MPSD Visiting Researcher Program

The Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) is located at the beating heart of the newly emerging field of ultrafast structural dynamics on the DESY campus in Hamburg, Germany. Researchers at MPSD investigate dynamical phenomena within matter down to the elementary timescales of atomic and electronic motions, the femtosecond or attosecond timescale. The focus is on the use of short wavelength ultrafast probes, such as X-rays or electron pulses, which are capable of measuring atomic and electronic structures in matter of all kinds.

The MPSD is currently comprised of three departments – the condensed matter dynamics department (headed by Prof. Andrea Cavalleri), the atomically resolved dynamics department (headed by Prof. R. J. Dwayne Miller), and the theory department (headed by Prof. Angel Rubio), as well as three Max Planck Research Groups. Our headquarters are at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) - a joint enterprise of DESY, the University of Hamburg, and the Max Planck Society. This unique location makes MPSD a magnet for guest researchers from all over the world.

Our visiting researcher program provides excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary research and international networking. The program offers fellowships for international postdoctoral students for up to two years and for PhD students for up to six months. Your intended research project should relate to the MPSD research program and ongoing projects at the institute. Visiting researchers are provided with a desk and have full access to the institute's service infrastructure.

Participation in this program is intended to stimulate collaborations and to bridge disciplines. Applications to the program are made by the proposed host and the candidate for a visitor fellowship. The application should include the candidate's C.V. with a list of publications, two reference contacts, a confirmation letter provided by the proposed host to support the research activity, and a two to three page proposal on the intended research at MPSD.