IMPRS-PMPG Doctoral Programme Admissions – 2018

IMPRS-PMPG Doctoral Programme Admissions 2018

This call expires in :

 

Applications are open for IMPRS-PMPG Doctoral Programme Admissions – 2018. Its a joint initiative of the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology.

International Max Planck Research School ‘Primary Metabolism and Plant Growth’

The IMPRS ‘Primary Metabolism and Plant Growth’ (IMPRS-PMPG) is a joint initiative of the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. The IMPRS-PMPG programme has been running since 2007. We are accepting talented graduate students into the programme at regular intervals. For more information, read on and explore the links on the left hand side.

Research Focus:

Plant growth, seen from a physiological point of view as resource (carbon, nutrients) acquisition and its conversion into plant biomass, is the main focus of the IMPRS-PMPG. The research projects of our doctoral students aim to elucidate plant growth and biomass acquisition from this physiological point of view with primary metabolism as a starting point.

Multicellular organisms adjust their growth and development in response to a multitude of endogenous and exogenous cues including nutrient and water availability, activities of bioenergetics pathways, light and temperature. In order to thrive, they must optimize the use of available resources, balancing their needs for energy, biosynthetic building blocks, and reserves. Whereas animals satisfy their demand of organic nutrients by feeding on plants or other animals, green plants produce all of their own organic compounds. A plant’s ability to grow thus depends entirely on its own photosynthetic and metabolic capacity.

The rate of growth and development has to be adjusted to the metabolic status of a plant. To achieve this, the metabolic status needs to be translated into an appropriate response. Thus, growth and primary metabolism are highly interconnected via multiple cross-acting regulatory mechanisms and controls.

To study the relationship between primary metabolism and growth, we are following a systems-oriented approach, using Arabidopsis thaliana and other model plants. Our research combines cutting-edge analytical techniques, molecular phenotyping (-omics) technologies and physiology with bioinformatics and modelling approaches.

Research is at the core of the doctoral programme. IMPRS-PMPG students conduct their research projects under the supervision of our faculty members, within their groups and departments. You can find more information about the faculty of the IMPRS-PMPG, their research interests and links to their websites on the IMPRS Faculty page.

Doctoral Training within IMPRS-PMPG:

The programme provides intellectual and technical training through original research, interdisciplinary dialogue, and training of transferable skills.

Our doctoral candidates are highly skilled young researchers.

The doctoral research projects of our students are carried out in our faculty members’ research groups, under the direct supervision of the faculty member and senior scientists in his or her group.

In addition, each doctoral student is supported by an independent PhD advisory committee (PAC). The PhD advisory committee is designed to give guidance to the student and evaluate the progress of the research project during yearly meetings. The PAC comprises 2-3 members and is tailored to the needs of the student and his or her thesis project. At least one of the committee members has to be from another department than the student, and the student’s direct supervisor is not a member of the committee.

The elements of our curriculum and doctoral training have three
major aims:

• Support of doctoral candidates and their scientific projects
• Promotion of interdisciplinary dialogue
• Development of transferable skills

The doctoral candidates within IMPRS-PMPG come from a variety of scientific backgrounds – biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioinformatics, physics and mathematics. Their research projects have an experimental or theoretical/bioinformatics focus or combine both approaches. We aim to be as flexible as possible in our scientific and complementary training so that the curricular activities fit the individual needs of each PhD student and his or her thesis project.

Students who work on one side of the spectrum – experimental or theoretical – come into contact with the other side of the spectrum during the various weekly seminars at different levels in the MPI-MP and, more directly, the monthly IMPRS seminar where IMPRS students present and discuss their research projects. In addition, the yearly IMPRS retreat provides a valuable opportunity for our students to exchange knowledge and experience and to discuss new research ideas in interdisciplinary teams.

Application for the IMPRS-PMPG: 

Requirements and Procedure

The IMPRS-PMPG application call for doctoral projects starting in summer/autumn 2018 is now open.

