Mission of the IMPRS-BI

The IMPRS - Biological Intelligence (IMPRS-BI) is an elite graduate program situated at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. We offer structured training to doctoral students interested in the question of how nervous systems develop and have evolved to allow animals to pursue their goals, navigate their environment and, more generally, produce behavioral strategies that are adapted to their respective ecological niche.

Answering these questions is important not only for insights into the underlying biology, but also for understanding the current limitations of machine intelligence. Research by IMPRS-BI students often bridges several scales of biological organization, from molecules and genes to neuronal circuits, and from organisms to societies and ecosystems. The growing understanding of behavior in a natural context enables mechanistic research into its neural and genetic underpinnings. Reciprocally, technological revolutions in neuroscience promise to transform behavioral ecology. IMPRS-BI students are integral to the institute’s core mission, by working in the field, in the laboratory, or both.

Together with our partners MPI-BI, LMU and TUM, the IMPRS-BI attracts a diverse cohort of young scholars to our sites in Martinsried, Seewiesen and Munich. The goal of IMPRS-BI is to inspire the next generation of inquisitive minds aiming to unravel the nature of biological intelligence.