FAQ

In which subject should I have completed my Master's degree?
Our program is focused on research in experimental and theoretical cellular biophysics. To be eligible for the program, you should have completed your Master's degree in the natural or life sciences, including various branches of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, medicine, pharmacy, neurosciences, mathematics, computer sciences, and engineering. Ideally, you have already worked on biological, biochemical, or biophysical problems in experimental or theoretical settings during your undergraduate studies. If you are unsure whether your field of study is suitable for our program, feel free to contact our Coordination Office before applying.

When do I have to have completed my degree?
Our program starts on September 15. To offer you a Ph.D. student contract, we need an official proof of your Master's degree. Therefore, you should have received your official Master's certificate by September 15. In case you have completed all your course work including your thesis by September 15, but will receive your official certificate later, please contact our Coordination Office before applying.

Can I also apply with a Bachelor’s degree?
In Germany, it is not common to start a Ph.D. with a Bachelor’s degree. Students holding a B.Sc. may be considered in exceptional cases if they provide excellent academic records and transcripts. Evaluation of the completed course work is done on a case-to-case basis and candidates may have to complete additional M.Sc. courses to be admitted to the IMPRS. Please contact our Coordination Office before applying with a Bachelor’s degree.

Is there an age limit?
There is no age limit. We welcome applications from excellent scientists of all ages.

What are the language requirements?
Our program is in English language. You should be proficient in speaking, reading and writing English. We do not require an English language certificate, but will evaluate your English language skills during the application interviews.

Is there a minimum grade point average (GPA) for admission?
There is no minimum grade point average to be admitted to the program. However, candidates are selected based on criteria of academic excellence. Therefore, the better your GPA, the better your chances.

How can I apply?
We only accept applications submitted online via our application portal. Please register in the portal with your name and email address. You will then receive a log-in link which you can use to set a password and to access, complete, and submit the online application form. You can also save your progress and continue the application form at a later time. We do not accept applications submitted by mail or email.

What documents do I have to upload?
The documents that are mandatory to upload are the certificates and transcripts of ALL your degrees. If you have not yet completed your Master’s degree, please upload the preliminary transcripts. All required documents must be submitted in German or English language (translated by a certified translator). Please upload them in one single pdf file. In addition, you can attach optional documents such as your CV, publication lists, English language certificates, or certificates of scholarships, awards, or prizes.

When is the application deadline?
The deadlines for our call is February 7, 2025, at 23:59 CET. You may nominate your referees until the deadline but we recommend you to do so earlier to give them more time to complete their evaluation. Your referees will have about 10 days time after the application deadline to complete your evaluation in our application portal. They will be informed by email about the exact deadline.

What can I do if I have not received my final certificate by the application deadline?
If you have not graduated or received your certificates and final transcripts by the application deadline, please upload your preliminary transcripts. You can hand in your final certificate and transcripts later. Please note that you should have completed your studies and received your certificate by September 15.

Do I need to include both my Bachelor’s and my Master’s degree grades?
Yes, please add a new item to the “Education” section in our online portal for each degree. Please also upload the certificates and transcripts of all your degrees.

Do I need to provide a proof of English language proficiency?
No, such proof is not required. However, if you would like to include your English language certificate, you can upload it as an optional additional document. Your English language skills will be evaluated during the application interviews.

Do I need to find a potential supervisor before applying?
No, neither do you need to find a supervisor nor are you expected to contact faculty members before applying. You should check our website for an overview of the faculty members who are recruiting Ph.D. students in the current application round (Recruiting Faculty, please select the tab "Recruiting Faculty" in the top). In our online application form, you must suggest four faculty members for your lab rotations. In the section “Scientific interests” you should elaborate on your choice.

May I contact the faculty members directly?
We kindly ask you to refrain from contacting the faculty members directly. If you have any research-related questions, please address them to our Coordination Office. Our Program Coordinator will answer or forward your questions.

Do I need to submit letters of recommendation?
No. We ask you to submit the contact information of one to three referees together with your application. Your referees will receive a link to a 5 minutes evaluation of your skills.

