Our Organizational Structure
The management of our graduate program is shared across all IMPRS-CBP participants through their representation in dedicated consortium bodies, which implement transparent decision-making procedures.
The Spokespersons of the research school are currently Martin Beck (MPIBP) and Volker Dötsch (GU). The joint leadership of the IMPRS enables equal consideration of interests of the MPI as well as the university partners. They guide and oversee the activities of the IMPRS Coordination Office and chair the meetings of the Steering Committee and the General Assembly.
The Program Coordinator will be the first point of contact for any question related to the students’ participation in the program, e.g. of contractual, financial, ethical or administrative nature. The Program Coordinator also has the role of a trusted advisor who can be contacted if students have an issue they feel uncomfortable discussing with their supervisor/co-supervisors. Depending on the severity of the issue, the coordinator will attempt to mediate or refer the parties involved to the Ombudsperson of the MPIBP (Dr. Ulrike Trojahn), the Ombudspersons of the GU or JGU, or professional mediation services.
The Steering Committee is responsible for making decisions regarding all important matters of the research school including acceptance of students, the budget, program internal rules and regulations and the affiliation of new faculty members. The Steering Committee will be composed equally of members from the MPI and the universities and will strive to achieve balanced gender distribution.
The current members of the Steering Committee are:
Dr. Martin Beck, MPI of Biophysics (Spokesperson)
Prof. Dr. Volker Dötsch, Goethe University (Spokesperson)
Dr. Roberto Covino, Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies (Junior Faculty Member)
Prof. Dr. Inga Hänelt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Dr. Christian Münch, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Junior Faculty Member)
Dr. Bonnie Murphy, MPI of Biophysics (Junior Faculty Member)
Dr. Sonja Welsch, MPI of Biophysics (Junior Faculty Member)
Dr. Florian Wilfling, MPI of Biophysics (Junior Faculty Member)
Ainara Claveras, MPI of Biophysics (PhD Representative)
Alexandra Kaminer, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (PhD Representative)
Dr. Katharina Käfer, MPI of Biophysics (Program Coordinator)
The General Assembly is composed of all IMPRS faculty members. It elects faculty members in the Steering Committee and the spokespersons. The General Assembly can make suggestions to the curriculum and also proposes members for the Recruitment Board which consists of all faculty members who recruit students during a given year.
All students recruited to the program are part of the IMPRS Student Committee which encourages community building and creates a lasting network among the students. The student representatives in the Steering Committee ensure that students’ interests are promoted and considered in organizational decisions. Furthermore, the Student Committee interacts closely with the IMPRS Coordination Office in the organization of student-initiated training and dissemination events.