Calls For Applications

International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS) Call for Applications 2025

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This call is not an open call. Instead, this call is directed exclusively at doctoral students who are already affiliated with one of the 12 IMPRS-PHDS partner sites. You should respond to this call only if you are a doctoral student already affiliated with an IMPRS-PHDS site.

The International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS) is an interdisciplinary three-year doctoral program that merges demography, epidemiology and data science. The PHDS school equips doctoral students not only with advanced knowledge of the theory and methods of demography and epidemiology (broadly defined as ‘population health’), but also with strong technical skills in statistics, mathematical modeling, and computational and data management methods (broadly referred to as ‘data science’). Possible dissertation topics are not limited to health, but cover all areas of demographic research, including mortality, fertility, migration, mathematical and social demography, as well as the impact of population aging on changing life courses, intergenerational transfers, and economic activity within populations.

IMPRS-PHDS is hosted at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany. Founded in 2019, the school receives core support from the Max Planck Society, MPIDR, University of Rostock, and ten affiliated institutions. It does not charge fees, and accepts about 15-20 pre-doctoral fellows every year. The school’s curriculum is tailored to pre-doctoral students entering the School with a Master’s or equivalent degree and offers

  • strong interdisciplinary research training in population, health and data science;
  • high quality supervision across at least two institutes;
  • extensive networking opportunities across 12 partner sites in Europe and the U.S.;
  • a core training program at the MPIDR.

More information on the IMPRS-PHDS curriculum is available on the school’s website at https://www.imprs-phds.mpg.de/.

All 12 institutions participating in IMPRS-PHDS are invited to encourage their doctoral students to submit an application to IMPRS-PHDS.

How to apply

  • All applications must be made in English.
  • Doctoral students affiliated with one of the IMPRS-PHDS partner sites and interested in joining IMPRS-PHDS should please apply by email to the school (address below). Please begin your email message with a statement saying that you apply for IMPRS-PHDS. You also need to attach the following items integrated in a single PDF file:
    1. A two-page curriculum vitae, including a list of your scholarly publications.
    2. A two-page statement of your doctoral research (or research plans). Explain how your doctoral research relates to the IMPRS-PHDS. Explain how you expect IMPRS-PHDS to promote your future career.
  • Send your email by June 15, 2025 to the IMPRS-PHDS office: phds@demogr.mpg.de
  • Request your primary doctoral supervisor at your home institution (i.e., IMPRS-PHDS partner institution) to submit a recommendation letter in support of your application by June 15, 2025 via our portal at https://survey.demogr.mpg.de/index.php/538877?lang=en.
  • The submission deadline for all materials is June 15, 2025.
  • Applicants will be informed of their acceptance by August 29, 2025.
  • The new PHDS academic year begins on Nov. 1, 2025, with the course schedule starting on Nov. 3.
  • All admitted students are invited to attend the PHDS core courses at the MPIDR in Rostock, Germany, from 3 to 28 November 2025. Participants' travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the IMPRS-PHDS budget.
  • All admitted students and their primary PhD supervisors are expected to attend the 7th IMPRS-PHDS Annual Academy on 3-5 December 2025 at the MPIDR in Rostock, Germany. Attendees’ travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the IMPRS-PHDS budget.

Email inquiries concerning IMPRS-PHDS and the application process should also be sent to phds@demogr.mpg.de.

IMPRS-PHDS values diversity and is committed to admitting individuals from minorities. Individuals with severe disability are especially welcome to apply. IMPRS-PHDS also seeks to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.