Steering Group

The Steering Group is the main contact between doctoral researchers and the Headquarters of Max Planck Society in Munich. They coordinate the communication within the PhDnet and outside of it. The members of the steering group are elected annually at the General Meeting and assume office each year on January 1st.

Some of the main tasks are managing the representation of PhDnet within the MPS and to the public, problem-solving, overseeing the work of the PhDnet working groups and voluntary involvement in MPS wide working groups (e.g., together with the GA).

In addition to the fixed responsibilities of each office, the SG members adopt responsibilities for other organs: each Working Group is supported by at least one SG member.

Spokesperson

Muhammad Osama Iqbal

The Spokesperson represents and manages the PhDnet, and heads the Steering Group (SG). One of the main tasks is to communicate within the network and with external parties, in particular, maintain good relations with the President and other official organs of the MPS. The Spokesperson shall report on the work of the SG in front of MPS doctoral researchers during the General Meeting. Next to the Deputy spokesperson, the Spokesperson represents the PhDnet within N2, the network of networks.

iq[at]mpifg.de

Deputy Spokesperson

Elizaveta Bobkova

The Deputy Spokesperson works closely together with the Spokesperson and takes on the responsibilities of the Spokesperson when the Spokesperson is temporarily unable to act. Next to the Spokesperson, the Deputy Spokesperson represents the PhDnet within N2, the network of networks.
An additional task of the Deputy Spokesperson is to manage the funds of the PhDnet as Financial Officer (Zeichnungsbefugte/r), and report on their use at the General Meeting.

elizaveta.bobkova[at]mpi-marburg.mpg.de

General Secretary

Franziska Schulz

The General Secretary oversees the core administrative tasks of the PhDnet, including the elections of local PhD Representatives. For assistance with these tasks, the General Secretary coordinates the Secretary Group.

However, unlike other Working Group coordinators, the General Secretary is elected by the delegates of the General Meeting as part of the Steering Group.

franziska.schulz[at]mpi.nl

BM section representative

Maria Elisa Almeida Goes

The BM Section Representative represents the diverse scientific disciplines of MPS doctoral researchers in the Biology and Medicine (BM) section. The BM Section Representative is the primary point of contact in the Steering Group for PhD Representatives belonging to the respective institutes and should thus maintain contact with those Representatives.

maria.goes[at]mpi-bn.mpg.de

CPT Section representative

Jaswanth Subramanyam

The CPT Section Representative represents the diverse scientific disciplines of MPS doctoral researchers in the Chemistry, Physics and Technology (CPT) section. The CPT Section Representative is the primary point of contact in the Steering Group for PhD Representatives belonging to the respective institutes and should thus maintain contact with those Representatives.

Jsubramanyam[at]mpifr-bonn.mpg.de

HS section representative

Alicia Haripershad

The HS Section Representative represents the diverse scientific disciplines of MPS doctoral researchers in the Human Science (HS) section. The HS Section Representative is the primary point of contact in the Steering Group for PhD Representatives belonging to the respective institutes and should thus maintain contact with those Representatives.

haripershad[at]lhlt.mpg.de

The Steering Group consists of a spokesperson, three representatives for the different sections (BM/CPT/HS), the deputy spokesperson (financial officer) and the general secretary. The members of our current Steering Group are:

Spokesperson	Muhammad Osama Iqbal
Deputy spokesperson (financial officer)	Elizaveta Bobkova
General secretary	Franziska Schulz
BM section representative	Maria Elisa Almeida Goes
CPT section representative	Jaswanth Subramanyam
HS section representative	Alicia Haripershad

Agenda of Steering Group 2023

The newly elected members of the Steering Group represent all doctoral researchers (DRs) in the Max Planck Society. We are working closely together with the General Administration of the MPS and other collaboration partners and we have three main goals for 2023:

Better onboarding and structural support for doctoral researchers

Ensure incoming DRs have clear information about contract duration, possibility of extension, holidays and salary before they accept job offers.
Introduce DRs to PhDnet support structures and work groups as soon as they join their respective institutes.
Implement Thesis Advisory Committees (TAC) project
Improve support to new DRs regarding registration in universities, visa paperwork, registration, ethical committees and health insurance.

Binding contract guidelines

Written binding guidelines for initial contract duration and minimum contract extension
1-year extension (3+1) should be made available for all doctoral researchers who have not completed the thesis.
We encourage the tracking of working hours (Zeiterfassung) as established by European court. Additionally, DRs should be compensated for overtime – if not financially, with extra holiday days.
Social benefits equivalent to those received by employees on TVöD contracts (inflation adjustments, inflation payments and leave days).

Political work

Take active stand on all aspects of WissZeitVG debates and during this process expand potential political collaboration partners.
Publish the analysis of the 2022 survey, as well as design the harmonized N2 2023 survey.
Protect identified victims of power abuse cases within the MPS and act as one of the first response groups to potentially new cases.

Steering Group

Agenda of Steering Group 2023

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