DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowships - German Cancer Research Center

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Although there are other ways of becoming a Postdoc at our research center, the DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowships represent the most prestigious and competitive Postdoc recruitment process at the DKFZ. It is intended to recruit highly talented and motivated early career scientists, who wish to work at the forefront of cancer research in any of the basic or translational cancer research labs at the DKFZ.

This program offers up to 7 fellowships per year and provides interdisciplinary training and research opportunities in state-of-the-art research facilities for excellent early career scientists.

The call for the DKFZ International Postdoc Fellowships is currently closed. The next call will open in August 2027.

What the DKFZ International Postdoc Fellowship has to offer

Funding and Duration

The Fellowships are awarded in form of a contract. DKFZ Postdoc salaries are competitive by national standards and are negotiated and confirmed during the recruitment phase should a fellowship be offered.

The fellowships are initially offered for a duration of two years.

What you need to know about the application process

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

- Hold (or expect to obtain) a qualification to a PhD. If the degree is expected after the submission deadline, the doctoral thesis must have been submitted by 31 October 2026.

- The PhD must have been awareded no more than two years before the application deadline.

- Demonstrate outstanding research achievements through scientific publications.

- External applicants are particulary encouraged to apply. Current DKFZ employees are only eligible to apply if they joined DKFZ after 1 June 2026.

How to apply for a DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship?

Please submit your application in English as one PDF file via the online application portal. Only applications submitted through the official application portal will be considered.

- Completed application form (available here).

- A list of up to 5 preferred DKFZ laboratories/groups (please consult the available projects in the research profile section of our website).

- Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications.

- PhD Degree certificates (including transcripts and translations, where applicable), or proof that doctoral thesis has been submitted.

- Two letters of recommendation.

The most important selection criterion is academic quality, demonstrated by outstanding publications.

When applying for the DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship your filled out application form is a critical component of your application. It should effectively convey your passion for cancer research by addressing the underlying scientific question that inspires you. Additionally, your answers should highlight your academic and research background, as well as your potential contributions to DKFZ by explaining how you will enrich our research environment. Although it is not mandatory that applicants contact a research group before applying, showing a clear idea about the future research focus is of great advantage. Here is a non-exhaustive list of research projects that one can apply to. Furthermore, please explain why you want to pursue a postdoctoral position and why you are specifically interested in joining the DKFZ International Postdoc Program.

Other criteria that will be considered during the selection process include research prizes and awards, demonstration of mobility, or successful application for research funding.

The selection procedure for the DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship is composed of multiple steps which are highlighted below.

Selection Process

STEP 1:

All application documents submitted will be evaluated by the Postdoc Selection Committee during a competitive selection process.
We will then invite shortlisted candidates who have successfully passed this first selection step for a visit to the DKFZ in Heidelberg. Letters of invitation will be provided for VISA application if necessary.

Step 2:

About 8-10 weeks after the application deadline, a three day DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Symposium will be held in Heidelberg. Online participation is possible if you're not able to attend in person.
Applicants will have the opportunity to meet with individual division heads and research group leaders to discuss about potential research projects.
On the second day all candidates will meet with members of the Postdoc Selection Committee to give a 15-minute presentation about their recent work which will be followed by a short discussion.

Step 3:

Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the selection process shortly after the symposium.
Start dates for fellowships will be mutually agreed after acceptance of the offered fellowship contract. Normally, fellowship positions should be filled within 6 months after the fellowship has been awarded.

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FAQ - DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowships

The call opens every year in August.

This year's deadline for applications is 8th of September.

All the research groups that are actively looking for a fellow are sharing their research profiles here. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you're interested in other research groups, please feel free to contact them and include them in your application. If you're in contact with a group that hasn't uploaded a research profile please ask them to contact us at the DKFZ Postdoc Office.

If you're wondering how to choose your future research group and group leader, this article might inspire you to make the right choice.

An overview of all research groups at the DKFZ can be found here.

Please click here for detailed information and required documents. Please note that all applications need to be made via our online application system. Applications made via e-mail will not be considered.

Please click here for detailed information.

You are eligible to apply if you submit your thesis till October 31.

Please click here for detailed information.

The DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship Symposium will take place in November 16th to 18th 2026 at the DKFZ in Heidelberg. Online participation is possible if you're not able to attend in person.

It is not mandatory to contact group leaders before applying. However we encourage you to consider contacting them to be well informed about the projects available. Please keep in mind that if you get selected for the in-person interviews (Step 2) you will have to contact them.