CECAD - Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research

20/08/2026

🎤🧬 Telomere sind die Schutzkappen unserer DNA und spielen eine zentrale Rolle beim Alterungsprozess. Sie verkürzen sich im Laufe unseres Lebens und begrenzen die Lebensdauer unserer Zellen. Was sagt die Länge der Telomere über unser Risiko, im Alter zu erkranken, aus? Gibt es Therapien, die Telomere verlängern können?
Zwei internationale Experten, Stephanie Panier vom Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie des Alterns und Jan Karlseder vom Salk Institute für Biological Studies, erklären die Ursachen des Alterns unserer Zellen und die Bedeutung des Schutzes unseres Erbguts bei Alterserkrankungen und Krebs in unsere Vortragsreihe in der Fritz Thyssen Stiftung.
🗓️ 09. September 2026, 18:30 Uhr
📍 Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Apostelnkloster 13-15 50672 Köln
🤝📚 Anmeldung hier: https://www.fritz-thyssen-stiftung.de/veranstaltungen/liste-veranstaltungen/?id=14113

19/08/2026

🚀 Applications now open for the CECAD Postdoc Academy for Aging Trajectories!
We are thrilled to share the first call for applications for our new CECAD Postdoc Academy for Aging Trajectories.
This fellowship programme is designed for outstanding postdoctoral researchers from around the world to enable them pursuing an integrated research project within the interdisciplinary CECAD environment.
🧬 What we offer:
🔹 Up to 4 fully funded, three-year contracts in Cologne (Germany)
🔹 Mentorship by two CECAD Principal Investigators
🔹 Access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure, core facilities and workshop offers
🔹 Dedicated bench fee support
🔹 A vibrant, international, and collaborative research environment
📅 Application deadline: 24 October 2026
Find all information on: https://uni.koeln/GJPU8
We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of fellows and shaping the future of aging research together!
Universität zu Köln

14/08/2026

Nicht nur die beschäftigt sich mit , sondern auch die Kunst.
🎭👵 Im Theaterprojekt "She doesn’t look her age" wird das Thema und im Schwimmbad der Senior*innenresidenz am Dom behandelt.
Mit Seniorinnen über 80, einer Choreografin und einer Opernsängerin geht es um ewige Jugend, -Kultur und die Unsichtbarkeit alternder weiblicher Körper. Ein spannendes, vom CECAD unterstütztes Projekt.
Vorstellungen finden vom 27.8. bis 29.8. täglich um 19 Uhr statt.
Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung und zum Ticketing gibt es hier: https://www.sommerblut.de/de/veranstaltung/3062-she-doesn-t-look-her-age


(Credits:studio pramudiya / Nathan Ishar )

11/08/2026

🗓️ Am 09.09.2026 um 18:30 Uhr findet unser nächster Vortrag der Reihe „Herausforderungen und Chancen einer alternden Gesellschaft – Zukünftige Aufgaben und Perspektiven für (bio-)medizinische Forschung und Krankenversorgung“ in der Fritz Thyssen Stiftung statt.
🎤🧬 Diesmal geht es um Telomere, die Schutzkappen unserer Chromosomen. Stephanie Panier vom Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie des Alterns und Jan Karlseder vom Salk Institute für Biological Studies geben Einblicke in ihre aktuelle Forschung.
🤝📚 Anmeldung unter: https://www.fritz-thyssen-stiftung.de/veranstaltungen/liste-veranstaltungen/?id=14113

04/08/2026

🧫🥼Congratulations to Prof Oliver Cornely and his colleagues on receiving funding to improve treatment for invasive fungal infections. Read more about their work here 👇

The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is providing the University and University Hospital Cologne with one million euros in funding over a period of thirty months. Immunocompromised patients – who are at risk from invasive fungal infections – will benefit in particular.

27/07/2026

📢 Update on Open Call for White Space: Mini Symposium on September 2nd
We offer white space for up to 3 junior research groups in the CECAD Research Center.
📅 To meet the deadline of the next ERC starting grant round we will organize a mini symposium on September 2nd, 2026 where you can introduce yourself to the CECAD community. Groups not funded by ERC are also welcome.
🎯If you want to participate, please let us know by August 9th at the latest, including a short outline of your research. Your full white space proposal documents have to be submitted by August 29th.
Find more about the requirements and the application process on our homepage https://uni.koeln/LT8ZZ
Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested.
Universität zu Köln Uniklinik Köln

16/07/2026

🚀 CECAD is

A three-year doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Elena Rugarli. We are looking for a highly qualified and motivated doctoral student with a genuine interest to pursue a scientific career within our team.

💡 Find more about the job and application here: 🔗https://uni.koeln/YPVM9

🔬 Find out more about the Rugarli Lab here: 🔗 http://ukoeln.de/V5VLA

🎯Application Deadline: August 31, 2026

Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested. We are looking forward to your application.
Universität zu Köln

15/07/2026

📢Open Call: We offer white space for up to 3 junior research groups in the CECAD Research Center

Requirements:
✅ Independent funding of your research group by a competitive program
✅Your field of research focuses on aging or addresses questions or methods which clearly support and further develop the research program of CECAD

What we offer:
🔬The laboratories in the CECAD Research Center offer basic equipment in a modern research facility with access to in-house core facilities including imaging, proteomics, lipidomics, bioinformatics, and in vivo research facility.

Find more about the requirements and the application process on our homepage https://uni.koeln/LT8ZZ

Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested.
Universität zu Köln

01/07/2026

Girls For Innovation!
👩🔬 At CECAD, we are committed to empowering women and girls in science. That’s why we were delighted to welcome 14 high school students from the “Girls for Innovation” STEM scholarship program for girls, organized by the zdi Zentrum Köln - a program for girls passionate about computer science, the natural sciences, and/or technology.
The goal is to foster the interests, strengths, and individual career aspirations of girls. Through field trips—such as the one to the University of Cologne on June 16—the scholarship recipients learn about training and study opportunities and meet female role models in these fields. Of course, we at CECAD were delighted to be part of this.
🔍🧪 The young ladies showed great interest in our research work in our laboratories. They also visited the computer science and precision engineering departments at the University of Cologne.
We hope we were able to inspire some of you.
What inspired you to pursue a career in science?

© Photo: zdi Zentrum Köln

25/06/2026

We are proud to participate again at the Soapbox Science Rheinland 2026 with three of our young scientists. Let's meet with our speakers! DR. ASYA MARTIROSYAN is a Postdoctoral Researcher at CECAD at Universität zu Köln . Come to our event on 4th July in Cologne and she will tell you the secret of the of bats.

Wir sind stolz darauf, erneut mit drei unserer jungen Wissenschaftlerinnen an der Soapbox Science Rheinland 2026 teilzunehmen. Lernen Sie unsere Vertreterinnen kennen! Dr. Asya Martirosyan ist Postdoktorandin am CECAD Köln und an der Universität zu Köln. Auf unserer -Veranstaltung am 4. Juli in Köln verrät Sie Ihnen das Geheimnis der von Fledermäusen.