Supervision Award

IMPRS & MCQST Supervision Award

The IMPRS & MCQST Supervision Award aims to recognize exceptional commitment in the supervision of doctoral students and postdocs within our academic community. By highlighting outstanding supervision, we seek to raise the standards of good supervision and emphasize its crucial role in fostering academic and professional growth.

What defines Good Supervision?

The criteria below outline the essential aspects defining good supervision, which should be considered for the nomination and selection processes:

  • Transparency and clarity of duties and responsibilities for both the student/postdoc and supervisor from the start and maintained throughout the research project.
  • Adherence to good research practices as defined by DFG guidelines.
  • Quality of communication, including accessibility, regularity, honesty, and constructive feedback.
  • Cultivation of an inspiring research culture and an inclusive group environment.
  • Securing funding for the research project throughout the duration of the doctoral study.
  • Ensuring timely completion of the research project within reasonable timeframes.
  • Provision of publication support.
  • Promotion of academic development through participation in scientific events and facilitation of networking within the scientific community.
  • Guidance and support in professional development, including opportunities to aquire of career-related skills.

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If you have any concerns about supervision, we encourage you to reach out to the Graduate Program Coordinator - sonya.gzyl[at]mpq.mpg.de or the Postdoc Program Coordinator - lisa.wimmer1[at]lmu.de. All matters will be handled with complete confidentiality.

Awardees

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The 2024 Supervision Award was granted to:

  • Frank Pollmann, Professor of Theoretical Solid-State Physics at the TUM School of Natural Sciences
  • Michael Wolf, Professor of Mathematical Physics at the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology

Read the news

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The 2025 Supervision Award was granted to:

  • Ignacio Cirac, Director at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and MCQST co-Speaker
  • Johannes Knolle, Professor for Theory of Quantum Matter and Nanophysics at the TUM School of Natural Sciences

How to evaluate your supervisor

  • All IMPRS and MCQST PhD candidates and postdocs are invited to participate in a survey and have the option to nominate their supervisors based on their survey responses and reflections.
  • To nominate a supervisor, you must provide a short statement at the end of the survey explaining why your answers to the survey questions are positive and why your supervisory relationship is exceptional, detailing aspects that made it particularly exemplary.
  • The nomination statement will play a crucial role in the selection process for the award.
  • Both the survey and the statement are anonymous, please make sure to name your supervisor explicitly.

Eligibility and Selection

  • All IMPRS & MCQST PIs are eligible for the award
  • A panel comprising the PhD Board and Postdoc Board Representatives, as well as team members of the IMPRS & MCQST office will evaluate the proposals and select the awardees
  • The next call for nomination will be announced in Fall 2026

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