Just concentrate on your studies! We will financially support you with a stipend during your Master’s and a working contract during the PhD phase of the graduate program.

Conduct cutting-edge research at the forefront of Matter to Life, a highly interdisciplinary and rapidly emerging field. With a student body from across the globe, our program is taught entirely in English.

During our integrated graduate program, you will be supervised by one or more of our MPS MtL Fellows and profit from the broad and excellent School’s network.

Our graduates are prepared for a broad spectrum of careers — from academia, research management and industrial R&D to consulting, data science, and many more. Whichever path you choose, we will equip you with the skills and experience to thrive.

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich & LMU Munich, Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry

Image reference: MPI of Biochemistry / Magdalena Possert

On 19 June, the Max Planck Schools came together at Bildungscampus Heilbronn to celebrate the graduation of their PhD candidates from Matter to Life, Photonics, and Cognition. The festive day combined an inspiring alumni workshop with a ceremony full of personal stories, proud families, and a look ahead at what comes next.

Two years after their first meeting in New York, the Sloan Foundation’s Matter-to-Life program and the Max Planck School Matter to Life reconvened at Bildungscampus Heilbronn. Three days of talks, posters, and conversations showed just how far a shared scientific question has grown into a shared community

On the occasion of International Women's Day, our PhD candidates Irene and Anna interviewed their peer Aysecan, who is about to defend her dissertation. She talks about collagen, cryo-electron microscopy, resilience, and what she would tell her younger self at the start of this journey

This is not the beginning of a joke, but rather the beginning of every MtL Day—and the MtL Fall Day 2025 in Mainz was no exception. PhD candidates from diverse backgrounds and Fellows from various disciplines convened as knowledge was shared, exchanged, absorbed, and amplified. This year’s host: The Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. 

In August, a group of MtL PhD candidates, Fellows and invited speakers  gathered at the Umweltforschungsstation Schneefernerhaus on the Zugspitze for four days of talks, workshops, and stargazing.
Read the recap!