Promotion of junior research groups

The field of advanced photonics has been extremely attractive to junior scientists over the past decade. A large number of truly excellent students have acquired their diplomas and PhD degrees in the participating groups. However, many of even the brightest of them have felt compelled to leave the field and/or the country (without plans to return) after graduation for lack of career opportunities. MAP aims at making a contribution to stopping this brain drain by offering ambitious and talented young researchers

• exciting research opportunities at the frontiers of science and technology in a uniquely interdisciplinary and international environment, and

• clear long-term prospects for their career development.

MAP offers a first important step towards a professorship or leading position at a research laboratory by heading a small, independent research group doing research in close collaboration with groups led by faculty members of the Centre. We fund 6 JRGs from MAP resources and hope to be able to attract another 6–9 outstanding junior scientists provided with external funding, in order to establish a JRG. For 6 of them, LMU and TUM will offer 3 tenured positions each at the W2 level at the end of the first funding period of MAP. 

The six junior research groups are:

Attosecond Dynamics (Prof. Dr. Reinhard Kienberger)

Free Electron Laser (Prof. Dr. Florian Grüner)

Advanced Technologies in Radiation Therapy (Prof. Jan Wilkens)

Ultraintense Lasers and Applications (Prof. Stefan Karsch)

Dynamic Processes in Molecules and Surfaces (Prof. Matias Nest)

Brilliant x-rays for Medical Diagnosis (Prof. Paola Coan)