cognitive science phd programs germany

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NO GENERAL CALL FOR 2025 Since we are restructuring our admission process, there will be no general call for applications for start in October 2025!

CALL FOR 2 DAAD SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONALS FOR 2025 Together with the Max Planck School of Cognition we will be advertising two 4-year DAAD doctoral scholarships for international students, restricted to a number of specific supervisors and doctoral topics. These scholarships will start in September 2025. If interested, check our website - we will post the scholarships on our start page under NEWS: www.mind-and-brain.de) - or subscribe to our mailing list by sending a blank e-mail to: [email protected] You can at any point unsubscribe from the list by sending a blank e-mail to: [email protected]

POSSIBILITY: REDUCED CALL FOR 2025 At the same time, we may be publishing a reduced call, i.e. either for potential doctoral candidates who have already secured a doctoral position or other funding for start in September/October 2025, or for potential candidates who have found a supervisor with whose support they will raise funding for their doctoral project by October (e.g. through a scholarship). The Berlin School of Mind and Brain cannot provide any scholarship funds for 2025 - apart from the two DAAD scholarships for international students (see above). Since we are in the process of restructuring and will need the coming months to discuss and define all procedures we are not yet able to say whether and when a reduced call will take place. Once we know for sure, we will publish it on the website and announce it in other ways. In the meantime, please think about who you would like to work with for your doctorate. Once you have looked on the PEOPLE/Faculty page ( https://www.mind-and-brain.de/people/faculty ) and have ideas, please contact us ( [email protected] ). We may be able to help put you in touch or advise you how to proceed. (Please be aware that no all listed faculty members will be available for supervision.) You would have to contact the supervisors directly with an idea for a project or for a research area in which you would like to do your doctoral thesis. And as an individual doctoral candidate, with a provisional acceptance from the supervisor, you would then have to try to apply for funding.

If you intend to write your doctoral thesis in the field of cognitive neuroscience, you should definitely apply to the Max Planck School of Cognition, with which we work closely (we share many supervisors). This school is very competitive, and they offer a four-year program and salaried positions there. The call runs until 1 December 2024! https://cognition.maxplanckschools.org/en/application

What you need to know about Admission:

To join the doctoral program of the Berlin School of Mind and Brain (an umbrella institution for 60 professorial mind-brain supervisors in the metropolitan Berlin area) is one very specific way to do your doctorate in Berlin, but not the only one. There are more doctoral programs in Berlin, and you can also find a supervisor without having to join a doctoral program like ours. It’s a slightly complicated system, and you will not be able to find the right path for yourself without reading up on it. As an introduction to the topic, please read on our website about Doctoral studies in Germany and FAQ Admission Mind & Brain and Facts About the School and Scholarships: General information .  

The Berlin School of Mind and Brain offers:

• A three-year interdisciplinary and structured doctoral program in English with a near-zero drop-out rate.
• Ample opportunities in research, education and training in one of Europe’s largest mind and brain research communities.
• A series of tailor-made, research-related courses (“teaching weeks”) on subjects relevant for interdisciplinary mind and brain research.
• A series of tailor-made scientific hard-skill and transferable-skill courses.
• Access to scientific networks, career development measures, personalized career advice and coaching.
• Assignment of at least two professorial thesis advisors – usually one from the brain sciences and one from the mind sciences, in order to ensure the interdisciplinary impact and support for your work.
• Regular meetings with leading international researchers at scientific meetings and international lecture series in Berlin.
• Research collaboration with master’s students of the two-track program “Mind and Brain”, and with postdoctoral researchers.
• Self-organized academic doctoral retreats.
• Access to travel funds for national and international conferences.
• Journal and methods clubs.
• Access to mentoring programs and coaching.

We do not offer:

• Training in psychotherapy - you will not be able to practice as a psychotherapist after completing our program!

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Institut für Kognitionswissenschaft

Institute of Cognitive Science

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Max Planck School of Cognition

How is knowledge acquired, how is it adapted or transformed by humans or machines, und what is there to know?

The Max Planck School of Cognition is a graduate program that offers young scientists the opportunity to obtain broadly based insights into the methods and research approaches used in the rapidly developing field of cognitive science. Its goal is to understand and investigate human cognition from a range of scientific perspectives. Disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, physics, computer science, philosophy, and biology contribute to this endeavor.

The four-year program is international in scope and begins with a one-year orientation phase. In lab rotations, students have the opportunity to experience several research groups in the network. 

This is followed by a three-year research phase for the student’s PhD thesis. Acceptance into the School requires a (fast-track) bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Besides the Max Planck School of Cognition, two further Max Planck Schools on life sciences and photonics were initiated as pilot projects in 2018. The three Schools are initially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for five years. They are intended to bring together geographically dispersed excellence in thematically focused networks and enable interdisciplinary predoctoral training.

Numerous universities, Max Planck Institutes like the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Helmholtz Association, as well as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are involved as partners.

