PhD students of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems

What PhD students of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems does

The Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) is a publicly funded, non-profit theoretical physics research institute operated by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. and located at Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany. It pursues theoretical studies of the cooperative behaviour of animate and inanimate matter, organized across multiple research divisions covering Condensed Matter (directed by Roderich Moessner), Finite Systems (Jan-Michael Rost), Biological Physics (Frank Jülicher), Quantum Information Dynamics, Quantum Dynamics out of Equilibrium, Quantum Aggregates, Nonlinear Time Series Analysis, Dissipative Quantum Matter, Physics of Living Matter, Functional Quantum Matter, Rydberg Matter, Order and Disorder in Driven Systems, Correlations and Topology, Self-organization of Multicellular Systems, Transport and Flows in Complex Environments, and Superconductivity and Magnetic Correlations. The institute employs proprietary computational methods including many-body simulations, a Hamiltonian framework for non-reciprocal systems, Geometric Floquet Theory, and the TeMBM random walk model, and regularly publishes in Nature, Nature Physics, PNAS, and Physical Review Letters.

The institute operates without a commercial revenue model, with research funded through institutional Max Planck Society financing, government research grants (including ERC Starting Grants), and collaborative programs such as the ct.qmat Cluster of Excellence with TU Dresden and Universität Würzburg. It serves three primary persona segments: graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (through the International Max Planck Research School, IMPRS-PKS), visiting scientists and faculty (through a structured visitors program with onboarding, accommodation, and childcare support), and the general public (through Science Sketches, Wissenschaft im Theater, Dresdner Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften, and Dresdner IndustrieGespräche outreach). Notable partnerships include joint appointments with MPI-CBG (Pierre Haas, Fridtjof Brauns), MPI-CPfS (Libor Šmejkal), and active collaborations with the Flatiron Institute, MIT, Princeton, SLAC/LCLS, and Google (Sycamore quantum computer). The 24-employee figure in the input refers to a subset (PhD students) rather than total institute headcount.

Name

PhD students of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems

Legal name

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.

Website

https://pks.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) is a publicly funded, non-profit theoretical physics research institute in Dresden, Germany, studying cooperative behaviour in quantum, condensed matter, and biological systems. It serves PhD students, postdocs, visiting scientists, and the public, funded by the Max Planck Society and competitive research grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theoretical Physics Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Quantum Materials, Qubits & Device Physics Research (HDAGAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum Education, Workforce Development & Academic Centers (HDAGAMAM), Quantum Software Integration & DevOps (CI/CD, MLOps-style pipelines) (HDAGACAI)

Keywords

• Theoretical physics research
• Complex systems analysis
• Quantum matter studies
• Biological physics research
• Condensed matter theory

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MPI-PKS conducts theoretical research on the cooperative behavior of animate and inanimate matter, spanning quantum physics, condensed matter, biological physics, and complex systems. It delivers this research through dedicated divisions and groups, while also operating the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS-PKS) for doctoral training, an international visitors program, workshops, seminars, colloquia, and public outreach activities.

Product overview

The Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) is a theoretical physics research institute focused on studying cooperative behavior in animate and inanimate matter. It does not offer commercial products or services. The institute provides research programs, the IMPRS (International Max Planck Research School) for PhD training, workshops, seminars, colloquia, a visitors program, and public outreach activities. Its offerings include research divisions, scientific events, and collaborative research funding opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS-PKS) Structured doctoral training program in theoretical physics and complex systems for PhD students at MPI-PKS, linked from the institute's main navigation.
• Visitors Program International visitors program hosting external researchers for extended stays, with application processes, orientation support, accommodation assistance, and childcare support for incoming scientists.
• Workshops and Seminars Scientific workshops and seminars hosted at MPI-PKS, including focus workshops and seminars (e.g., High-Dimensional Computation in Soft Matter, 13-17 Jul 2026; Exploring Two-dimensional Nanomaterials for Future Applications, 27-29 Jul 2026), with open calls for proposals.
• Colloquia Series Regular colloquia series featuring international speakers from leading institutions including MIT, Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford; archive spans from 2000 to 2025.
• Public Outreach Program Public outreach activities including Wissenschaft im Theater (science lectures at Kleines Haus des Staatsschauspiel Dresden), Dresdner Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften (annual science night with ScienceLab demonstrations), Dresdner IndustrieGespräche (industrial dialogue series co-organized with DPG), and the Science Sketches YouTube series.
• Physik-Preis Dresden Annual physics prize promoting cooperation between MPI-PKS and TU Dresden, with prize money of EUR 5,000 donated by P. Fulde; 2025 awarded to Prof. Igor Herbut of Simon Fraser University.

