PhD / Doctorate •

Degree

Doctoral degree (Dr rer nat) / PhD

Course location

Hamburg

In cooperation with

Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), Hamburg
Cluster of Excellence "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" (CLICCS), Hamburg
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-ESM), Hamburg
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ)

Teaching language

• English

Languages

All courses are held in English.

Programme duration

6 semesters

Beginning

Winter and summer semester

Application deadline

SICSS recruits new doctoral candidates through job postings of the "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" Cluster of Excellence. The official and binding application deadline for any advertised doctoral position will be announced in the job postings. Open positions will be published here: https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de/career/jobs.html .

Doctoral candidates who already hold a scholarship or have an employment at Universität Hamburg or a cooperating institution are welcome to get in touch with the SICSS office by e-mail: sicss@uni.hamburg.de .

Tuition fees per semester in EUR

None

Combined Master's degree / PhD programme

No

Joint degree / double degree programme

No

Description/content

The curriculum focuses on basic research in climate system interactions and climate effects. The graduate school guides the doctoral candidates to become highly qualified in their discipline, while at the same time developing competence, interdisciplinary thinking, and international networking.
Expert and integrated courses serve to increase the qualification level of the doctoral candidates. Introduction courses on climate system sciences are compulsory, while expert courses and summer schools are optional. Scientific skills trainings on how to manage scientific projects and how to write scientific publications and proposals are integral to the programme.

Course organisation

The SICSS doctoral programme focuses on the individual research of the doctoral candidates and is accompanied by a variety of structured courses:

• Introduction courses (compulsory)
• Retreats (compulsory)
• Lecture series
• Expert courses
• Summer schools
• Soft skills courses
• Training in scientific programming and statistic software
• Project management, computer literacy
• Presentation, communication
• Writing papers, writing proposals

International elements

• Training in intercultural skills
• International guest lecturers
• Projects with partners in Germany and abroad

Course-specific, integrated German language courses

No

Course-specific, integrated English language courses

No

Tuition fees per semester in EUR

None

Semester contribution

There is an administration fee of approx. 340 EUR per semester. This fee includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the Hamburg metropolitan area.

Costs of living

We recommend that single students budget at least 900 EUR per month to meet personal expenses (accommodation, living, health insurance, books).

Funding opportunities within the university

No

Academic admission requirements

• Master's degree / German "Diplom" in natural sciences, environmental earth sciences, climate sciences, or climate-related sciences such as social sciences, economics or humanities
• The topic of the doctoral thesis must focus on climate and earth system sciences.

Language requirements

Good English language skills; German language skills are helpful.

Application deadline

SICSS recruits new doctoral candidates through job postings of the "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" Cluster of Excellence. The official and binding application deadline for any advertised doctoral position will be announced in the job postings. Open positions will be published here: https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de/career/jobs.html .

Doctoral candidates who already hold a scholarship or have an employment at Universität Hamburg or a cooperating institution are welcome to get in touch with the SICSS office by e-mail: sicss@uni.hamburg.de .

Submit application to

For details, please follow the instructions in the job postings: https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de/career/jobs.html .

Possibility of finding part-time employment

Students who enrol in a full-time programme will generally have only a limited time for part-time jobs. As a rule, students who hold a student residence permit may work for up to 120 full days or 240 half days per year. Further information on work regulations for international students at Universität Hamburg is available at the Department of International Affairs (https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en/internationales/studierende/incoming/studium-mit-abschluss.html ) and at the Counselling Centre for Study Financing (https://www.studierendenwerk-hamburg.de/en/counselling/counselling-centre-for-study-financing-best ).

Accommodation

Accommodation is available through the "Studierendenwerk" (student services) or on the private market. The "Studierendenwerk" provides rooms in halls of residence, most of which are single rooms with shared kitchens and showers/WCs. We strongly advise students and researchers to arrange accommodation prior to arriving in Hamburg, as demand for affordable accommodation is sometimes larger than supply.
For more information on how to find accommodation and how to plan your first steps in Hamburg, please see: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/piasta/beratung/doc/willkommen.pdf .

