Frequently Asked Questions
Our call is done in tandem with the DIGS-ILS, and all applications must go through that online platform, and never directly to Research Group Leader or Head of Academic Office.
The next call is open as of 18 August, 2025, and closes on 29 October.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for half-hour Online Admission Committee interviews 8-12 December.
Candidates who pass the online admission committee interviews are invited as our in-person guests to our Interview Week in Dresden, 3-6 February.
Do I have to secure funding for my PhD?
🚫 No! The IMPRS-CellDevoSys guarantees full financial support for the entire duration of your PhD work, i.e, up to 4 years. PhD projects in the IMPRS cannot extend beyond 4 years. Financial support is granted via an MPG employment contract for doctoral candidates.
Health insurance, pension contribution, and other social benefits are included; these contributions are deducted from the gross income.
The take-home pay for PhD students (after taxes and deductions) is in general at least 1,900 Euro per month. Especially given Dresden’s exceptionally low cost of living, our predocs are quite comfortable.
Should I directly contact the Research Group Leaders with whom I’d like to work?
🚫 No! For fairness’ sake, all applications must go through the online application system.
We operate a centralized recruitment process, in tandem with the DIGS-ILS. So, it is neither necessary nor helpful to contact group leaders of interest before applying. Reserach group leaders must signal any previous contact with candidates to the DIGS-ILS and IMPRS Offices, so as to avoid conflicts of interest.
This may unncessarily and considerably complicate your application process.
The online system says DIGS-ILS, but I am interested in IMPRS group leaders. Am I applying in the right place?
✅ Yes! We do our once-yearly call together with our partner program, the DIGS-ILS.
This is for many reasons, not least of which is building a strong research community and campus, together.
It’s also a great advantage for applicants: Each application will be visible to all RGLs from both programs.
Which group leaders are offering thesis projects in the IMPRS-CellDevoSys?
❓In general, IMPRS research group leaders aim to recruit a new PhD student every year, depending on many factors. On average, we accept 15 – 25 new PhD students per year. RGLs who are “actively recruiting,” are quite keen to take a PhD student.
However, even if your main RGL of interest isn’t listed as “actively recruiting,” we encourage you to apply anyway. Sometimes, an exceptional match between candidate and RGL can be enough for an RGL to take on a PhD student.
That’s another reason why we set up the interview week and process in the way that we do: All IMPRS RGLs will be in attendance in February, and available to talk science.
What if the group leader I am interested in is currently not listed as recruiting?
✅ Once you have passed the Admission Committee interview, and invited to our in-person selection week, your application will be available to all group leaders, in both the DIGS-ILS and the IMPRS. This is an advantage for applicants! It is always recommended to apply if you are keen joining any one of our research groups.
No matter what, you’ll get a chance to talk to your IMPRS RGL of interest at the in-person interview week.
Even if your top choice decides not to recruit at the end, the probability of them being involved in your thesis work is still very high, because of our Thesis Advisory Committee structure.
Do I need to have my MSc “in-hand” in order to apply?
🚫 No! If you anticipate obtaining your MSc sometime in 2025/2026, you can gladly apply!
Important is that you have your MSc in-hand before your hopeful start date as a PhD student. Not obtaining your MSc, when you had declared you would, would of course mean we wouldn’t be able to have you sign a working contract with us, for legal reasons.
Do I need to submit TOFEL, or similar English Language certifications?
🚫 No! If you have them, please do include them, but they’re not strictly necessary.
Your scientific English communication skills will be evaluated in your written application and your Admission Committee interview. Please know: We’re looking to hire scientists, not poets! We very strongly discourage you from using AI and LLMs to write your application, even if you think it sounds better. Chances are exceedingly high that the LLM you use wrote a similar-to-identical sentence for a different candidate out there.
What is the biggest challenge, or most common bottleneck in the application process?
🗣️ Reciving your letters of reccomendation is the biggest bottleneck reported in the application process, and the only step over which you do not have full agency. The people providing your letters of reccomendation will be contacted directly by our system (via the DIGS-ILS) once you register for an account.
Importantly: You will not be able to submit your application until these people submit their reccomendations about you (uniquely) via their personalised links. This is the number one source of frustration for candidates.
It can feel awkward sometimes, but we reccomend that you contact the people writing your letters of reccomendation very early to tell you how much this application means to you, and how, without their letters, you quite literally cannot submit an application.
Sadly, for fairness’ sake, there is no other way to submit these letters, i.e. uploading them yourself.
