Home | Max Planck PhDnet

The PhDnet is the network of all PhD candidates and PhD representatives of the Max Planck Society. The PhDnet-Portal serves as a platform for the exchange among doctoral researchers and their representatives in the Max Planck Society.

The web portal aims to provide information about the activities of the various workgroups of the PhDnet, publishing the latest news concerning negotiations and events, and supplying contact information to dedicated PhDnet members. For more info, exchange, and updates, please contact us on Social Media. Because the working language of the PhDnet, which includes researchers of various nationalities, is English, this page is currently not available in German. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask your local PhDnet representative or approach our steering group!

Events

Mental Health Awareness Week

We organized an MPS-wide Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) from the 7th to 11th October, 2019. Each institute was encouraged to organize at least one local event during the week of the 10th of October, which is International Mental Health Awareness Day. This was accompanied by a social media campaign before and during the week to encourage attendance and raise awareness. Additionally, the MPS occupational health management (BGM) steering-group supported this initiative.

Open Access Ambassadors Conference 2019

PhDnet in collaboration with Max Planck Digital Library restarted the Open Access Ambassadors (OAA) program. A conference with leading experts and interactive workshops for Max Planck Society’s early career researchers took place in December 2019 at Harnack House in Berlin.

N² Event 2019: From Research to Application

The N²Event 2019 took place in November in Berlin. It united selected leading scientists from academic research and industry with excellent doctoral researchers from various research fields of N²—the biggest association of doctoral researchers in Germany.

2020

The PhDnet General Meeting 2020

October 10, 2020

The meeting provides an opportunity to get to know about the PhDnet and have an exchange of ideas between new and experienced PhD representatives from different institutes. Furthermore the program of the General Meeting typically includes reports ...

#BreakTheStigma - watch out for our Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

September 23, 2020

Launch of re-structured website - to find information more easily

September 22, 2020

PhDnet survey results 2019 are out now!

July 30, 2020

We have waited with excitement for results of last year's survey and are pleased to announce that the results are out now!

2019

Equal Opportunities Survey Report released

December 06, 2019

The PhDNet Equal Opportunities work group conducted a mini-survey last year to gauge the state-of-affairs in the MPIs. Good news is that most participating Doctoral Researchers did not face cases of violation of Equal Opportunities. We also came to ...

New Issue of the Offspring Magazine

November 13, 2019

Read the newest issue of our Offspring Magazine. In this issue, you will find several articles about sustainability in general and within the MPS. you can also read about the Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) 2019, and An Interview with Dr. Miho ...

Newsletter PhDnet Steering group (January – June 2019)

June 20, 2019

We would like to highlight what we as a steering group have been up to thus far. Earlier this year we received the confirmation of 30 days of vacation. The number of vacation days has been a major topic for the SG over the last years. We would like ...

2018

Parenting and PhD

September 11, 2018

In March this year Julia Misersky (PhDnet Section Representative Humanities, on maternity leave for now) asked parents about their positive experiences as well as problems that they face as doctoral researchers with children within the MPS. We ...

Position Paper on Power Abuse and Conflict Resolution

August 15, 2018

As PhDnet we speak for the over 5000 doctoral researchers (DRs) currently associated with the Max Planck Society (MPS). Our primary goal is to advocate for the physical and mental health of DRs as well as the advancement of their careers. Furthermore ...

Jana Lasser interviewd in Deutschlandfunk

July 12, 2018

At the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, young scientists have been harassed for years by their supervisors. Jana Lasser from the doctoral student network of the Max Planck Society considers the structures and demands improvements in ...

2020

Labconscious biologists share sustainable laboratory practices

September 22, 2020

by Nicole Kelesoglu, editor and blogger

Incentives to adopt open science practices in your daily research

June 30, 2020

by the Open Science initiative at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Black Lives Matter - Black Minds Matter

June 11, 2020

by Mental Health Collective of the MPS, Evelyn Medawar, Olga Vvedenskaya, Julian D. Rolfes & Barbara Safaric

2019

Voluntary Commitment: Climate-Friendly Business Trips
– An Overnight Miracle

December 20, 2019

by Julian D. Rolfes, Evelyn Medawar and Jakob Schweizer

WireUp - connecting the Neuroscience PhD community of the MPS

November 11, 2019

by Doris Hermes & Nikolai Hörmann

CRISPRs! Elegant tools that create a beautiful mess

October 28, 2019

by Srinath Ramkumar

2018

The importance of a healthy mind in research: A guide to the available resources to achieve mental wellness

August 22, 2018

by Aida Ahmadi and Maria Eichel

Career Portfolio - Karen Chandross: Senior Director of R&D Strategic Initiatives & Scientific Relations at Sanofi

August 01, 2018

by Maria Eichel

What’s in a name? The stories behind some of science’s most curious names

June 19, 2018

by Matthew H.K. Cheng and Raed Hmadi

The Offspring Magazine

Networks

N² - Network of Networks

In March 2017 the Spokespersons of Max Planck PhDnet, Helmholtz Juniors and Leibniz PhD Network released the official letter to create a platform of "Network of Networks" called N². This platform will be a focal point to promote every topic concerning doctoral researchers. We want to thank all previous Spokespersons of the different networks, who helped during the whole process and will also stay connected with us, taking the role of advisors at N².

Get Involved!

N2 Offspring

Are you a PhD student at the Max Planck Society and not a PhD representative, but you still want to get involved with making the Max Planck Society a little bit better? You could join one of our workgroups and get active there. You are an elected PhD representative at one of the Max Planck Institutes? First, be sure to attend our annual General Meeting to get to know your fellow representatives. Second, you need to know about the general tasks and guidelines for PhD representatives.

Max Planck Alumni Association

The Max Planck Alumni Association (MPAA) is a non-profit organization developing and sustaining a world-wide community of alumni and alumnae of the Max Planck Society. The association is envisioned as a highly international, modern and active community promoting and supporting innovative thinking, knowledge and experience exchange, and is the largest alumni organization for a non-university research institution.

Events

News

2020

2019

2018

The Offspring Blog

2020

2019

2018

The Offspring Magazine

Social Media

Networks