How many referee evaluations do I need?
You can invite up to three referees to evaluate your scientific skills. We recommend you to name at least one referee to increase the quality of your application.

Will my application be considered without any referee evaluations?
Yes. However, your chances will be increased if you nominate at least one referee.

When is the deadline for the referees to submit their evaluations?
The deadline for submitting referee evaluations is about 10 days after the application deadline. This date will be communicated to your referees by email as soon as you submit their contact details. Please make sure to inform and name your referees in the application portal well in advance.

How should my referees submit their evaluations?
After you have entered your referees’ contact details in our online application portal and submitted the information via the “submit”-button, your referees will receive an email inviting them to the online portal. They shall provide some general information about themselves and fill the assesment questionaire of your skills.

My referee has not received an email with instructions to submit their evalutation. What can I do?
Make sure that you have submitted your referees' information by clicking the "submit" button on the referee page. The "save" button does not trigger the automated email to your referees. Please also check whether you have entered your referee’s contact details correctly. If the information is incorrect, send an email to the Coordination Office, including the name of the referee and their correct contact details. The Coordination Office will update the contact information if necessary and re-send the invitation email.

What is the admission process to the program?
After the application deadline, our faculty will carefully evaluate all applications submitted through our online application portal. Selected applicants will be invited in March to the online Admission Colloquium to take place in April. During Colloquium, applicants will give a short presentation outlining their research experience (e.g. during their Master thesis, Bachelor thesis or an internship) and stating an objective for their future research within the IMPRS on Cellular Biophysics. In addition, each applicant will have at least three interviews with our PIs. Based on the online application and on the performance during the talk and the interviews, a decision is made whether or not an applicant is admitted to our program.

When and where will the interviews take place?
Selected applicants will be invited in March to the Admission Colloquium to take place in April. During the Colloquium, applicants will give a presentation and will have at least three interviews with our PIs. Please check our timeline for any updates on the interview dates. We ask all applicants to be available on these days. The interviews will be conducted virtually via video conferencing software.

When will applicants be invited to the interviews?
Applicants who are selected for the application interviews will be notified by email in March. All applicants who are not considered for the interviews, and therefore not be admitted to our program, will be notified by the end of April.

When will applicants be notified about acceptance to the program?
Applicants will be notified whether they have admitted to the program shortly after the interviews.

Are there any application fees?
There are no fees in the application to the IMPRS-CBP Ph.D. program.

Are there tuition fees or additional costs?
The is no tuition related to the IMPRS-CBP program. If you enroll at the university as a student, you will have to pay the semester fee of approx. 400 €. This fee includes a public transport ticket, discounts for the university canteen, and access to cultural, sports and leisure facilities. International students should also consider the costs for the Visa. Our program includes fully funded Ph.D. positions for all students admitted. The salary usually covers the regular monthly living expenses.

Is admission to the program associated with a scholarship?
Instead of a scholarship, all Ph.D. students admitted to our program will receive working contracts to pay their cost of living. In addition, International Max Planck Research Schools are internationally renowned and stand for first-class doctoral training of outstanding students. Like a scholarship, admission to an IMPRS program is a criterion of scientific excellence.

What is the salary?
All IMPRS-CBP Ph.D. students receive a working contract according to EG 13 TvÖD (65%). This contract results in a monthly net income of approx. 2000 €. Taxes, social insurance (e.g. pension and unemployment insurance), and health insurance that are obligatory in Germany are automatically deducted from your salary before it is transferred to your bank account.

What are Lab Rotations?
Lab rotations are a distinctive feature of the IMPRS on Cellular Biophysics. These are three-week internships completed by students at the start of their program, offering them the chance to work in different research groups within the graduate school. Through these rotations, students gain hands-on experience with various methods and techniques, explore different research areas, and start building their professional network. After the cycle of rotations, both students and group leaders make informed decisions about where students will begin their Ph.D. work.

