About the BZH

About the BZH

The Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) is an interdisciplinary institute with principal investigators from the Faculties of Biosciences, Chemistry and Medicine. We have a twofold mission. Through our research we contribute to the molecular understanding of life. Through our teaching of undergraduate students of biochemistry, biology, chemistry and medicine and the mentoring of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, we help train the next generations of scientists, teachers and doctors.
 
The BZH houses a dozen research groups and has a total of more than 150 staff members. Our research spans a range of subjects including ion channels, intracellular lipid transport, membrane protein targeting, unconventional protein secretion, RNA processing, transposon silencing, synaptic vesicle exocytosis, organelle biogenesis, cell division and circadian rhythms. Accordingly, we take a large variety of biochemical, cell biological, biophysical and structural approaches. In addition, we have set up technology platforms for protein crystallisation, lipidomics, cryo-electron microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. BZH groups are part of various local and interregional research networks such as SFB 1638 (Cellular membrane remodelling), Transregio 319 (RNA modification and processing), Transregio 186 (Molecular switches) and SFB 1324 (Wnt signalling).
 
The BZH is an international institute, with more than half of our PhD students and postdoc coming from abroad. Currently, native speakers of thirty different languages work at the BZH. Our PhD students are enrolled in the Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School. They are represented by the BZH PhD student board, which also organises the annual New Year’s Event and the PhD student & postdoc retreat. Furthermore, our guest speaker seminar series, which we run together with our colleagues from the Center of Molecular Biology (ZMBH), enables students and postdocs to interact with leading scientists from all over the world.
 
We do our best to make the BZH a welcoming place for people from all walks of life and provide an inspiring environment for learning and research.