To apply for a doctoral position at the IMPRS FMD, please first choose a project in the list of projects that you are interested to apply for. Read carefully the description of the project and prepare the following documents:
- A motivation letter explaining why you are applying for that specific project (one page).
- A CV containing your name and any personal data that you agree to share with us and that are necessary to contact and identify you, in case we want to invite you for an interview.
- List of degrees, courses, workshops, tutorials and projects you have been taking or participating in during your university curriculum.
- A summary of your MSc thesis or equivalent work (max one page)
- A copy of your MSc degree certificate.
- The contact information of at least one of your MSc supervisor(s).
Please compile all of the above documents into one single PDF file and submit it by email using the “Application” button in the respective project description or directly via application@imprs.mpikg.mpg.de. If the file size exceeds 45 MB, please reduce the file size before submitting your application.
Please name your completed application file as follows: “Your Name Application Project 01 (02, 03, …)”
Please use the following subject line for your email: “IMPRS Application – Project 01 (02, 03, …)”
Only applications containing a complete file of the required application documents can be taken into consideration.
Deadline for application is: Tuesday, 15th September, 2026
Data treatment
The file containing the above information will be saved on a Keeper server of the Max Planck Society. The file will be read by the following people: the speaker of the IMPRS and their office assistants, the coordinator of the IMPRS and the selection commission, including the principal investigator and their project collaborators. The file will be saved and read solely with the purpose of the selection procedure. Every document related to your application will be erased at the latest six months after the arrival of your documents. If you apply at different points in time, you will have to resubmit the entire documentation.
Application statistics
To fine tune our recruitment methods and to the purpose of reporting, we collect the submitted data from our applicants in anonymous form.
Contact
If you have questions about the project you are interested in, please contact directly the PI’s and their collaborators listed in the project description. For any question about the IMPRS, please send an email to the IMPRS office: office@imprs.mpikg.mpg.de
FAQ
Q: Can I apply to more than one project? A: Yes, but you have to follow the procedure from scratch for every project. Applications will be evaluated first by the project leaders of each specific project.
Q: What happens after I have sent my application? A: The project leaders will collect all applications to their project and make a ranking based on the skills and qualifications. In case of need, the project leaders will contact you during this process. All ranked applications will be collected in one single container available to the selection committee. The selection committee will decide for collective or individual interviews.
Q: How long will it take until the end of the process? A: We aim at starting the doctoral research projects as soon as possible and before the end of the year. We will push all buttons in order to get done as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, we will inform you as soon as there is any relevant news about the selection of your application.
Q: How long is the doctoral period? A: It is four years. Every doctoral student will be employed with a work contract of four years.
Q: Will I get help when joining the IMPRS concerning housing and other personal matters? A: Yes. We have a welcome service at the Max Planck Institute and our partners that will try to help.