30 PhD student and 2 post-doctoral positions – Universität Potsdam

For information on the available positions, please follow the links on the individual project pages in clusters A, B and Z.

DEADLINE for all applications is 31 January 2024.

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply you need to fulfil the following mandatory requirements:

• hold, or expect to hold, a Masters (or Diplom) degree in Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or (Bio)physics. All prior degree work must be finished before the PhD start date.
• demonstrate scholarly curiosity and an outstanding academic record.
• be able to show that your interests, skills and knowledge match well with your proposed area of doctoral research (see information on motivation letter below).
• be able to demonstrate a high level of written and spoken English. See our full eligibility requirements for details below.

If you obtained your degree(s) OUTSIDE the European Higher Education Area we welcome if your application includes scores from the GRE General Test. In general, successful applicants have scored above 152 on the verbal test and above 155 on the quantitative test.
Applicants with an Indian GATE score can also supply this instead of, or as well as, the GRE.

Required language skills

Successful candidates need to be fluent in written and spoken English and, unless native speakers, should document their proficiency in English. Ideally, this can be achieved with a TOEFL report, an IELTS report or a Cambridge ESOL certificate (equivalent language tests are also accepted). For applicants with a German Abitur, this is considered sufficient to demonstrate English proficiency.

Minimal scores:
We expect language proficiency test scores that are at or above the listed minimal scores in all subsections

TOEFL iBT
Minimal score overall: 80
Reading: 20, Listening: 20, Speaking: 20, Writing: 20

IELTS
Minimal band score overall: 6.5
Reading: 6.5, Listening: 6.5, Speaking: 6.5, Writing: 6.5

CEFR levels (Cambridge ESOL) (details see here)
Minimal score overall: upper B2 (175-179) or higher (C1 or C2)

German language skills are not required.

Salary estimate

Positions will be offered according to the public sector payscale TV-L E13 grade, with 65% positions for PhD students and 100% positions for post-doctoral researchers. For a rough, legally non-binding estimate of how much this would be for you, please consult the following calculator:

https://lohntastik.de/od-rechner/tv-salary-calculator/TV-L/E-13/1

To apply for one of the open positions, please follow the steps below.

Information on the collection, processing and use of personal data by the University of Potsdam as part of the application process and the rights to which you are entitled under data protection law can be found at the following link (Data Protection, English version on pages 3 and 4)).

1) Download the following table and fill in all the required information: Application Table CRC1644. Please select up to three positions you wish to apply for.

2) Combine the following documents into a single PDF:

        a) CV

        b) Letter of motivation explaining why you wish to pursue a PhD, why you have chosen the project(s) you have indicated, and how your skills match the requirements of the projects.

        c) Transcript (record of study) and degree certificate for all completed degrees. If provided by the university, please also upload the supplementary information.

        d) Temporary/provisional transcripts for degree programs, you are currently enrolled in.

        e) GRE/GATE results.

        f) Documents demonstrating English proficiency.

3) Email the completed table and the combined PDF to mailcrc1644@uni-potsdam.de. Please use “Application CRC1644_(your name)” as subject line.

Applications that do not conform to the above specifications, especially ones without the completed Application Table CRC1644 will NOT be considered further.

Further information

For further information about the individual projects, please email the respective PI to the address given on the project page. For general questions about CRC1644, please email mailcrc1644@uni-potsdam.de, with subject line “General inquiry CRC1644”.

Schedule for candidate selection

31 January 2024                       Application deadline

second half of February        Interviews (hybrid format)

early March 2024                      Offers to selected candidates