Doctoral candidates take an important role in research institutions and contribute significantly to the progress in research and gain of knowledge. The PhD candidate is expected to acquire a full range of competencies and knowledge far beyond that of the specialised field of research. Multiple factors influence the quality of doctoral training. Especially the tendency to employ doctoral students in large research collaborations and genomic projects generated holders of PhD degrees with much sub-specialisation and little preparation to apply science practically.
The Graduate Study Program at the IPK is an initiative of the IPK to offer doctoral candidates additional opportunities for doctoral training, a broader view of life science today and social scientific interaction. Below we provide an overview about the ideas of the PhD seminar and the basic rules and regualtions concerning the PhD program at the IPK.
The PhD seminars
To date, the PhD seminar is the main focus of the PhD program. This seminar is organised and maintained by the PhD candidates themselves.
The PhD seminars are announced via e-mail to the PhD mailing list and by flyers. The seminars take place Thursdays at 16:00 o'clock, about once every month. The seminars are not only a source of new information about scientific topics but also a good opportunity to meet your peers. We prepare coffee and serve biscuits at each seminar, all you need to do is to bring a cup.
Check the current PhD seminar schedule.
There are two types of PhD seminars:
Regular PhD seminar
...is shared by two doctoral candidates.
Hot Topic (5 to 10 minutes)
A hot topic is a subject that a scientist should absolutely have heard about because this topic is in the current focus of important journals (e.g. Nature, Science) or meetings that model our mind. Furthermore, a hot topic can also be a new revolutionary technique.
You may learn about hot topics from discussions with other scientists or by reading Nature, Science and so on. Hot topics do not necessarily need to be related to the plant field!
Presentation of the hot topic is short and will include the references. As a listener you will probably not understand immediately everything about the topic, but you are informed, you picked up the keywords and you will know where to search for more information.
Seminar (20 to 30 minutes)
The regular seminar is held by PhD students themselves about a topic free of choice. We strongly recommend that PhD students choose and review a topic from the literature that is of high general interest. It can be related to your own PhD work, but you should not repeat the state-of-the-art of your thesis. It might be possible to present the general idea or topic of your study and give any general information. At the end you can mention as example your own results (not more than 3 slides).
The presentation of the seminar should be about 30 minutes and will include all references. As a listener you should understand immediately the main points of the topic and can reply this information to other scientists.
Special PhD seminar
...are given by IPK scientists, specialised IPK staff or visitors.
Special seminars inform about research and service facilities at the IPK, as well as science-related matters of interest for future holders of doctoral degrees.
Currently, participation in the Graduate Program is not a requirement for obtaining a doctoral degree in most universities but we can offer a certificate for regular participation. The requirement for the certificate would be to have presented at least once a hot topic and once a seminar, and to have regularly participated in the PhD seminars. Therefore we collect your signatures in every PhD seminar.
Research group leaders who are supervising the PhD seminars and who are responsible for the Graduate Program at the IPK:
