Promotion of young researchers

Teaching and educational concept

QUEST is committed to the promotion of young scientists at all stages of their education and career. This commitment starts at the master’s level where special tutorials held by experienced members of the centre and laboratory work on small significant projects are offered. The main focus for the promotion of young researchers in QUEST is a postgraduate programme, which is in accordance with the latest development at LUH for a well structured postgraduate programme. The programme for QUEST consists of a core curriculum, special seminars held by visiting professors or senior scientists, summer or winter schools appropriate for a wider audience, research seminars on the full scope of QUEST, and special training courses on the professional presentation of scientific results at conferences and for a general audience.
To enable outstanding students from abroad to join and enrich the stimulating international scientific community within QUEST, it includes a significant fellowship-programme. These measures are continued even after the end of the doctorate. QUEST is particularly dedicated to foster the scientific independence of young post doctoral researchers at the start of their scientific career. All measures that are taken within QUEST to achieve these goals are outlined below.

PhD-fellowship-programme

QUEST took special actions for recruiting excellent students from abroad. The centre offers 14 full fellowships for excellent international graduate students. This PhD-fellowship-programme “Excellence in QUEST” has been internationally advertised. Out of 75 applications the 14 best were selected to participate in the fellowship programme.

The 14 successful applicants receive a full fellowship (in accordance with the pay scale customary in Germany) and have been able to choose their field of research and participation in the QUEST group of their choice. All QUEST fellows are offered a 6 months research grant during their PhD at an international institution or university of their choice, funded by QUEST. If needed, assistance is given in the selection of a suitable research institution. So far, QUEST students took the opportunity to stay at Gainesville (Florida), CAL Tech (Los Angeles), Paris, Glasgow, MIT (Boston), Tokyo etc.

All non-stipend QUEST graduate students are also offered the opportunity to spend 6 months at an international research institution or university. An international research semester has proven to be very beneficial (for instance it is part of the curriculum of the International Training Group, GRK 665 “Interference and Quantum Applications” at LUH) and is therefore supported by QUEST.

To monitor the progress of the doctoral projects a stringent structure has been established. Together with his/her supervisor, each doctoral student sets up a project plan with milestones, which is evaluated in six-month intervals, alternately by oral project reviews and written reports.

Curriculum: QUEST offers an interdisciplinary curriculum with both introductory and advanced lectures in a stimulating research environment, attracting the best students from Germany and abroad. In view of the high level of research aimed at for the doctoral students, the lectures are at the graduate level in co-operation with the Leibniz-School, whereas the undergraduate education is provided by the existing programmes at LUH.

The curriculum comprises courses to be taken during a three-year study and training period. The current courses include the full spectrum of QUEST. The curriculum consists of a mandatory minimum of three courses out of the core curriculum for a wide horizon of the doctoral students and at least one special course out of several advanced ones. The lectures are held in English, and the curriculum is tailored to the particular needs at any given time, offering mainly block lectures.

The lectures are augmented by practical exercises and added by training courses at the co-operating institutions (e.g. PTB, LZH, ZARM). To develop communication skills of the doctoral students, reading groups about current literature are established and semi-annual presentations by the students in QUEST helps them to assess their progress. Workshops, training schools and participation at conferences are recommended and funded by QUEST to establish best links to the research community and to give credit to the doctoral students for their contributions.

Soft skills and multidisciplinary education of graduate students: It is an ambition of the centre that its graduates not only possess first-rate scientific skills but that they also acquire additional competences, including soft skills such as human resources management and effective project management, from the very start by working in a team of peers. An emerging and rapidly expanding field such as quantum engineering and space time research can only blossom when intense science marketing is combined with effective outreach measures. QUEST graduates are incorporated in these measures and thus acquire communication skills and presentation techniques early in their career. Examples for professional courses organised by the cluster are “How to write a successful proposal” (11/09), “Scientific writing” (03/10), “Leadership and personality” (07/11) and “Presentation Skills” (11/11).

For many years LUH has been conducting a comprehensive training programme (workshops and classes) for its employees. This program is open for graduate students of QUEST, who are encouraged to take part in suitable activities.

Links to industry partners: The centre actively promotes thesis projects to be conducted in close co-operation with industrial partners. Strong existing ties with industry and the regular joint Physics-Industry Colloquium at LUH form a good basis for such projects. QUEST’s co-operation partners provide hands-on experience in industry via internships and joint project work with graduate students of QUEST. Such internships can be chosen by the students as an alternative to an international research semester.

For its postdocs: LUH  has an excellent track record in helping its graduates to obtain postdoctoral positions at premier international research institutions (in USA: Berkeley, Caltech, Florida State, Goddard Space Flight Centre, Harvard, JILA and NIST Boulder, NIST Gaithersburg, MIT, Perimeter Institute, Stanford, in Italy: Trento, in UK: Birmingham, Cambridge, Imperial College London, Glasgow, in France: Orsay, in Japan: Tokyo).

Encouragement of junior scientists’ scientific independence

QUEST is dedicated to foster the scientific career of young scientists. It succeeds in this endeavour by providing an environment that enhances the development of scientific leadership and teaching skills, while leaving sufficient time for research activities. Unnecessary hierarchical barriers are eliminated by the introduction of independent Junior Research Groups. This allows for an exchange among equal scientific peers and fosters early independence of young scientists. Young scientists are included in the decision making processes within the centre early on, and responsibility for their groups is transferred to them. Several Junior Research Groups based on junior professorships and Research Groups based on senior postdoctoral researchers are established within the scope of QUEST to achieve this goal of early scientific excellence.