FAQ

We’ve compiled answers to the most common questions to help you find the information you need quickly and easily. If you're unsure about anything, this is a good place to start.

The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Ph.D. program is very attractive to students who are planning to persue their Ph.D. on AI and ML topics applied to a variety of research fields across all sciences, i.e. following the "AI+X" concept.

The program provides candidates with access to an overall faculty that is second to none in the world, comprising all Max Planck directors and independent Max Planck research group leaders. Furthermore, it allows them to contribute to the ongoing transformation of the sciences through the development and application of AI methodology.

Each Ph.D. candidate is supervised by two advisors one working on a field close to ML and AI, and one advisor working in application area "X". The program requires an exchange stay at the second advisor's institution of at least 6 months. 

A central recruitment process is required for students to join the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Ph.D. program. This process is explained in the application section, along with the timeline and required steps and documents.

All Max Planck Society PIs , i.e. directors or independent research group leaders (W2) are welcome to participate in the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network (MP-AIX). 

Signing up as advisor/evaluator on the ELLIS application portal is required. Program participants will need to select

  • exclusively "Max-Planck AI Network", if they only want to participate in MP-AIX.
  • "Max-Planck AI Network" along with up to four research fields from the list, if they are already ELLIS fellows/scholars/members unit faculty and would like to participate in both programs, ELLIS and MP-AIX.

If you want to apply for both programs, you need to select "Max Planck AI Network" along with up to 4 research fields from the list. If you fulfill to all requirements of both programs and have been accepted by both selection processes, you can be admitted to both programs. Please note however that in this case your main advisor must belong to the MPS, i.e. director or independent research group leader and is also an ELLIS-fellow/scholar/unit faculty who signed up to the current recruitment round.

No. The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Ph.D. Program welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of nationality.

Yes, the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network (MP-AIX) Ph.D. program is a meta program on top of existing graduate programs. It does not award doctoral degrees.

The hiring process takes locally place at the institution of the main advisor. The main advisor is usually linked to a degree-granting university. 

When students first apply to the MP-AIX Ph.D. program (through he ELLIS portal) to get matched to potential advisors and receive an offer, they - along with their two supervisors -  will sign a letter of intent which specifies the plans for funding, graduation and the exchange. New students must be accepted to the degree-granting university in addition to being accepted as a MP-AIX student.

After the offer to become an MP-AIX Ph.D. student has been accepted, the candidate should ask their main advisor which steps they must take to become a student/an employee at the degree-granting institution (e.g. submitting documents, applying to the local doctoral school, etc.).

Note that rules may vary depending on the institution.

It means that you should also apply internally through the advisor's institution. 

Typically, the ELLIS Central Recruiting call opens in October and candidates are pre-screened until December. Shortlisted students are then invited for interviews in January - February and are extended offers from March onwards. 

Some institutions do not accept graduate students throughout the year, but have strict deadlines for applying to their graduate programs (for instance, December or earlier) which overlap with the call's timeline.

Advisors are able to indicate in their profile on the portal if a parallel application is required. Therefore, please make sure to read their comments and instructions carefully.

If unsure, visit the website of the institution or contact your preferred advisor. It's safest to apply to both programs in parallel to avoid any delays to the starting date of your contract.

The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is an initiative of the Max Planck Society which contributes to the funding of a Ph.D. position at the respective Max Planck Institutes. The remaining amount will be provided by the host institutes.

After accepting the offer, the student and the two advisors sign a letter of intent which specifies the plans for funding, graduation and the exchange. The details of the funding arrangement will be specified in this letter. It’s up to the advisors to decide the split and determine who will fund the student for which period of time.

It depends. Some participating institutions accept candidates with a B.Sc. degree, sometimes only under specific conditions, while others don't.This information can be found in the advisor's profile on the portal.

The central recruitment calling is the primary mechanism for Max Planck Society (MPS) faculty to recruit students within the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network. Students who are already doing a Ph.D. with an advisor in the MPS will not be funded by MP-AIX.

The application portal presents a list of available advisors with open positions who already signed up to the current call. The list will be extended as further advisors join by the end of October. If your preferred advisor is not on the list, you can still apply.

Both MP-AIX and ELLIS rely on the same evaluation process. However, they do not interact in the decision-making process. If a candidate fulfills the requirements of one program, he or she will be considered for that program. Ultimately, whether the shortlisted candidate can participate in one program, the other, or both depends on the affiliation of the main advisor.