PhD Student
PhD position in the overall field of Cognition Full-time
The English-taught doctoral program at the Max Planck School of Cognition offers exceedingly bright students a superior grasp of the different methods and approaches used in the rapidly evolving field of Cognition. Founded in 2018 as a collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Max Planck Society, the school is comprised of an outstanding and world-renowned cluster of faculty researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds but with overlapping research interests. These researchers come from various Max Planck Institutes across Germany, German and international Universities, the Helmholtz Association, and the Fraunhofer Society.
The Max Planck School of Cognition offers an international four-year PhD program starting with a one-year orientation period followed by three years of research for the doctorate and is fully financed. Students can enter with a Bachelor’s (fast-track) or a Master’s degree.
Focus
The Max Planck School of Cognition doctoral program is designed with a multidisciplinary approach which aims at excellent international applicants from diverse backgrounds. Our goal is to enable students to achieve a successful independent research career in the overall area of cognition.
Thus, the program bridges the gap between disciplines such as biology, physics, computer science, psychology, psychiatry, neurology, genetics or philosophy during its four-years course. It begins with a lab rotation-year where students can chose up to three laboratories of our fellows to acquire interdisciplinary perspectives on common research themes in the area of Cognition. In addition, students will take basic e-learning courses throughout their doctorate in fields such as Cognitive Neuroscience, Functional Neuroanatomy & Neurophysiology, Artificial Intelligence & Intelligent Systems, Philosophy of Mind & Ethics, Methods in Cognitive (Neuro-)Sciences, Computational Neuroscience & Statistics, Basics in Molecular Neurobiology & Genetics, and Clinical Neuroscience. Furthermore, they will attend several classroom weeks on location, the so-called “cognition academies”, allowing all students to come together repeatedly. In the remainder of their time, students will work together with their selected supervisors to develop and execute a feasible and relevant project for their doctorate. PhD degrees will be awarded by the university to which the supervisor of the respective student is affiliated.
Career Options
Students with backgrounds in artificial intelligence, biology, cognitive neuroscience/neuroscience, genetics, linguistics, mathematics, neurobiology, neurology, psychiatry, philosophy, and psychology are encouraged to apply to the Max Planck School of Cognition. The program consists of an orientation year (basic courses, lab rotations) followed by three years of research for their doctorate.
Deadlines
Every Autumn (exact times can vary slightly- please consult webpage).
Places
25 PhD students per year (fast-track for Bachelor’s students possible)
Scholarships/Tuition
The program is fully funded.
Contact Information
Media & Marketing Manager: Matthias Bolz
E-Mail: Matthias.Bolz@maxplanckschools.de
Web: https://www.maxplanckschools.de/en/cognition