We will advertise open PhD and postdoc positions on this website. Application for open positions must be submitted through the job portal of the University of Rostock via this links provided.

If you wish to work in the Photonics Nanomaterials group and are considering an unsolicited application, please note and consider the following points:

• Consider one of a number of outstanding Fellowships for incoming researchers that are offered by the German state, including the Humboldt Research Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation and Scholarships for PhD and postdoc projects of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
• Please send meaningful emails to your potential hosts when making first contact! These should include a brief statement of motivation, how you became aware of the group and why you would like to work there. Include things you hope to learn from that group as well as skills you bring yourself. Suggest a topic on which you would like to work.
• Submit a complete application! That includes at least a letter of motivation, CV, and certificates/diplomas. For first contact with a potential host for a postdoc, a CV and a meaningful email is usually sufficient.
• Indicate that you have informed yourself about the group and their research output. Reference their papers. (Make sure it's a paper from the group and not a minor collaboration.) Show that you are familiar with their website, e.g., this test.
• Say something nice about your potential host's group and be polite, but not submissive! As PIs, we need group members who bring in new ideas and do not shy away from constructive criticism. In a research group we need to discuss and work together, not pass down orders. Hence, yes-men have no place in cutting-edge research. An application in which the PI is revered like a demigod will not earn you any favours.
• If you apply for a scholarship, you will need to write a research proposal. Depending on your academic level, a significant part of that needs to come from you! (This is especially relevant if you apply for a postdoc position.) Your host might help you improve the research plan and make suggestions regarding available equipment and infrastructure, but a proposal written by the potential host will have little chance of success with the funders.
• In your project description, make sure you address interesting, open research questions, put them in context of the current state-of-the-art, and propose hypothesis-driven research. Suggest experiments with clear expectations about the results that can be used to prove or refute the hypothesis. Avoid purely explorative projects whose results cannot be predicted or do not allow a significant gain in knowledge. Do not get lost in technicalities and instead give a consistent outline that shows that you know the relevant literature.

If you do not receive a reply after contacting a potential supervisor or host, it may be that your email did not stand out above the noise. If you take this advice to heart, you should have a good chance. Good luck and all the best wishes for your research endeavours!