Last Updated on October 21, 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
Student / Research Assistant (m/f/d)October 20, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne
Population and Social Data Science Summer Incubator ProgramOctober 15, 2026Demographics International Social SciencesMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock
University of Hong Kong – Max Planck PhD Studentship in Population StudiesOctober 13, 2026Demographics International Social SciencesMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock
PhD Student (f/m/d) | Engineering Crystallization and Precipitation Processes for BiopharmaceuticalsOctober 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg
Research Fellow positions (Doctoral Researchers) (f/m/d)October 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg
PhD Student (m/f/d) | Analysis of communication and coordination in animal groupsOctober 07, 2026Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Constance
PhD Student or Postdoc (f/m/d) | Theory and methods for non-equilibrium theory and atomistic simulations of complex biomoleculesOctober 07, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
PhD Student (m/f/d) | Oceanic Collective IntelligenceOctober 07, 2026Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Constance
PhD Position (m/f/d) | Reproductive MechanobiologyOctober 02, 2026Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
First Research Article Fellowship ProgramOctober 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
PhD positions (m/f/d) | Physics and Chemistry of Quantum MaterialsOctober 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden
PhD Student Positions (f/m/d) | Electron-Light Interaction in Silicon Photonic NanostructuresOctober 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
PhD student (m/f/d) | Cultural grooming and social bonds in Great ApesSeptember 29, 2026Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Constance
PhD Student (m/f/d) | Organometallic CatalysisSeptember 21, 2026Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Fully funded PhD positions (f/m/d) | Quantum MaterialsSeptember 16, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Halle, Dresden
23 interdisciplinary PhD positions (f/m/d) | Ultrafast Science and Quantum MaterialsSeptember 15, 2026Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg
25 PhD Positions (m/f/d) | Max Planck School of Biomedical AISeptember 04, 2026Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
PhD / Postdoc position | AI-Driven Molecular Modeling for Atmospheric Organic Reactions and Multiphase/Interfacial ChemistryAugust 28, 2026Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz
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