Building a future in Quantum Science and Technology
MCQST manages a variety of funding programs to support science and scientists from a number of different angles. Its funding helped spur creative projects, support student learning, and advance gender equity within quantum physics. We developed the structures and set the groundwork for our support programs, like the Summer Bachelor Program and the LMU & TUM joint Master in QST study program. However, some of the programs even kicking off in 2019, like the START and Distinguished Postdoc Fellowships. Existing structures, like the IMPRS-QST and ExQM graduate programs, have been integrated within the MCQST community.
Our support and diversity structures are designed to cover all career stages, and aim to create a change of culture on all academic levels. For our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, have a look at the Life at MCQST section.
Excellent PhD Programs
IMPRS-QST
The International Max Planck Research School for Quantum Science and Technology (IMPRS-QST) is a joint program of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and the Technical University of Munich. It offers an excellent and coherent graduate program across the fields of atomic physics, quantum optics, solid state physics, material science, quantum information theory, and quantum many-body systems. It provides a platform of joint activities for a large research community, encouraging better networking and scientific exchange as an integral part of doctoral training.
ExQM
ExQM is an international and interdisciplinary PhD programme of excellence jointly held by various quantum physics and mathematical research groups at Technical University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, the Walther-Meissner Institute of Low-Temperature Research, and the Walter Schottky Institute for Quantum Electronics. The program is organized in different research focus areas centered on quantum optics, numerical tensor network methods and the study of open quantum systems.
IMPRS-QST Summer School
In 2019, there was a jointly organized IMPRS-QST Summer School with the Max Planck Harvard Research Center for Quantum Optics (MPHQ). See the highlights of this great event in this video:
Distinguished Postdoc Fellowship
One of the primary goals of MCQST is to increase the number of female scientists at all career stages in the field of Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Munich. As an incentive for proactively hiring excellent female scientists, MCQST offers fellowships funding excellent female postdoctoral researchers for one year, and the hosting MCQST group commits to funding of an additional year.
In its first year, MCQST funded two outstanding quantum postdocs:
Nina Fröhling
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics
Collective Effects and Coherence in Quantum Structures
© C. Hohmann / MCQST Amanda Young
Technical University Munich
Spectral and Dynamical Properties of Quantum Lattice Systems
START Fellowship
To support young talents on their transition from postdocs to independent researchers, MCQST is offering Junior Researcher START Fellowships. With a total budget of 300.000 € for a funding period of two years, the fellows have the opportunity to start their own scientific project in one of the Research Units of MCQST.
MCQST's first START Fellows were funded in 2019:
© C. Hohmann / MCQST 
© C. Hohmann / MCQST Seed Funding
MCQST offers flexible seed funding to trigger and support exceptional and often unorthodox emergent ideas among the Research Units. The level of financial support were decided by the Executive Committee.
The first year of seed funding supported a number kick-started a variety of unique projects:
- Scalable ultralow-loss superconducting quantum local area network cables (RU-C, RU-D) - Frank Deppe | WMI
- Quantum-Limited Ku-Band Josephson Parametric Amplifiers (RU-C, RU-D, RU-G) - Rudolf Gross & Kirill Fedorov | WMI
- Control of Moiré Exitons via Heterobilayer Synthesis (RU-F) - Alexander Högele | LMU München
- Quantum sounds on nano-strings (RU-E) - Hans Hübl & Rudolf Gross | WMI
- Dynamical spectral function of the doped Fermi-Hubbard model on a square lattice (RU-B, RU-F) - Michael Knap | TUM
- Integrated photonic quantum circuits (RU-C, RU-D, RU-E) - Meno Poot | TUM
- Transport properties of TMDs in the vicinity of CDW quantum critical points (RU-F) - Thomas Weitz & Matthias Punk | LMU München
- A nanophotonic platform for Erbium-doped quantum memories (RU-D) - Andreas Reiserer | MPQ