Guest Program of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPIMP)

The Guest Program of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (institute) enables scholars from abroad to use the institute’s resources. The visitors and their projects are an important part of the academic discourse at the Institute and they ground the results of our work more solidly in international debates. The Guest Program offers various forms of grants and other financial support dependent on the level of qualifications, the current project phase as well as the reason for and duration of the research stay.

1. Target Group, Target Setting and General Information

PhD students

The Institute provides scholarship for PhD students from abroad, who have commenced their research in an area that is suitable to the work undertaken by the Institute.

Two funding options are available in order for PhD students to become acquainted with the Research Focus Areas and procedures of the Institute and to further develop their own research projects.

Junior PhD Scholarships are open to PhD students from abroad at the beginning of their dissertation process, affording them the opportunity to plan and conceptualize a dissertation project at the Institute within the context of the existing Research Fields and over a period of two to six months.

Senior PhD Scholarships run for one to six months and are intended for well-advanced PhD students from abroad seeking a close working contact with a researcher from the Institute in order to profit from their expertise with respect to sources, debates, methodology and theoretical approaches. Advanced Scholarships require a favorable evaluation by an MPI-MP scientist who agrees to mentor the applicant over the course of their stay at the Institute.

Besides the Guest Program, Support Contracts may offer employment at the Institute for a period of up to three years to work on a doctoral dissertation.

Postdocs

Due to the ongoing difficult situation in Ukraine the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology now also offers postdoctoral fellowships for Ukrainian postdocs. The fellowships can have a duration of between three and twelve months. An extension up to a maximum of twelve months can then be re-evaluated if necessary. The prerequisite is that the applicant has completed a doctorate in a research-relevant subject area and that the doctorate was completed no more than ten years ago. If you are interested please provide us with a curriculum vitae and a list of publications at short notice for evaluation. The award can then be made promptly if necessary.

General information

All Guests are expected to actively participate in the Institute’s activities. Depending on the duration of the stay, this may include

attending academic events at the Institute,
presenting the project at an internal meeting or as a public lecture,
writing a research paper, which may appear in one of the MPI-MP publication series.

2. Conditions, Application and Selection Process

Doctoral student funding

Doctoral students can apply for a Junior PhD Scholarship at any time, at least three months prior to their planned stay. Applicants should indicate the preferred duration of their visit (two to six months). Applications should be submitted in PDF format via e-mail to the preferred department and include the applicant’s CV, an outline of the planned research project, a cover letter and a reference from a qualified academic referee.

Senior PhD Scholarships require a favorable evaluation by an MPI-MP scientist who agrees to mentor the applicant over the course of the one- to six-month stay at the Institute. Applications for Senior PhD Scholarships must include the applicant’s CV, an outline of the research project and the claim form. All documents should be submitted in PDF format via e-mail no later than three months prior to the planned visit.

The Guest Program will provide an allowance of 1.365€ per month. It is also possible to get a healthcare subvention in amount of 50% of the actual costs (to a maximum of 100€ per month).