It’s a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in a PhD in neuroscience. The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has 10 three-year funded positions open for doctoral scholars in the neurosciences. The language of teaching and the dissertation is English, and the application deadline is December 15, 2016.

The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Neural Circuits offers up to 10 doctoral research positions each year for students with a relevant undergraduate or master’s degree. The multidisciplinary program admits excellent students with backgrounds in neuroscience, mathematics, physics, computer science, biochemistry, biology, and medicine.

The common focus is on the understanding of neural circuits, from the simple to the large and complex. This requires analyses at the molecular, cellular, multi-cellular, network and behavioral levels. Research areas are perception, connectomics, theoretical neuroscience, synaptic plasticity, brain dynamics, neural circuits, behavior and systems neuroscience.

Students participate in a tailor-made program, including research rotations and neuroscience courses. They also receive training in transferable skills, attend summer programs, and participate in lecture series and exchange programs with research institutes abroad.

The call for applications is now open, and the deadline is December 15, for positions starting in Fall 2017. Applications can be submitted through this website. Required documents include a CV, certificates and transcripts, and a letter of motivation. More information can be found here.

The Max Planck Society, an independent, non-profit association founded in 1911. It is named after the theoretical physicist Max Planck, and operates more than 80 institutes in Germany and other countries. The institutes function independently and autonomously in pursuing research. The  primary goal of the Max Planck Society is to support fundamental research in the natural, life and social sciences, the arts and humanities. The Society is a reputed global leader in science and technology research, whose scientists have won 33 Nobel Prizes.