Last Updated on August 15, 2026 by admin
Apply now for PhD Positions at Max Planck Institute in Germany. Join leading scientists and receive excellent funding and support.
The Max Planck Society is Germany’s most successful research organization. With over 80 specialized institutes, it provides a unique “excellence-driven” environment where the world’s leading scientists are given the freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward research without the burden of heavy teaching loads.
Why Pursue Research at Max Planck?
- First-Class Funding: PhD candidates are typically employed under the TVöD (Public Service Wage Agreement), usually at 65% or 75% of the E13 level, ensuring a comfortable living standard in Germany.
- International Environment: More than half of all researchers at Max Planck Institutes come from outside Germany, creating a truly global and English-speaking academic culture.
- The “Harnack” Principle: Max Planck chooses the best “brains” and builds the research around them, rather than following pre-set rigid departmental structures.
Below, you will find the latest research vacancies across the various Max Planck Institutes, including roles in Biology and Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, and the Human Sciences.
Max Planck PhD Positions
Fully funded PhD Positions (Doctoral Researcher m/f/d) | Condensed Matter ScienceAugust 14, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
Student Assistant (m/f/d) | Nonverbal Interpersonal Communication Exploration (NICE) ToolboxAugust 13, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Tübingen
Student Assistant (f/m/d) | Scientific Software Development for Computational MechanicsAugust 13, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Stuttgart
PhD Researcher Positions (f/m/d) | Quantitative Past Urban StudiesAugust 13, 2026Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena
Fully funded PhD positionsAugust 11, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne
PhD positions | Statistical Physics and Active MatterJuly 28, 2026Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen
Graduate Assistant (m/f/d)July 20, 2026Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
Student Assistant (m/f/d) | Machine Learning or Data ScienceJuly 16, 2026Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics or Mechanical Engineering / Process Engineering (m/f/d)July 16, 2026Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching), Garching
Student Assistant (m/f/d)July 09, 2026Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
PhD or Postdoc position (m/f/d) | Behavioral NeurobiologyJuly 06, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (Seewiesen site), Seewiesen
Doctoral Candidate (m/f/d) in Computational Literary StudiesJune 29, 2026Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main