More information on the Max Planck School of Cognition and the Max Planck Schools

Doctoral Students of the Max Planck School of Cognition at MPIB

Clara Bersch (CHM) Jona Carmon (LMG/LIP) Maximilian Ernst (LIP) Fabian Kamp (LIP) Pietro Nickl  (ARC) Konstantin Offer (ARC) Kağan Porsuk (LMG) Fabian Renz (Neurocode) Eva-Madeleine Schmidt (CHM) Caedyn Stinson  (ARC) Annika Werwach (LIP)

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RF Cognitive Sciences

Bachelor's and master's degree programs in cognitive science and structured phd programs.

(Erasmus Mundus, internationales Kooperationsprogramm)DFG-Graduiertenkolleg

• International MSc/PhD-Program IECL "Experimental and Clinical Linguistics"
• International MSc/PhD-Program CES "Clinical Exercise Science"
• Msc-Program "Cognitive Science"
• Integrated MSc/PhD-Program  "Cognitive Science – Embodied Cognition"
• MSc-Program "Cognitive Systems: Language, Learning, and Reasoning"

THE MAX PLANCK SCHOOLS

The Max Planck Schools are a joint graduate program of currently 27 universities and 35 institutes from non-university research organizations . Ambitious and promising PhD candidates engage in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the fields of Cognition, Matter to Life, and Photonics and study in the context of a unique network , closely supervised by outstanding scientists , who are leaders in their respective field. The PhD candidates benefit from early access to a versatile, first-class research infrastructure and innovative teaching  methods, as well as fully financed PhD positions for Bachelor and Master graduates.

• cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the fields of Cognition, Matter to Life, and Photonics;
• close supervision by outstanding scientists in their respective field;
• a unique network of leading German universities and non-university research organizations;
• An integrated MSc and PhD program (or standalone PhD program)
• early access to first-class research infrastructures and innovative teaching formats ;
• an internationally competitive funding scheme without tuition fees.

OUR FELLOWS – APPLY NOW

Fellows Call now open until November 18.  Apply now to become a Fellow of the Max Planck Schools. Together with our students, the Fellows of the Max Planck Schools form the foundation of every School. Our Fellows are Germany’s leading scientists in their respective field and are to pass on their knowledge to the most ambitious and talented Bachelor and Master graduates through close personal exchange in small groups and with the aid of excellent infrastructures. The Fellows mentor our talented and ambitious young researchers and accompany them throughout their PhD studies. Find out more about our world-class supervisors and their inspiring research!

APPLY NOW – until DECEMBER 1

The application phase for the fall 2025 intake has just started and the application portals are now open . Kickstart your scientific career with our stellar interdisciplinary PhD program and apply now to one of the three Max Planck Schools. For more information on how to apply and which School to choose, please visit our application page. The application portals are open until December 1. Apply Now - for your future career in Cognition, Matter to Life or  Photonics!

THE THREE MAX PLANCK SCHOOLS

Max Planck School of Cognition

Max Planck School Matter to Life

Max Planck School of Photonics

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April 28, 2023

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Program - Max Planck School of Cognition

The Max Planck School of Cognition offers an international four-year PhD program starting with a one-year orientation period followed by three years of research for the doctorate.  Students can enter with a Bachelor’s (fast-track) or a Master’s degree.

Table 1 : Overview of the four years PhD program at the Max Planck School of Cognition.

Figure 1. Geographical distribution of the German labs, UK and Netherlands associated to the Max Planck School of Cognition.

During the first year (so-called orientation period), there is an emphasis on teaching and prolonged laboratory rotations, of 3–6 months duration each, in at least two different labs of fellows of the Max Planck School of Cognition . A major feature of the orientation period is that students can acquire interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary perspectives on a common research theme (e.g., by combining artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience or psychology and basic anatomy).

• Laboratory rotations Lab rotations will allow first-year students to explore several potential groups (Figure 1). This will help define their research interests and aid in choosing the laboratory where they would like to develop their PhD research.

The first year will end with an evaluation of the students, before one can advance to the 'research-phase' (i.e., second to fourth years). Only after a successful evaluation will students identify faculty members for their supervisory team.

Table 2 : Basic courses during the first year (orientation period)

Second and Third Year

• PhD research work    At the beginning of the second year students will work together with their supervisor to develop a feasible and    relevant project proposal, to be presented to a thesis advisory committee. After its approval, students can start    the project.
• Lectures   Students will attend two ‘academies’ per year (four total in the second and third years), each of which lasts two weeks. Each academy involves one week of courses on advanced topics and one week of student, faculty and guest speaker presentations on their research topics.

Fourth year

• PhD research work    Students are expected to finalize their dissertation by the end of the fourth year.
• Lectures    Students will have one cognition ‘academy’ involving only presentations by the faculty, students, and guest speakers    on their research topics.
• Degree    PhD degrees will be awarded by the university to which the supervisor of the respective student is affiliated.