The Postdoc Phase: Springboard after the Doctorate

Have you completed your doctorate and want to further qualify for a leadership role in science, business, or society? Or are you planning to start your own company? Whatever your career goals, the Max Planck Society is the right place for you!! Your scientific excellence can be your "ticket" to research at one of 84 Max Planck Institutes. You have two options to apply as a postdoc: firstly, twice a year through the central Max Planck Postdoc Program, and secondly, through the postdoc positions advertised by the Max Planck Institutes on an ongoing basis.

Entering the postdoc phase requires distinguishing yourself through excellent research, impactful publications, and affiliations with leading institutes in your field. At the institute, you will conduct research with a high degree of independence under the guidance of outstanding scientists. Additionally, this phase offers the opportunity to build valuable networks within the Max Planck Institutes and beyond. The goal of the postdoc phase is also to empower you to assume leadership responsibilities and to strengthen your expertise in your field.

Your professional development will be accompanied by a team of experts who will create targeted career measures for you under the umbrella of the Planck Academy as well as in cooperation with other stakeholders such as Max Planck Innovation or the Max Planck Digital Library, which will support you in optimally qualifying and disthinguishing yourself.

The Max Planck Postdoc Programme – A comprehensive package for postdocs

The new Max Planck Postdoc Program offers top emerging talents a range of attractive measures and opportunities:  

• A centralized application portal with positions posted twice a year
• Secured contract durations
• Targeted mentoring
• Early career exploration in science, industry, or entrepreneurship

The first call for applications opens on April 1, with submissions accepted until May 13.

Call for applications from the Max Planck Institutes

In addition, some Max Planck Institutes regularly advertise postdoc positions. These are posted on the Max Planck Society’s online jobboard, the respective institutes' websites, as well as in newspapers and scientific journals. Initiative-based applications are welcome at any time. If you are interested, contact the institute that aligns with your research area and career goals.

Our offer for all researchers in the Postdoc Phase

The Max Planck Society is committed to supporting your career journey, helping you achieve a high level of security while advancing science in your field. For international applicants, we offer information and assistance to help them plan and organize their stay in Germany. 

• You will receive a fixed-term employment contract according to TVöD (public sector employment). The duration depends on your qualification goals. Under certain conditions, a stipend is also possible. 
• The guidelines for the postdoc phase provide the framework for your independent career development. 
• For an efficient onboarding and a good start into the next career phase, as well as for your personal and professional development, the Planck Academy offers specially tailored seminars ,These seminars focus on developing transferable and communication skills and preparing you for leadership roles. Other key areas include project management, science communication, entrepreneurship, career planning, and work-life balance.
• In addition, coaching offers, career events such as Career Steps as well as the Industry Track, a support program for doctoral candidates, postdocs and research group leaders who aspire to a path from science to industry or the public sector, are open to you.   
• Many Max Planck Institutes offer advantage of childcare facilities and equal opportunity offers to further support your work-life balance.

Networks

• The Max Planck PostdocNet, a network for all postdocs of the Max Planck Society, provides you with the opportunity to connect with fellow  postdocs. The website serves as a platform to enhance the visibility of the group, to exchange information within the postdocs and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration within the Max Planck Society and beyond.
• The interest group of the postdoc community LeadNet is also open to you.

Especially for women scientists

• With the Sign-Up program, we offer workshops designed for outstanding women postdocs, focusing on career orientation and preparation for leadership roles in science.
• In the Minerva-FemmeNet, a network for women scientists of all research fields and different hierarchical levels in the Max Planck Society, you will be accompanied by woman mentors in your future and career planning.

Funding through scholarships

As part of the postdoc phase, the Max Planck Society offers scholarships to international postdocs—those whose primary residence was abroad before starting the scholarship and who come to a Max Planck Institute for a short research stay.

Postdoctoral fellowships are designed to support further scientific training and the acquisition of additional knowledge and skills within the context of a completed doctorate. The doctorate must have been completed no more than ten years prior to the start of the postdoctoral fellowship.