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Doctoral studies in the Mathematics Institute

Why Mathematics PhD at Leipzig University?

As a PhD student at Leipzig University you will be a member of Leipzig's thriving mathematical community hosted by two renowned institutions: Leipzig University's Mathematics Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI-MIS).

Mathematics Institute is a part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, a research-focused department offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, whereas MPI-MIS provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research collaborations involving mathematics. Both institutions are within a walking distance from each other, and they create a dynamic and vibrant mathematical environment with a plethora of research seminars, workshops and conferences, many of which are jointly organised.

Mathematics Institute hosts several research groups in algebra, analysis, combinatorics, geometry and probability. PhD students work closely with faculty members on cutting-edge research projects and benefit from attending events both in Mathematics Institute and MPI-MIS. Our graduates pursue career paths both in academia and in industry, and we strive to offer our students the best possible environment to pursue their mathematical aspirations and achieve their academic and professional goals.

The city of Leipzig is one of the most dynamic cities in Central Europe with a very rich artistic and cultural live, flourishing start-up scene, and numerous networking opportunities. Mathematics Institute is situated in Neues Augusteum, one of the most recognisable centrally located landmarks of Leipzig. Last but not least, Leipzig remains a city with a relatively affordable cost of living.

Funding

For the starting date of 1 October 2024 the institute intends to provide funding for up to 5 students. The successful applicants will typically be employed at 50% of a "Scientific Assistant" position (TV-L EG 13).

Teaching duties associated with this position are preparing and conducting 1 tutorial session (90min) per week. The salary after taxes for this position in 2023 was around 1350 Euro per month. Please consider this only as an unofficial indicative number, since the actual salary depends on personal circumstances (being married, number of children, previous experience, etc.),

We strive to increase the number of women and other under-represented groups in mathematical research. As such we explicitly encourage women and other under-represented groups to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity.

In this round of applications we also explicitly encourage both Ukrainian refugees and Ukraine-based applicants affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to apply.

Available Supervisors

The list of available supervisors for the starting date of 1 October 2024 is as follows.

  • Judith Brinkschulte - Complex Analysis and Geometry
  • Alexey Bufetov - Integrable probability (in particular, experience in random matrices or interacting particle systems or geometric group theory can be beneficial)
  • Stefan Czimek - Partial differential equations, Mathematical general relativity
  • Tobias Finis - Number theory, Automorphic forms
  • Lukasz Grabowski - Algebra, Combinatorics, Measured group theory, Measured and Borel Combinatorics
  • Jonas Hirsch - Calculus of Variations
  • Alexander Kreiß - Probability, Statistics (experience in non-parametric statistics or network models is beneficial but not required)
  • Felix Pogorzelski - Functional Analysis, Dynamical Systems
  • Max von Renesse - Probability, Statistics, Mathematical Physics
  • Mira Schedensack - Numerical Methods
  • Matthias Schwarz - Geometry, Topology, Dynamical Systems
  • Rainer Sinn - Algebra, Combinatorics, Algebraic Geometry

Some of the supervisors might be able to accept multiple students for this starting date.

Application

The deadline for applications is 24 March 2024. Please read the data protection information at the bottom of this page before applying. Please send a single email with the following documents to phd2024@math.uni-leipzig.de.

  • Filled in application form. You can send it back as a pdf or an odt file. You can use e.g. LibreOffice or Google Documents to fill it in.
  • Offical transcript (or transcripts) of all courses taken during your university education, with grades where applicable. If your institution cannot issue a copy in either German or English then you have to provide a certified translation.
  • If you have submitted your master thesis but it is not available online then please send a pdf of your master thesis. If your thesis is available online then provide a link to a pdf file in the suitable field in the application form.

Please do not send a separate supporting statement/motivational letter, instead use the appropriate field in the application form.

Additionally, you have to arrange for two referees to send reference letters to the same address in support of your application. The referees should be academic staff who know you well. The deadline for sending the reference letters is the same as the deadline for the applications.

The applicants who are current students in the Mathematics Institute of Leipzig University: if one or both of your referees are from the Mathematics Institute, you only need to provide their names, they are not required to send reference letters. However, please inform them that you have indicated them as referees.

If you would like to cancel your application, please send a brief email to phd2024@math.uni-leipzig.de.

Selection

All candidates must either hold a Master degree or equivalent in Mathematics or related field, or expect to obtain such a degree by 1 October 2024.

Candidates might be contacted by potential supervisors to arrange either an in person or a video interview. We intend to inform the successful candidates by early May 2024. The negative decisions might be sent later, since we keep some reserve list until the successful candidates have accepted the offers.

All applicants must be able to conduct mathematical research, communicate about research, and teach undergraduate tutorials in English. While we do not require a formal proof of English proficiency, this might be assessed via interviews during the selection process.

The ability to teach undergraduate tutorials in German is not necessary to apply. However, depending on the current teaching demands in the institute, it might be taken into account in the application process.

Post-selection

Successful candidates might be offered an employment contract subject to fulfilling certain conditions, such as successfully defending their Master thesis. The initial contract might be issued for a probationary period of up to 12 months. The probationary requirements will be stated to you clearly by the supervisor. After the probationary period contracts are issued for the whole of the duration of doctoral studies (typically either 3 or 4 years in total). In some cases extensions are possible, but these need to be individually discussed with your supervisor.

We expect successful candidates to accept or reject the offer within 1 week. In exceptional cases, if you need more time to make a decision, please discuss it with the supervisor.

Currently the mathematical institute cannot assist you in obtaining a visa, in case you require one to study and work in Germany. However, we will be able to provide you with a formal letter with an employment offer in case you need it for the visa application process.

Contact

If you have any questions about the application process, please write to phd2024@math.uni-leipzig.de.

Contacting potential supervisors before applying is not necessary. However, if you would like to speak to a potential supervisor involved in your preferred area of research, you may get in touch with them directly using their email address provided on the list of staff of the institute.

Other funding opportunities

If your preferred supervisor is not in the list above, you might try to contact them either in person or by email, to discuss any other funding opportunities.

Data protection information

The use of this website is governed by the general University privacy statement. This section only provides the data protection information relevant to the application process, with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) as the legal basis.

We gather and process the personal data only for the purpose of completing this application process. Your documents will be viewed by the staff of the Mathematics Institute of the Leipzig University. In some cases, to maximise sources of available funding, your documents might be viewed by staff of the Leipzig University outside of the Mathematics Institute.

Your personal data may be conveyed to third parties (such as state institutions and authorities) only in legally essential cases or for criminal prosecution based on attacks on our network infrastructure. Otherwise we neither publish your data nor transmit them to third parties.

All data sent to us as part of this application process will be deleted within 6 months from the application deadline.

You can revoke your consent to process your application by sending an email to phd2024@math.uni-leipzig.de. All data sent to us as part of your application will be subsequently deleted. This will result in particular in cancellation of your application.