historical and cultural contexts. Universalism has often been appropriated to serve particular interests, as in the case of colonialism, which was justified by a universalist but distinctly European notion of human progress and a corresponding notion of underdevelopment. Our project explores the inherent tension between universalism and particularism. By examining classic texts of the European Enlightenment alongside modern critical perspectives such as postcolonial theories, we aim to explore how concepts such as human rights, progress and ethical values can be articulated without succumbing to Eurocentric tendencies, and whether universality and particularity can be conceived as complementary aspects of human social life.
Information for the Awardees
Here we have compiled information that can support you during your Pre-Doc Award sponsorship.
There are various ways to finance your doctorate. In addition to your own position, which is financed by third-party funds raised by your postdoc, you can also apply for funding yourself. You will find a number of possibilities on the following pages.
The website Stipendiumplus provides information on foundations that also award doctoral scholarships. You can find a further overview of scholarships and study support through foundations on the website Stiftungssuche.
On the basis of the Saxon Higher Education Freedom Act and the Saxon State Scholarship Ordinance, scholarships for doctoral funding are awarded at our university as state postgraduate scholarships.
You can also find further important information on the following pages of our university:
- PhD Funding
- Consulting and organisation
On our homepage we inform you about the possibilities of a doctorate at Leipzig University and provide documents such as doctoral regulations.
You can also find a comprehensive range of information and advice on your doctorate on the website of the Graduate Academy Leipzig.
Predocs
The international doctoral initiative warmly welcomes all new as well as future doctoral students. Find them on Facebook.
Information about the ProRat (PhD Council) can be found on the Intranet or on Facebook.
Postdocs
The interdisciplinary and international Postdoc Club meets regularly and offers space to help shape events and topics
We also offer you the opportunity to network with other postdocs via the LinkedIn group Postdocs in Leipzig.
We provide a wide range of further information for doctoral researchers on the Leipzig Researcher Development Programme page.
The Career Service supports you with questions about your career prospects.
The continuing education database of our university bundles all continuing education offers from various offices. In addition, you can obtain further information, e.g. on the further education centre of the Free State of Saxony in Meißen, where you can take advantage of all further education offers free of charge.
The Graduate Academy Leipzig is the central institution for the promotion of young academics at the University of Leipzig. Among other things, you will find a comprehensive workshop programme there.
The foreign language offers of the Language Institute are aimed at all those who want to expand and improve their foreign language skills for professional or private reasons.
Further information for postdocs is available here.
