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CSC-Tübingen PhD Program: Project 04/2026: The discovery of new phosphonate natural products

Topic Description: Phosphonate natural products form a distinct class of bioactive compounds, predominantly produced by actinomycetes. They stand out for their remarkable biological activities and an unusually high rate of successful commercialization compared to natural products in general. Notable examples include fosfomycin, phosphinothricin, and
fosmidomycin. Building on strains from the DSMZ and Tübingen strain collections, which have already been shown through genome mining to harbor phosphonate biosynthetic gene clusters, we aim to discover novel phosphonates. To achieve this, we will employ both classical approaches and innovative strategies such as chemical labeling.

Faculty: Faculty of Science
Institute/Section/Subject: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine (IMIT), Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds
https://www.hughesresearchgroup.de/
subject: natural products chemistry

Supervising Professors: Dr. Chambers C. Hughes

About the Supervisors: Dr. Hughes was born and raised in bucolic western New York, USA. In 1999 he graduated with a B.S. in biochemistry and a minor in Latin from Geneseo College. In 2004 he completed a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, with Prof. Dirk Trauner. Next, Dr. Hughes held an extended postdoctoral/research associate appointment with Prof. William Fenical at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. In 2012 Hughes was hired as assistant professor at Scripps. He then joined his family, in 2019, in Tübingen and is currently a Research Group Leader in the Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds at the University of Tübingen.

Intended Degree: Dr. rer. nat.

Type of the PhD study: Full-time (complete doctoral studies at the University of Tübingen)

Requirements for the application:
Required Degrees and Qualifications: MSc in chemistry, biochemistry or similar subject, experimental expertise in bacterial cultivation, natural product isolation and structure elucidation, NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry

Language Requirements: English in C1 in a SELTS (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL) for all parts of the test.

Notes: Previous CSC scholarship holders in the group have published in high-impact journals. For example, see: Vitale GA,# Xia SN,# Dührkop K, Reza M, Shahneh Z, Brötz-Oesterhelt H, Mast Y, Brungs C, Böcker S, Schmid R, Wang M, Hughes CC,* Petras D.* Enhancing tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolite annotation with online chemical labeling. Nat Commun. 2025;16:6911. DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-61240-z
# indicates co-first author



For further instructions on how to apply, more information on the program and contact details please see below.

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CSC-Tübingen PhD Program
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the University of Tübingen have established a PhD Program which supports Chinese nationals inside and outside of China wishing to carry out all or part of their PhD study in Tübingen.

Aims:

• providing high quality research training to qualified students from Chinese universities
• developing education and research collaborations between the University of Tübingen and Chinese universities and research institutions

Target group:
Excellent postgraduate and doctoral students from the People's Republic of China.

Funding line A - Full time fellowship:

• postgraduate students who want to carry out their complete doctoral studies at the University of Tübingen
• up to 48 months
• degree conferred by the University of Tübingen
• Annual living allowance as prescribed by the Chinese Government (which includes Overseas Student Health Cover)

Funding Line B - Part time fellowship (sandwich model):

• doctoral students who want to carry out their research and studies alternatively at their home universities and the University of Tübingen. They follow a schedule set in advance by both the Chinese supervisors and supervisors at the University of Tübingen
• 6-24 months in Tübingen
• degree conferred by the Chinese home university
• Annual living allowance as prescribed by the Chinese Government (which includes Overseas Student Health Cover) for 6-24 months

Funding for both Funding lines includes:

• Return airfare to Germany
• Visa application fees
• Support for the attendance of international conferences during the second and third year (up to 1000€ granted to successful applicants)

Benefits for both funding lines:

• Tuition waiver
• Option to take German language classes provided by the University of Tübingen during the first year
• Accommodation offered in Tübingen student dormitories depending on availability
• Opportunities to gain additional teaching and research experience as well as economic benefits from the University of Tübingen from the second year onward (depending on the ability of the applicant and the situation of the respective institute)

Application Process:

• Jan 15: Application deadline. Applications must be handed in through the online application system of the University of Tübingen
• by March 10: Successful applicants will be officially informed
• by March 31: Invited applicants have to register with the CSC according to the regulations of the CSC.
• by May 31: Final decisions about the allocation of scholarships will be made by the CSC
• by Oct 1: Program participants arrive in Tübingen
• Successful candidates must return to China upon completion of their studies.

How to Apply:
In order to apply you need to upload the following documents combined in 1 PDF

• Cover/Motivation letter
• CV
• Research proposal (3-5 pages)
• Academic transcripts* (if you have not yet completed your Master's studies, please submit a confirmation of studies and an up-to-date transcript of records)
• Proof of proficient English language skills (i.e. comprehension of a wide range of demanding, longer texts as well as fluent and spontaneous expression allowing a flexible and effective language use for social, academic and professional purposes.) - TOEFL iBT 95 or IELTS 6.5 or equivalent

*List of required Academic transcripts (including official translation into German or English for documents issued in Chinese)
1) Bachelor’s Degree Award Certificate / Bachelor Gradverleihungsurkunde (学士学位证书 xueshi xuewei zhengshu)
2) Bachelor's Degree Certificate/ Abschlusszeugnis (毕业证书 biye zhengshu) für das Bachelorstudium (本科 benke)
3) Transcript of the subjects and marks / Fächer- und Notenübersicht (成绩表 chengjibiao) for your Bachelor’s degree/ für das Bachelorstudium (本科 benke)
4) Master’s Degree Award Certificate / Master-Gradverleihungsurkunde (硕士学位证书 shuoshi xuewei zhengshu)
5) Master’s Degree Certificate/ Abschlusszeugnis für das Masterstudium (硕士研究生毕业证书 shuoshi yanjiusheng biye zhengshu)
6) Transcript of the subjects and marks for your Master’s Degree / Fächer- und Notenübersicht für das Masterstudium (硕士研究生成绩表 shuoshi yanjiusheng chengjibiao)

For questions please contact:
(Ms) Tetyana Tonkoshkur
Dezernat II – Forschung
Internationale Forschungskooperation
+49 7071 29-750005
international.research@uni-tuebingen.de
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