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.

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	Hannah Prawitz
Deputy spokesperson (financial officer)	Bojana Stefanoska
General secretary	Julia Siebecker
BM section representative	Elodie Limberg
CPT section representative	Baptiste Baud
HS section representative	Marc Bovermann

About us

Hannah

I studied Integrated Natural Resource Management and Urban Ecosystem Sciences in my master’s at Humboldt University and the Technical University of Berlin. Currently, I am pursuing my doctorate at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. My research focuses on understanding the complex dynamics of planetary-scale socio-ecological systems. Specifically, I explore how societies and the environment co-evolve, emphasizing the roles of institutions and political systems in sustainability transformations.
As a representative of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and spokesperson of the Max Planck PhD Net, I strive to amplify the voices of doctoral students. Although we work in different research fields and use different methods, I believe we are united by our curiosity and desire to explore the world. As spokesperson and PhD representative, I intend to work towards a scientific system that best supports doctoral researchers in pursuing their research endeavors.

Julia Siebecker

I am Julia Siebecker and I was elected as the General Secretary of the PhDNet this year.
I am pursuing my doctoral research at the MPI for Chemistry. In my research I focus on the interaction of the Amazon rainforest with the atmosphere through volatile organic compounds, which can have an effect on the radiative balance of the earth as well as influence the atmospheric chemistry.
As a representative for PhD students across the MPG I would like to help improve the structural support for doctoral researchers.

Baptiste Baud

I am a doctoral researcher at the Max-Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen : in a few words, I seek to explain biological processes, not how they occur but why they occur in a such robust and consistent manner, using theoretical physics tools. I discovered this fascinating field during my double-master of physical engineering at the TU Berlin, which concluded my studies after two years in a Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Ecoles in my hometown in Lyon and then two years in the engineering faculty CentraleSupélec at the Université Paris-Saclay.
As representative of the Chemistry-Physics-Technology Section, I hope to be able to give a voice to all doctoral students, whose paths and problems are as diverse as the fields covered in the section, from theoretical physics with computer, pen and paper to chemistry at small scales in labs or applied physics to big systems. I strongly believe that many things work well in some institutes, and that their model should be promoted while maintaining the specific nature of each one.

Elodie Limberg

I studied Molecular Biology at the Free University Berlin, and I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute of molecular genetics in Berlin. My research focuses on mapping the functional interactions between transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements that govern gene regulation. Specifically, I am building a combinatorial method between a CRISPR-screen and a massively parallel reporter assay to systematically establish these connections for the Xist gene, the main regulator of X-Chromosome inactivation.
As the BM section representative of the Max Planck PhD Net, I strive to amplify the voices of doctoral students of my section, but ultimately of all doctoral students. I believe that strong representation requires not only listening, but also actively translating concerns into constructive dialogue and tangible improvements. To achive this goal the collaboration we have in the steering group, with the working groups, and ultimately with every doctoral student in the society is vital. I am particularly motivated to strengthen communication between different levels of the organization and to ensure that diverse perspectives of all our doctoral students are heard and considered.

Marc

I was raised close to Frankfurt and moved to Freiburg after finishing school to study law. After passing the first state exam, I decided to stay a little longer and pursue a doctoral degree in law at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg. My research revolves around social media regulation, particularly the concept of ‘systemic risks’ in the EU Digital Services Act. Additionally, I have published on topics regarding militant democracy and the law of intelligence services.
As a trained lawyer and the Human Sciences section representative I strive to help the situation of PhD researchers working for the MPS by bringing legal expertise to the table. This is, for example, beneficial for understanding and improving employment contracts and the reform of the WissZeitVG. I think the MPS is an institution with great potential, uniting brilliant scholars from all around the world. To achieve excellence in research, I believe that researchers need great research environments to pursue what they are passionate about and to give in to curiosity. This necessarily implies a specific view of who works for the MPS, why they work there and how they conduct research. I want to work on actively shaping the view the MPS has and those of PhD researchers to bring both worlds closer together.

Agenda of Steering Group 2026

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 these are our goals for the year 2026:

Power Balance

Advocate for implementation of protection of DRs in case of scientific/non-scientific misconduct or abuse
Establish transparency and accountability mechanism based on the 3-year leadership survey findings

Contracts/Salary

All DRs receive contract(s) covering the full duration of their dissertation, including thesis writing and defense. This means either a guaranteed 1-year extension if the dissertation is not finished within the first three years, or a minimum initial duration of four years. No DR should finish their dissertation on unemployment money.
The Stufe 2 cap is removed, allowing DRs to progress through salary steps in line with years of experience, like all TVöD employees do.

Enhancing support structures for DRs

Improve the onboarding of DRs to the MPG, especially international DRs
Ensure that all DRs have a local PhD coordinator
Improve Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) guidelines to ensure a regular monitoring of progress, supervision quality and identification of potential issues

Political Outreach

Continue the collaboration of DR Networks in the N² and establish new political points of contact
Actively communicating DRs interests in the reform of the WissZeitVG (Act on Fixed-Term Contracts in Academia)

Visibility and Representation

Establish a closer collaboration with MPG stakeholders and improve representation of DRs within the MPG
Encourage collaboration between the DR Representatives and stakeholders at the institute-level

Strengthening PhDnet