During Your Stay
Now that you’ve settled in, you can find useful information about living in Hamburg—including its social and cultural life—on this page.
Useful Information About Working at MPSD and MPG
On our intranet , you’ll find information, guides, and how‑tos from many of our service departments, from HR to the Mechanical Workshop. You can only access it from within the MPSD Network or via VPN.
Your contract includes a certain number of paid vacation days. To request leave, submit it through our internal leave management system. A guide is available on our intranet (accessible only from within the institute network). A guide for stipend holders is also included.
Before going on your first business trip please talk to your group assistant to make sure you adhere to the regulations for business trips.
MPSD subsidizes the use of public transportation for all employees that are employed according to the TVÖD (if you are unsure if this applies to you, ask the HR Team).
If you purchase the nationwide monthly pass (“Deutschlandticket”) through our system, your employer will contribute €23.28 toward the total price. To enroll, please contact HR.
The Deutschlandticket does not include long distance trains.
If you work at MPSD with a TVÖD contract, you will be automatically enrolled in the VBL additional pension. HR will ask which plan you would like to contribute to. Your monthly contribution is deducted directly from your pay, and the employer adds contributions as well. For more information, visit the VBL website or contact HR.
Both our PhD researchers and Postdocs are organized within the Max Planck Society. Each community elects a speaker at each institute. For more information, visit:
To foster a strong research community, we host regular scientific and social events. To stay up to date, please check the event calendar on our website. Early‑career researchers can also join regular workshops, seminars, and journal clubs, you can find them on the webpage of our IMPRS Research school.
Additionally you will receive our weekly newsletter every monday, informing you about upcoming events.
Other Useful Information
If you come from a non-EU country, you will also need to apply for a residence permit after arriving in Germany through the Hamburg Welcome Center when your initial work visum ends.
HR and the International Office will help your prepare the documents for this appointment.
Find events and activity guides on the Hamburg Tourism website. If you’d like to play sports, consider joining the DESY Company Sports association.