Summer internships at MPIA

Summer internships at MPIA

The call for the summer internship 2024 is now closed. The 2025 call will open in December 2024.

The MPIA offers a number of positions for internships every year to bright bachelor and master students who desire to acquire hand-on experience of research and instrument development in astronomy, or wish to fullfil their degree's requirement. We encourage especially students from developing countries to apply, because at least two positions will be awarded to students from these countries.

The institute proposes students to work full-time for two to three months. Travel costs are supported and a salary is offered (~1000€/month, or ~820€/month net with full social benefits), as necessary. The internship typically takes place during the summer (between May and September) but not necessarily. Assistance will be provided to seek accomodations as close as possible to the institute or the city centre–which is not easy in such a touristic city as Heidelberg.

The institute

The researchers at the MPIA work on a variety of topics from exoplanet search and characterisation, the census of the Solar neighbourhood, to the study of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and the detection of the most distant quasars. Some work on the analysis of observational material obtained from the X rays to the millimeter wavelength, as well as massive whole-sky surveys, while others develop new simulation codes of star and planet formation to cosmology, and yet others develop the instruments for the largest telescopes such as the LBT or the E-ELT or the most specific and requiring usage. The working language is English.

The breeding of future young researchers is an important mission of the institute, with at any time 20 Bachelor and Master students, and 50 to 60 Ph.D. students. Many of the latter joined through the IMPRS.

A (partial) list of topics is presented in the Miniforschung page (partly in German) and in the Master and Bachelor project page. General information about studying at MPIA can be found in the Students' pages. The activities and staff of the two departments are presented in the Planet and Star formation and the Galaxies and Cosmology pages. Lab work on the development of new instruments may also be proposed.

Our primary internship program is during the summer but visits are possible through-out the year, so do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you'd like to find our more about existing oportunities. In all cases it is important to contact us as soon as possible in order to organise supervision, funding, and accomodations. Our International Office will do its best to help you.

The city of Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a friendly city of 150,000 inhabitants and is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. The harmonious ensemble of castle, Old Town and river nestled in the hills of the Odenwald already inspired poets and painters of Romanticism and today still fascinates millions of visitors from all over the world.

It was mostly spared during the Second World War but the castle partly bear witness of the 9-year war of the late XVIIth century. It is a university town, with 28,000 students enrolled at the Ruperto Carola university, the oldest German university funded in 1386 and one of the top German universities, with 1000 PhD defended every year and 130 nationalities represented. Nearby attractions include the larger cities of Stuttgart and Frankfurt, historical places such as the Schwetzingen and Mannheim Palaces and natural sites such as the Odenwald forest.

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