Quantifiable outcome

• Researchers including Marko Popović have received the Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Prize recognizing mid-career researchers bridging solid-state physics and biophysics
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong collaborative relationship with TU Dresden through the ct.qmat Cluster of Excellence (Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter), joint Physik-Preis Dresden award, and various research collaborations. The institute is part of Dresden's broader research ecosystem including multiple non-university research institutions.
• Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research collaborations including work on biological morphogenesis and living systems. Shared group leaders such as Fridtjof Brauns who holds joint appointment, and Pierre Haas who conducts research at both institutes.
• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (MPI-CPfS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on research including altermagnetic materials, with Libor Šmejkal holding joint position at both MPI-PKS and MPI-CPfS.
• Flatiron InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on exotic superconductivity with many-body computations and cold-atom experiments. Joint work on biological morphogenesis modeling with researchers from the Flatiron Institute.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on exotic pairing states in strongly interacting quantum systems, combining many-body simulations with experimental measurements.
• Princeton UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including work on bacterial colonies in hydrated environments with the Shaevitz group, and morphogenesis research with the Shvartsman group.
• ct.qmat Cluster of ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCluster of Excellence involving TU Dresden and Universität Würzburg. Multiple MPI-PKS researchers including Roderich Moessner serve as Principal Investigators, focusing on complexity and topology in quantum matter.
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory / LCLSmajorTechnology or IntegrationX-ray free-electron laser facility used for experiments investigating molecular dynamics in laser-driven molecules including Buckminsterfullerene (C60).
• Google (Sycamore quantum computer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative verification of discrete time crystals using Google's Sycamore quantum computer, part of research by Roderich Moessner's group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research: Major Max Planck institute in Stuttgart covering broad areas of solid-state and materials physics. Comparable as a Max Planck Society quantum-materials research center, though with a stronger experimental orientation.

Direct peers

• Flatiron Institute: Computational science research institute whose Center for Computational Quantum Physics works on strongly correlated systems, many-body methods, and quantum materials. Directly comparable given the active MPI-PKS partnership on exotic superconductivity research.
• Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton): Prestigious independent research institution with schools of Natural Sciences covering theoretical physics, mathematics, and biology. Comparable as a theory-focused academic research center hosting long-term visiting scholars.
• Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (UCSB): Leading US institute for theoretical physics with a strong workshop and visitor program covering condensed matter, quantum physics, and biological physics. Comparable mission, scale, and focus on collaborative theoretical research.
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP): UNESCO-category institute in Trieste supporting theoretical physics research and training, particularly for developing countries. Comparable mission around advancing theoretical physics, training, and international scientific collaboration.
• Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics: A fellow Max Planck Society institute focused on quantum optics and quantum information processing. Directly comparable as a German theoretical/experimental quantum physics research center with similar governance, funding model, and visitor programs.
• Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics: Independent Canadian research institute dedicated to foundational theoretical physics, including quantum information, condensed matter, and biological physics. Directly comparable as a dedicated theoretical physics research center with active visitor programs.
• Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG): Sister Max Planck institute in Dresden that jointly hosts MPI-PKS group leaders (Pierre Haas, Fridtjof Brauns) for biological-physics research on morphogenesis. Comparable as a partner research institution within the Dresden research ecosystem.
• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids: Sister Max Planck institute focused on solid-state and quantum materials research. Directly comparable given joint appointments (Libor Šmejkal) and the Nature 2024 altermagnetism collaboration.

Emerging players

• Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Delft: Research institute at TU Delft focused on nanoscience and quantum materials. Comparable as a quantum-materials research center, though with stronger experimental orientation than MPI-PKS's theoretical focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/mpipks.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mpipks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phd-mpi-pks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PhD students of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems