Opportunities for early-career researchers
Early-career programs
While researchers at all career stages participate in MFO programs, two of them are specifically designed for scientists at the start of their careers: the short-term training program Oberwolfach Seminars and the longer-term research program Oberwolfach Leibniz Fellows.
Oberwolfach Seminars
These one-week training courses introduce up to 25 Ph.D. students and postdocs into a particular hot development. The topics for the coming year are usually announced in early December. Board and lodging are free and thanks to the support of the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation, travel expenses can be reimbursed up to 150 Euro in average per person. Information on the current program and details how to apply can be found on the website on the Oberwolfach Seminars.
>> Read more on Oberwolfach Seminars...
Oberwolfach Leibniz Fellows
The focus of this program is to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers in the realization of own research projects. Early-career researchers, having received their doctoral degree not more than 5 years ago, can apply for a stay from one to three months at Oberwolfach in order to realize a research project either individually or in small groups. The website on the Oberwolfach Fellowship provides more details on the various opportunities of this program and information how to apply.
>> Read more on Oberwolfach Leibniz Fellows...
Further programs
Although the following programs are not specifically aimed at early-career researchers, they also offer interesting opportunities. Please visit the relevant subpages to learn how you can benefit from them.
- The Oberwolfach Arbeitsgemeinschaft (study group) aims both at experienced and early-career researchers who want to quickly immerse into a new field of research. The idea is learning by teaching under the guidance of experts.
- Groups of 2-4 researchers who want to stay between 2-4 weeks for a particular project can apply for an Oberwolfach Research Fellowship.
- Oberwolfach Workshops bring together the leading experts of a particular field, in order to report on recent findings, discuss innovative approaches, and foster the development of new ideas. Participation is subject to a personal invitation by the Director of the Institute upon suggestion of the organizers. Five places are especially reserved for promising early-career scientists (cf. Oberwolfach Leibniz Graduate Students). Interested researchers can contact the institute's administration.
- In addition to the large Workshops we offer the possibility of holding Mini-Workshops, which bring about 16 people together for one week to work on a certain problem. It is an emphasis of the program to give also early-career researchers the opportunity to participate, and even to take the initiative in organizing a session.
Grants
Thanks to dedicated funds, including support from several external funding partners, the MFO is able to offer travel grants to participants in selected scientific programs, in particular to early-career researchers. Your eligibility for any of these grants is decided by the MFO, subject to a prior application. Please find details on each grant and information on how you can apply in the grants overview.
Participants of the Oberwolfach Seminar 2322b on Metric Algebraic Geometry
Family support
Oberwolfach aims to enable parents with children to participate in its activities. If you are only able to participate if you bring your child with you, it is essential that you contact our administration in advance to confirm whether this can be arranged. Please contact us well in advance of your stay and complete the application form.
We have a limited number of rooms suitable for families with small children. While we cannot provide babysitters, we can try to accommodate an accompanying person to help with childcare, subject to prior approval and capacity. If your request is approved, we will only charge for meals, not for accommodation (€125 per week instead of €375 for adults; children’s meal charges depend on their age). In some cases, we may need to refer you to nearby external accommodations. Please note that we are unable to accommodate older children or other accompanying persons at the Institute. If you are staying at the Institute with young children, the reception can provide further information about on-site facilities for children.
Additional resources
The Leibniz PostDoc Network has prepared a "Welcome Package for PostDocs" - a document with general information on the stay in Germany, the academic work life in Germany and special support programs within the Leibniz Association. The welcome package document was prepared by PostDocs for PostDocs.
>> Welcome Package for PostDocs (PDF)...
Several other institutions offer funding opportunities and help to start a career in Germany and Europe. At the following page we provide some useful links to relevant organisations and programs.
>> Funding opportunities in Germany...
Furthermore, the Institute cooperates with a number of institutions in order to strengthen networks that support young mathematicians.
>> Cooperations with other institutions...
Experiences
Early-career researchers can benefit from our scientific program in various ways. In many cases a stay in Oberwolfach was the bridge for the further research career. People often mention the excellent networking possibilities and the inspiring and supportive atmosphere. Here are some of their impressions:
“Time passed extremely quickly, but I was more productive than in any other five weeks this year.” |
“The Leibniz fellowship is probably unique in being able to offer young researchers the opportunity to talk with so many different mathematicians. As a consequence, we now have a joint research project.” |
"I invited three of my collaborators and we were able to start a new project in one case and finish one in the other case." |
"[...] my stay at the MFO was by far the best time in my whole scientific life. The impact on my scientific career was huge: - An OWP report I published was the basis for my habilitation in Germany. - I had the time to introduce myself in new areas of research. - I started collaborations with different researchers." |
"The Oberwolfach Workshop had a huge impact on my scientific career. I had an opportunity to meet in person so many people in my area of research, including several with whom I've moved on to have several joint papers and many more from whom I've received important professional advice and seminar invitations. The talks exposed me to many possible topics related to my research program. The ideas and contacts I've initiated during my MFO stay have powered my research program for several years." |
"[...] My first visit was before I received my PhD and my last was after I had become Professor. Along the way, the interactions at Oberwolfach inspired my research [...] Thank you Oberwolfach." |
More impressions can be found in the reports of former Oberwolfach Leibniz Fellows. Furthermore, in our annual report of 2016 we published an interesting interview with Eleonore Faber.