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Career advisory services and programmes for future professionals

Within SICSS we offer career support and the possibility to receive an individual career coaching. Also, the HR Department of Universität Hamburg offers individual coachings for doctoral candidates. Several workshops focusing on decision making and options after the doctorate are offered at the university.

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Welcome event
• Accompanying programme
• Visa matters

General services and support for international students and doctoral candidates

The Department of International Affairs offers comprehensive international student support. In addition to professional advising and counselling during all stages of the course of study, there is close cooperation with other advisory and counselling services at Universität Hamburg. International students will thus receive the necessary support and advice at any point during their studies.

Universität Hamburg’s Welcome Service supports international researchers, including doctoral researchers, who wish to stay for at least one month at Universität Hamburg. The Welcome Service provides information, advice, and help with several administrative issues such as: entering Germany, health insurance, the housing search, dealing with authorities, and even looking for a suitable kindergarten.

Universität Hamburg
Universität Hamburg main building © UHH/Denstorf

The University

Universität Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in northern Germany. As one of the country’s largest universities, we offer a diverse range of degree programmes and excellent research opportunities. The university boasts numerous interdisciplinary projects in a broad range of fields and an extensive partner network of leading regional, national, and international higher education and research institutions.

Sustainable science and scholarship

Universität Hamburg is committed to sustainability. All our faculties have taken great strides towards sustainability in both research and teaching.

Excellent research

As part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments, Universität Hamburg has been granted clusters of excellence for four core research areas: Advanced Imaging of Matter (photon and nanosciences), Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) (climate research), Understanding Written Artefacts (manuscript research) and Quantum Universe (mathematics, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology).

An equally important core research area is Infection Research, in which researchers investigate the structure, dynamics, and mechanisms of infection processes to promote the development of new treatment methods and therapies.

Excellent University

Furthermore, alongside 10 universities and one university alliance, Universität Hamburg was named a University of Excellence and was deemed a "flagship university."

Outstanding variety: over 180 degree programmes

Universität Hamburg offers approximately 180 degree programmes within its eight faculties:

• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
• Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement
• Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School).

Universität Hamburg is also home to several museums and collections, such as the Zoological Museum, the Herbarium Hamburgense, the Geological-Paleontological Museum, the Loki Schmidt Garden, and the Hamburg Observatory.

History

Universität Hamburg was founded in 1919 by local citizens. Important founding figures include Senator Werner von Melle and the merchant Edmund Siemers. Nobel Prize winners such as the physicists Otto Stern, Wolfgang Pauli, and Isidor Rabi taught and researched at the university. Many other distinguished scholars, such as Ernst Cassirer, Erwin Panofsky, Aby Warburg, William Stern, Agathe Lasch, Magdalene Schoch, Emil Artin, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker also worked here.

80 Overall number of doctoral students in SICSS
45 Percentage of international doctoral students in SICSS
University location

With 1.8 million citizens, Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and is also one of Germany's 16 federal states. Due to its location on the Elbe River linked to the North Sea, it has had a long tradition as the cultural and commercial centre of northern Germany. Commercially, the Free and Hanseatic City is known as the media capital of Germany. It is a leader in the shipping and transportation industries. Culturally, the city is home to, among other things, the leading ballet company in Germany, an opera house, numerous musicals, and annual film festivals. As far as action and fun are concerned, Hamburg is the place to be. The Reeperbahn, known not only to sailors worldwide as the "Mile of Sin", has numerous bars, cafés, and clubs as well as many other interesting sites not to be seen elsewhere. The "Kiez", as the natives call it, even gave the Beatles their start in the early 1960s. Fortunately, Hamburg's many parks and green areas provide the opportunity to relax and recover from the city's active side. Moreover, the city's innumerable canals invite you to spend some time sailing, rowing or kayaking. For more information on the city, please see: https://www.hamburg-travel.com/ .

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