When will I be informed whether I will be invited for interview?
📅 We will inform you whether you qualify for an online Admission Committee interview around the first week of December, 2025.
I got an email from DIGS-ILS office inviting me for an interview. Is this correct? Am I still eligible for the IMPRS RGLs I’m intersted in?
✅ Yes! As above, we DIGS-ILS and IMPRS do our call together. The office that contacts you during the application process doesn’t have anything to do with the program you are eligibile to join.
What determines which program you eventually join is the affiliation of the RGL with whom you do your PhD work. This is not decided until the end of in-person interview week (3 - 6 February, 2026). Until then, all possibilities are open.
We encourage you to write to both phd[aat]mpi-cbg[dot]de and digs-ils[aat]tu-dresden[dot]de if you need to get in contact with us.
I am from a country that means a visa is required to enter Germany. What do I do?
🚨 We implore you to make an appointment with your local embassy as soon as you hear that you have been invited for the Admission Committee interviews!
Not kidding, we mean: If you’ve gotten an online AdCom interview invitation, make an appointment with your local embassay that same day!
In the unfortunate case that your online AdCom doesn’t go as hoped, you can simply cancel or not attend your local embassy appointment. However, if you wait until the AdCom results are announced, and only then make an appointment, it’s quite possible you can’t get your visa processed in time to come to Dresden for Interview Week. This is much worse.
In that case, there’s simply nothing we can do. This is genuniely heartbreaking for us ... and for you.
You’ll get instructions in your online AdCom invitation email. Please follow them, and reach out to our offices if you have any questions. We have you on our radar, and we’re here to help.
Can the Admission Committee interviews be shifted?
🚫 For efficiency reasons, we expect you to accommodate a 30 minutes interview at the allocated time. We do take your time zone into consideration when scheduling -- that’s why we ask you for your “current location” in the application!
For very-well justified reasons, we can try to find alternative dates or times. However, this has a high probability of considerably hindering your admission process.
How do the Admission Committee interviews work?
📅 Invited candidates will receive an appointment time and an online Zoom link about 2 weeks before the Admission Committee interviews - i.e. first week of December, 2025.
In general, you should be prepared to briefly tell the committee about a previous research project you were involved in, and have a scientific discussion, like any other. Likely, this is your MSc thesis project. We will not ask you to pitch a PhD project.
Specific instructions regarding the contents of the Admission Committee interviews will be sent to you together with the interview invitation.
When will I be informed about the result of the Online Admission Committee Interview?
📅 You will be informed about the result of your Admission Committee interview after all interviews have taken place. Likely, you’ll get an email sometime in the week of 22 December, 2025.
What happens after the Online Admission Committee Interview?
📅 If you pass the Admission Committee Interview, we will invite you for our in-person interview week, which is scheduled, to happen 3 - 6 February 2026.
If you do not pass the Admission Committee, we will unfortunately not be able to further consider your application for our PhD program.
Can the in-person interview week in February be replaced by Zoom interviews?
🚫 Deciding on a PhD placement is a very important decision in your life and career. It is important that you are in an environment where you feel 100% supported and at home in order to realize your scientific goals. We consider it essential for you to meet your future colleagues, supervisors, and collaborators in person and to experience our campus and the city of Dresden before taking a decision. Getting to know the research atmosphere, the collaborative spirit at our institutes, the colleagues, and the city is crucial to decide where you’ll spend the next 4 years of your life!
That’s why we invite short-listed candidates to Dresden and meeting in person is a prerequisite for admission. Nothing can really replace personal interaction during the interview week.
We respect that the logistics of this are different for everyone, which is why we take every effort to enable you to visit Dresden, and we are here to help with you financial, visa and accomodation concerns. We want you to focus on science; you’ll be well-cared-for as our guest.
Can I be admitted without visiting Dresden?
🚫 As above, we consider personal acquaintance with the future environment to be indispensable. For extremely particular circumstances, we may consider an individual solution.
Are there Tuition Fees?
🚫 No! There are no tuition fees, neither for participating in our PhD Program nor for being registered as a PhD student at the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD).
Do I have to teach during my PhD?
❓We do not have any teaching requirements. As part of the Max Planck Society, we are a non-University, publicly-funded basic research insitution.
However, for those of our PhD Students who will recieve their degree from the TU Dresden Faculty of Physics, there may be a small teaching requirement from the faculty. Teaching opprotunities can be provided for those who are very interested.