Scientific Program and Curriculum
The interdisciplinary scientific programme of HEPP combines basic plasma physics as well as fusion research, computational physics, and plasma technology.
HEPP provides a graduate programme, upon completion of which students are awarded a PhD degree by the partner universities.
The specific course of study is designed to set a clear-cut schedule for obtaining the PhD degree and to foster close research collaboration between post-graduate students.
Curriculum
The three years HEPP training programme
The specialized training programme is based on different pillars:
- Weekly Seminar (mandatory) during the lecture period
- Annual HEPP colloquium during the DPG Frühjahrstagung (spring conference of the German Physical Society) or, if required an additional HEPP Autumn Colloquium
- Good Scientific Practice Training
- Subject-specific further training
- Lectures out of the range of universities‘ offers
- Lecture blocks (on request) given by invited visiting professors
- Conferences, Retreats, Summer Schools
- Transferable skill workshops
Seminars
The weekly HEPP Seminar (during lecture period) is the platform for all HEPP students for scientific presentations and discussions.The doctoral students meet in the respective lecture halls at the Garching and Greifswald sites and a video conference connection is set up between them. HEPP students are requested to give two talks in this seminar: a short (10 minutes) Introductory Talk typically 2-3 months after starting a PhD project, and a longer (20 minutes) Progress Talk in the second year.
The purpose of the Introductory Talk is to introduce yourself to the other doctoral candidates and to give an overview of the planned doctoral project.We would like to know who you are, where you are from, and – very briefly – what you have done until now. We are, of course, also interested in the research topic of your PhD project, but you should keep this information on a rather general level: what is the topic, what is the plan, what are the tools? Please do not try to give a detailed physics introduction in this talk.
In the Progress Talk (during your second year), you should give an introduction into the physics related to your topic, and present results you have obtained so far. As not all HEPP members work in the same field as you do, some of them not even on the same type of plasma – keep the talk as understandable as possible for everybody. Since the main purpose of this talk is to give an overview over your work rather than a conference-style presentation of your hottest results, we strongly encourage you to also include possible issues (technical or physical) you may have, or any other content you deem interesting for your audience – as long as it relates to your work.
HEPP Colloquium
Once a year, the HEPP members from both IPP sites Garching and Greifswald meet for a combined colloquium. This event is partly integrated into the spring meeting of the German Physical Society (DPG, Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft), which takes place every year in early spring in different cities. During the HEPP sessions of the DPG conference, you are requested to present a Poster (in your first and second year of your PhD studies) or a talk of 20 minutes length (if you are in your third year and expecting to complete your work not more than a few months after the conference.
The Final Talk (20 minutes) is preferably given during a HEPP session on a DPG spring meeting. This talk should cover significant parts of the story of your thesis, including at least some final results. For those of you who only have preliminary results until the DPG spring meeting takes place, or if you just started your third year at that time, we will organize an additional HEPP Autumn Colloquium at the end of the year, which will be announced to the complete IPP scientific staff.
Subject-specific further training
While participation in the weekly seminar and the annual colloquium is compulsory for all students, the subject-specific training or selection of lectures from the wide range of courses offered by the universities is the responsibility of the respective student and depends on their individual background. In accordance with the regulations of the Graduate Centres of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), participation in retreats, summer schools or conferences may also be recognised as part of this qualification module. The final decision on the recognition of the alternative training measures mentioned lies with the supervisors.
The general requirement is that various courses totalling at least 6 hours per week (SWS) must be attended during the regular doctoral research phase (three years).