PhD Programm Integrated in the GoFORSYS research center is an international PhD program. The program provides an opportunity for students holding a master degree, a diploma or an equivalent degree in the relevant subjects to perform high-end research in plant Systems Biology. This PhD program extends the Bioinformatics Master Course offered at the University of Potsdam. Cross-faculty courses and colloquia offer a platform for interdiscipli- nary dialogue and represent a key component of this post-graduate program. An individual career plan including regular monitoring of scientific progress by a supervision committee will be developed for each student. We offer interdisciplinary training and complementary scientific education. Contact: Isabell Witt, Carsten Müssig Photosynthesis and Growth – A Systems Biology based Approach Since January 2007 Potsdam is hosting one of the 4 new centers for Systems Biology research funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany. The center is focussed on Photosynthesis and Growth – A Systems Biology based Approach, integrating research groups from the University of Potsdam, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. In an innovative interdisciplinary systems biology approach we seek to gain insight into how plants adjust and optimise photosynthesis to a changing environment using multilevel network models. The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii will serve as an excellently characterized model organism which will guarantee fast results and reliable datasets. In later stages of the project these data will be transferred into models targeting towards the improvement of crop plants. Infrastructure An interdisciplinary research team consisting of 17 partner groups with expertise in the fields of biology, bioinformatics, physics, mathe- matics and chemistry represents a unique cluster of specialists to perform a successful plant Systems Biology approach. Two Junior Research Groups for theoretical biology and proteomics and metabolic modeling complement the team to address the key objective of comprehensive systems analysis to understand photo- synthesis and its regulation in response to selected environmental factors. Our unique set of advanced instrumentation and technologies provides a strong technical infrastructure for our Systems Biology research. We combine cutting-edge, high-throughput proteomic tools, advanced sensors, precise analytical methods and sophisticated computational tools to target the scientific aim. The GoFORSYS science centre is located in Potsdam which represents one of the most modern science parks in Germany close to the capital Berlin. Participating Groups Industrial Partner metanomics GmbH & Co KGaA Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Reinhard Lipowsky, Theoretical Physics Angelo Valleriani, Statistical Physics Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology Ralph Bock, Organelle Biology Jens Rupprecht, Photo-Bioreactor Design Mark Aurel Schöttler, Physiology Mark Stitt, Metabolic Networks Dirk Walther, Bioinformatics Lothar Willmitzer, Molecular Physiology University of Potsdam Thomas Altmann, Genetics Matthias Holschneider, Applied Mathematics Jürgen Kurths, Non-linear Dynamics Heiko Lokstein, Spectroscopy Bernd Müller-Röber, Molecular Biology Peter Saalfrank, Theoretical Chemistry Torsten Schaub, Knowledge Processing Joachim Selbig, Bioinformatics Martin Steup, Plant Physiology Ralph Tiedemann, Evolutionary Biology Junior Research Groups Oliver Ebenhöh, Theoretical Biology Wolfram Weckwerth, Proteomics and Metabolic Modelling Coordination Lothar Willmitzer, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology Bernd Müller-Röber, University of Potsdam Contact: Claudia Falter, University of Potsdam GoFORSYS Potsdam-Golm BMBF-FORschungseinrichtung zur SYStembiologie GoFORSYS