Advanced Methods and Frontiers Lecture Series
A cross-institutional, cross-disciplinary program advancing understanding of cutting-edge methods and topics in functional materials. Each session features a faculty-led course or workshop followed by a networking lunch, focusing on advanced, beyond-curriculum themes. Held every 4–8 weeks, IMPRS-FMD doctoral students must attend at least 12 sessions, typically starting in the second half of their first year [more information].
Yearly Doctoral Students’ Symposium
Once a year, doctoral students escape the lab for a two-to-three-day retreat designed entirely around them. The retreat gives students a stage of their own: they will present their latest research, share exciting developments from the literature, and see their work through the eyes of peers from across the program. Moreover, they will have the opportunity to shape the scientific program and invite international scientists to share their research and experience. We expect lively discussions, honest and constructive feedback, and students will have the chance to discover collaborators whose skills complement their own. But the retreat is about more than science. Evenings are reserved for socialising, the conversations over dinner and downtime that turn colleagues into a genuine support network.
IMPRS-FMD Conference
Every three years, the entire school comes together for the IMPRS-FMD Conference, the flagship scientific event of the program. Here, every doctoral student presents their project to the full community, sharing their results and placing their work in the bigger picture of functional material design.
Structured like a full professional conference, the event offers students an authentic experience of scientific exchange at the highest level. It is the central meeting point of the IMPRS-FMD: researchers from all disciplines, key research areas, and partner institutions come together, with all students and the entire Teaching and Associate Faculty invited. A dedicated poster session creates space for one-on-one conversations, sparking new contacts and collaborations across the program. Beyond the students’ own contributions, senior and invited speakers present an overview of the most important new developments in functional material design, and students themselves are encouraged to propose speakers from outside the IMPRS, giving them a real voice in shaping the scientific program.
The conference reaches beyond the school as well: the Coordinator and Faculty actively promote the event to the wider research community, and the IMPRS-FMD provides dedicated funding to ensure its organization and visibility match its ambitions.