Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI)
The Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) was founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) in 2000 to promote research excellence in the area of plant molecular biology. It is the only international center for basic plant research in Austria and one of very few in the world. The objective of the GMI is to complement the other institutes at the Vienna BioCenter by providing a world class environment for basic research in plant biology — an environment in which some of the most challenging and important questions of modern biology can be addressed.
Research at the GMI covers many aspects of molecular biology, including basic mechanisms of epigenetics, chromatin biology, autophagy, cell biology, plant-pathogen interactions, developmental biology, and population genetics. While Arabidopsis thaliana is the primary model organism in most groups, researchers at the GMI also study plants as diverse as wheat, maize, liverworts, and trees. Our work is supported by access to state-of-the-art equiptment and plant growth space through internal service departments as well as the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities.
The GMI publishes around 40 papers a year, and research groups are annually evaluated by an international, external Scientific Advisory Board. We receive core funding from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) as well as competitive national, EU, and international grants. 4 of our 8 group leaders are ERC grantees and 2 of our 3 senior group leaders are elected members of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). Our close interaction with the other institutes at the Vienna BioCenter, as well as the biotech companies, creates important synergies for our work. We participate in the VBC PhD Programme, Postdoc Programme, and the VBC Summer School.
The GMI provides a lively, international working environment with around 130 employees from 35 countries where English is the working language. The GMI strives to enable a balance between career and family; in addition to flexible working hours and laboratories specially equipped for expecting mothers, subsidized day care is available at the Vienna BioCenter's integrated Child Care Center.