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The Max Planck Society (Max‑Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.) is leading the way as an independent, non‑profit research organization dedicated to promoting cutting-edge basic research. At 85 Max Planck Institutes, more than 26,700 employees conduct basic research in a wide range of fields in the life and natural sciences, as well as in the humanities, social sciences, and law, with a strong interest in innovative and interdisciplinary research areas.
Max Planck Postdoc Program
(Postdoctoral positions at Max Planck Institutes)
The Max Planck Society invites outstanding researchers to apply for a postdoctoral position within the Max Planck Postdoc Program. We are looking for excellent scientists and scholars who are at an early stage of their academic career.
- The Max Planck Postdoc Program aims to attract the world's most talented postdocs to the Max Planck Society and supports them in their further career development:
- Successful candidates have applied to a vacant project-based postdoc position offered by a principal investigator at one of the participating Max Planck Institutes.
- The program’s postdoctoral positions entail a minimum contract term of three years and a supervision agreement that is adapted to the existing postdoc guidelines. Payment and benefits depend on personal conditions and qualifications according to the TVöD (wage agreement for public service personnel) guidelines.
- A mentoring program accompanies the postdoc counting on a second mentor in addition to their primary supervisor. Both provide helpful guidance throughout the entire period of the Program employment.
- To actively plan further career steps, postdocs are to participate in a mandatory career workshop offered by the Planck Academy. Further trainings and courses specifically designed for postdocs may add to the career development agenda in the medium term.
Interested to join us? Please check out all vacancies published on our Max Planck Postdoc Program Application Portal.
Your application should include:
- a cover letter,
- a CV and a list of publications combined in one pdf file,
- a summary of previous research experience,
- a statement of your interest and motivation for the position (limited to 2000 characters),
- the email addresses of 2–3 references who can provide a letter of recommendation, if required for the specific position.
For more details about the program (including further application instructions), please visit:
https://www.mpg.de/en/max-planck-postdoc-program.
To submit your application online, please visit:
The application deadline is October 13, 2026, 12pm CET.
As an open and diverse organization, the MPG is characterized by a high proportion of international scientists, its decentralized structures and the subject-specific needs of its three scientific sections. Valuing and promoting all MPG employees regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, social background, and the need to balance work and family life, is an overarching organizational development goal of all personnel development and career measures at the MPG. These topics are also considered and implemented in the Max Planck Postdoc Program. Applications from people with severe disabilities are strongly encouraged.
For more information about the Max Planck Society and its institutes, please visit: https://www.mpg.de/en/