PRISMA++ is committed to the training and career of young researchers in all phases of their academic career – from advanced Bachelor students to postdoctoral researcher. Within the Cluster of Excellence, the Mainz Physics Academy (MPA) forms the common umbrella for all these activities of graduate training and the promotion of young researchers.
An ‘Excellence Track’ aims to provide excellent students at various stages of development with an individual, additional study program focused on early entry into research projects.
Furthermore, the MPA, in collaboration with other PRISMA++ institutions, such as the Detector Laboratory and the Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics (MITP), organizes various summer schools and other extracurricular offerings.
Finally, the MPA sees itself as a platform for the career development of all young researchers involved in PRISMA++: A wide range of interdisciplinary training and workshops, as well as accompanying career development measures, complete the MPA portfolio. The goal is to provide young people with optimal qualifications and prerequisites for a successful career – be it in academia, business, or industry.
Under the umbrella of the MPA, two calls for proposals for several PhD fellowships take place annually.
In line with the overarching strategy of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), we consider the active promotion of young researchers as a central element to achieve scientific excellence. For this reason, the MPA is closely integrated into the university-wide strategy, which views the promotion of young researchers as one of its core tasks. Thus, in 2014, the JGU founded the Gutenberg Council for Young Researchers (GYR) as a central institution to systematically and sustainably promote young scientists and artists. Furthermore, with the Gutenberg Teaching College (GLK), established in November 2010, the JGU lives up to its self-conception anchored in its mission statement and teaching strategy: to regard research and teaching as equally important tasks and to achieve excellent results in these areas.
The MPA coordinators are readily available to young scientists as contact persons for all questions regarding their program of study and life in Mainz. They also provide confidential and low-threshold advising in problematic situations. The door to the MPA Office (Staudingerweg 9, 02-428) is always open to all PRISMA students.
“With the Mainz Physics Academy, we want to build a bridge between the excellent research at PRISMA++ and academic teaching. In future, all measures relating to graduate training and the promotion of young researchers will be brought together under one roof. Accompanying career development offers will also play a major role here.”
“Excellent students and young researchers from Germany and abroad are essential for the success of our work at PRISMA++. The success of PRISMA++ depends crucially on our ability to attract them to the Mainz location.”