Degree Requirements:

To be accepted as a doctoral student, you must hold a Master, Diplom, or equivalent degree in a subject relevant to our programme. In exceptional cases we may accept students with an excellent BSc (1st class honours; 4-year degree) who may need to attend additional courses and seminars during their first year. Additional requirements will be defined on a case-by-case basis.

Language Requirements:

The language of the programme is English. Therefore, a very good knowledge of English is absolutely required, both for the selection interview and later for the doctoral programme. A working knowledge of German is very useful for living in Germany but is not required for the doctoral programme.

We encourage you to support your application with scores of internationally valid language exams like TOEFL, IELTS, or other tests. This will make the evaluation of your application easier for us. If you do not support your application with an English test we may conduct a telephone interview with you before the interview workshop in Potsdam.

Institution code (DI code) for the TOEFL test: 4240 (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology)

Required Documents:

At the end of the online application we ask you to upload the following two documents as PDF:

1. Your CV including a personal statement about your motivation.
   The personal statement is similar to the cover letter you would write in a written application. We would like to hear about your research interests, your background and career goals. With your motivation statement you can tell us why specifically you would like to join our doctoral programme and convince us that you are an ideal candidate.
2. Your academic degree documents, transcripts and language test.
   These are documents relevant to your application: your Bachelor and Master degree certificates and transcripts, for example. In addition, if you have taken a language test include a copy of the test certificate.
   All submitted documents and certificates must be in English or German. If they are not in either language, please submit a copy of the original document and a translation into English. Candidates who are accepted into the programme will have to show the original documents and, if applicable, certified translations into English when they register with the University.

All documents should be converted into PDF format before uploading them. If possible, try to optimize the size of the PDF.

Please note that we can only consider applications that are complete.

Research Interest:

In our application form, we ask you to name three IMPRS faculty members whose research is of interest to you and whose research groups you would like to join should you be a successful candidate. You should explain your motivation for choosing a research group and tell us why specifically you are interested in the research of this group. Moreover, we ask you to write an essay that addresses the research of the group that you would like to join the most. In your essay, you can show us your ability to think independently and creatively about science.

You can find a list of our faculty members with brief descriptions of their research on the “IMPRS faculty” page. If you click on the name of a faculty member, you are guided to their websites where you find more information about the research in the faculty member’s group and department. Please note that some faculty members may not be available for new projects during specific application calls.

Evaluation and Selection Procedure

All applications will be reviewed during the application time frame. A shortlist will be created based on the best applications and excellent reference letters. Please do not send references directly to us, we will contact your referees. We may contact your referees before the application deadline, and we may also contact you if we have any questions regarding your application.

The best candidates will be invited for our two-day selection workshop. The workshop will take place about 8-10 weeks after the application deadline. On the first day, candidates will give a 10 minute oral presentation about their previous scientific work (e.g. their Masters thesis) and are then asked questions by the audience for 5-10 minutes. On the second day of the workshop, there will be half hour interviews with faculty and coordinators. We may provide you with one or two publications as preparatory material for the interviews 10 days in advance. During the workshop, you will have the chance to visit research groups and talk to group members. You will also get the chance to meet students from the doctoral programme and get a guided tour to learn more about the Institute and University of Potsdam.

Final decisions for the awarding of doctoral fellowships will be within three weeks after the selection workshop.

Key Information and Dates for the Application Round:

The IMPRS-PMPG application procedure is online only. The link to the application portal is on the right hand side of this page.

You can find more information below and on the second page. You can download a PDF with instructions, tips and a field-by-field guide for the online application at “Helpful Hints” on the right. When our application call is closed, the PDF will give you an idea of the information we ask for. Please read all information carefully before you apply via the online portal during application calls.

Key dates for the application round 2017/2018

Application deadline: 
The application portal will close at midnight CET on 12 February 2018.

First shortlist (aka “long list”): The first shortlist will be created until end of February 2018. We will contact your referees in late February or early March if you are on this shortlist.

Invitations for interviews: 
Decisions about whom we invite for interviews will be made in March. Invitations will be sent out by March 26, 2018.

Interview workshop: 
The selection interviews will be held at the end of April (week starting April 23rd).

Application Deadline – 12 February 2018.

Apply Online

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