How do I know which research groups I should pick for my lab rotations in the application form?
You should choose the groups for your lab rotations based on your research interests. You will find information about our recuiting facultu members in our website (Recruiting Faculty, please select the tab "Recruiting Faculty" in the top). For more detailed information, please visit our PIs’ homepages by clicking their names in their profiles on our website. When filling out our online application form, you will be asked to select four preferred labs for your rotations. We will do our best to accommodate your choices, though preferences cannot be guaranteed.

When and how will students be assigned to their final PhD labs after the lab rotations?
Final assignment of students to labs will occur after the end of the third lab rotation. Both students and PIs can indicate their preferences, and all decisions are made by mutual agreement between student and PI.

When does the program start and when should I be on site at the latest?
The program starts on September 15. We recommend, especially to our international students, to arrive at least one week in advance in order to complete the necessary bureaucratic tasks, such as registering at the citizen’s office, opening a bank account, and registering as a doctoral student at the university.

What can I expect during the first months after program start?
You will start with a three-months introductory training, starting with a week of lectures held by our faculty members to give you an overview of the research topics in the IMPRS on Cellular Biophysics. During this time, we will host welcome events with our current Ph.D. students. During the following nine weeks, you will complete 3 three-week lab rotations in different labs until the end of November. In December, you will participate in different workshops to learn about important methods and techniques of biophysics. After the workshops, you will then start your doctoral research in your final working group.

Can I select which workshops I want to attend during the introductory training?
We offer different workshops in parallel and you can state your preferences. We encourage you to attend workshops on methods and techniques that you are not yet familiar with. The aim of the workshops is to learn about the capabilities and limitations of several techniques, to understand the theory behind them, and to gain some hands-on-experience, but not to become an expert. Since the number of participants is limited in most of the workshops, we will assign the slots on a first come-first served basis.

Is accommodation available on Campus?
The Max Planck Institutes in Frankfurt and Mainz, as well as the Goethe University, offer guest houses for short-term accommodation on campus. Candidates can rent a room for up to three months, pending availability. To arrange this, please notify the Coordination Office as early as possible prior to arrival, so they can confirm availability and assist with booking. Priority may be given to international students, as securing housing from abroad can be challenging. Since guest houses are for short-term stays only, all students are ultimately expected to find their own apartments or shared flats. We will gladly offer resources on housing search platforms and other options.

Whom can I contact for questions regarding my visa?
Please contact our International Office for assistance with your questions regarding your Visa. Our International Officer will guide your through the process and help you prepare the documents needed.

Do I have to enroll at the university?
You have to register as a doctoral student at Goethe University Frankfurt or at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz as early as possible so that you are allowed to hand in your thesis and take your doctoral exam. Enrollment as a student at the Universities is not mandatory. Both universities, as most universities in Germany, charge no tuition fees, but students do have to pay administrative fees (Semesterbeitrag) of approx. 400 € per semester. This money goes towards subsidising student accommodation and canteens. It also entitles you to membership at the students’ union, a travel card for public transportation and access to university sports facilities.

In which courses do I have to participate?
To receive an IMPRS-CBP certificate with your Ph.D., students must complete the introductory training during the first weeks of their Ph.D., including lectures and practical training on technical and transferable skills, a training on good scientific practice and ethical research conduct, a training on how to keep a lab book, at least three soft/transferable skill courses (preferably one per year) and must participate in the regular IMPRS-CBP student seminars and annual retreats. Apart from these requirements, the relevant “Promotionsordnungen” (dotoral regulations) of the respective participating universities and their “Fachbereiche” (departments) specify the formal frame of the doctoral studies.

Do I need to collect credit points?
Our students do not need to collect credit points but must complete the above mentioned courses and trainings. If the relevant “Promotionsordnungen” (dotoral regulations) of the respective participating universities and their “Fachbereiche” (departments) specify the completion of course work specified by a certain number of credit points, these regulations have to be followed.

What is a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC)?
Each PhD student has an individual Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) that consists of four mentors. By providing regular feedback, the TAC ensures the progress of projects and supports our Ph.D. students in their professional growth and personal development. Through its interdisciplinarity and diversity, the TAC opens up different perspectives, fosters scientific discussion, offers great networking opportunities, and supports students in achieving ambitious career goals.