The International Max Planck Research School for Solar System Science at the University of Göttingen in Germany (Solar System School) offers a research-oriented doctoral program covering the physics of Solar system science. It is jointly run by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the University of Göttingen. Read more at http://www.solar-system-school.de/
The science covered by the department Planets and Comets (one of three departments at the MPS) includes a wide spectrum of planetary research. We study the structure and composition of planets in our solar system as well as dynamic processes. The research includes the deep interior, surfaces, atmospheres and the plasma environment (thin hot charged particles in the environment) of the planets. The main focus lies in the research of the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and the gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) as well as small bodies including comets and asteroids. We study similarities and differences among the various objects and compare them with each other to better understand the evolution of our solar system.
A list of open PhD projects in planetary sciences and cometary science is available at https://www.mps.mpg.de/phd/open-projects
Solar System School students collaborate with leading scientists in these fields and graduates are awarded a doctoral degree from the renowned University of Göttingen.
The Solar System School is open to students from all countries and offers an international three-year PhD program in an exceptional research environment with state-of-the-art facilities on the Göttingen Campus. Solar System Science is a key research area on Göttingen Campus, performed jointly with the nearby Institute of Astrophysics and the Institute of Geophysics of the Faculty of Physics, the Faculties of Chemistry, Mathematics, Geosciences, and the German Aerospace Center.
Applicants to the Solar System School should have a keen interest in Solar system science and a record of academic excellence. They must have, or must be about to obtain, an M.Sc. degree or equivalent in physics or a related field, including a written Masters thesis (or a scientific publication), and must document a good command of the English language.
Online applications should be submitted before the deadline of 15 November 2017 via https://www.mps.mpg.de/phd/applynow