Secure Max Planck Institute Vacancies. ✅ World-leading research and elite funding. ❌ Highly competitive. Apply for your research future now!
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.
Ultimate **Max Planck Institute Vacancies**
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) | Genetics of Proteome RemodelingApril 16, 2026Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden
PhD Position (f/m/d) | Short-Term Mindsets and Crime: An Experimental ApproachApril 16, 2026Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg
PhD Student (m/f/d) | Genetics of BehaviourApril 16, 2026Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar, Bonn
PhD Student (f/m/d) | NMR structure of AP-L complex of hIAPP and its effect on fibrils and membranesApril 15, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
PhD Student (f/m/d) | Structural characterisation of α-Synuclein-lipid complexesApril 15, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
Call for Nominations: Director (f/m/d) | Anthropocene Biosphere (inclusive Planetary Health)April 15, 2026Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena
Postdoctoral researcher (f/m/d) | Experimental PlanetologyApril 15, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen
Doctoral position (f/m/d) | Microplastics in the environment: from laboratory analysis to source attribution modelingApril 14, 2026Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena
5 Master FellowshipsApril 13, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne
Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) | Small-Animal MRI and Cross‑Species NeuroimagingApril 10, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site), Martinsried
Postdoctoral position (m/f/d) | The social dynamics of collective dispersalApril 09, 2026Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Konstanz
3 PhD positions (m/f/d) | Sustainable Metallurgy (Experiment & Simulation)April 09, 2026Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials GmbH, Düsseldorf
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d)April 09, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen
PhD position in field-based human ecology and behaviorApril 09, 2026Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d)April 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Radiocarbon Laboratory Engineer (m/f/d)April 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d)April 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Doctoral Student (m/f/d) | The History of European Union Employment LawApril 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main
Postdoctoral position (m/f/d) |The sensory ecology of worm towersApril 08, 2026Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Konstanz
IMPRS Coordinator (m/f/d)April 08, 2026Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy, Bochum
Technical assistant (m/f/d)April 07, 2026Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
PhD position in ancient pathogen genomicsApril 07, 2026Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
Global Science Scholars FellowshipApril 02, 2026Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden
Scientific IT Specialist / Research Software Engineer (f/m/d)April 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
Data Scientist / Bioinformatician (f/m/d)April 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
Senior Project Manager (m/f/d) – Next Generation Stellarator ProjectApril 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching), Garching
Postdoctoral Experimental Physicist or Electrical Engineer for the Study of Tokamak Plasma Current Ramp-Up (m/f/d)April 01, 2026Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching), Garching
Research Coordinator (m/f/d)March 31, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) | Machine learning for PDEs and turbulence controlMarch 30, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen
Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) | Rotating convection and 2D turbulenceMarch 30, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen
Postdoctoral Fellow (m/f/d) | Political ScienceMarch 27, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Postdoctoral Fellow (m/f/d) | Political ViolenceMarch 27, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Team Assistant (m/f/d) 50-60% (Job Share)March 27, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Stuttgart
Postdoctoral Position (f/m/d) | Integrated Assessment Modeling (Climate–Air Pollution–Economy)March 25, 2026Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz
Software Engineer (m/f/d)March 25, 2026Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Bonn
Postdoctoral Researchers (m/f/d)March 24, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Scientist in Proteomics (m/f/d)March 23, 2026Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg
Doctoral Researchers (m/f/d)March 23, 2026Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science, Göttingen
Research Group Leader (m/f/d) at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und MedizinMarch 20, 2026Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen
Senior Research Fellow (Postdoc) (d/f/m)March 19, 2026Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg
Senior Researcher (m/f/d) | Political Economy (tenure track)March 18, 2026Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne
Technical Assistant (m/f/d) or Engineer (m/f/d)March 18, 2026NeurobiologyMax Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main
Leader (m/f/d) of a Max Planck Research Group | Theory of Novel Materials – (W2 Federal Civil Service Remuneration Act)March 12, 2026Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
Imaging Systems Developer Intern (f/m/d) or Student Assistant (f/m/d) at the Optics & Sensing LaboratoryMarch 11, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Tübingen
Researcher (f/m/d) | Statistical 3D Model of QuadrupedsMarch 06, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Tübingen
PhD Position (f/m/d) | Computer VisionMarch 06, 2026Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Tübingen
16 PhD Positions | Imaging Cellular Processes and DiseaseMarch 02, 2026Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster
PhD position in field-based human and/or ape locomotor biomechanicsFebruary 18, 2026Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
PhD Student or Postdoc (f/m/d) | Theory and Algorithms for Structure Determination from Single Molecule X-Ray Scattering ImagesFebruary 04, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
PhD Student or Postdoc (f/m/d) | Theory and Methods for Non-equilibrium Theory and Atomistic Simulations of Complex BiomoleculesJanuary 22, 2026Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen
Postdoc (m/f/d) Operando Studies on Tandem Catalysts for the Chemical Utilization of Anthropogenic Carbon DioxideJanuary 19, 2026Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin
Scientist (PostDoc) Position (f/m/d) | X-ray Spectroscopic Measurements on Active Catalyst Surfaces in Gas Phases and LiquidsDecember 19, 2025Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin