The Max Planck School of Cognition

The doctoral program at the Max Planck School of Cognition will offer exceedingly bright students a superior grasp of the different methods and approaches used in the rapidly evolving field of Cognition. We are driven by the passion to better understand human cognition and “mental phenomena” (potentially) occurring in non-biological systems and agents.

The School is comprised of an outstanding and world-renowned cluster of faculty researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds but with overlapping research interests. The researchers come from Max Planck Institutes, universities, Helmholtz Association and Fraunhofer Society.

The program consists of an orientation year (basic courses, lab rotations) followed by three years of research for the doctorate and is fully financed.

The Max Planck School of Cognition (MPSCog) in collaboration with the Berlin School of Mind & Brain at Humboldt University is pleased to announce the opening of two additional doctoral positions (scholarships) for international candidates only in the 2026 open call. These positions are funded up to four years by the Graduate School Scholarship Programme 2025 (GSS 2025) from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).
The application deadline is Friday, March 13th 2026. Successful applicants are expected to begin the program in September 2026 together with the new Max Planck School of Cognition cohort 2026.
Find out more below.
 

Max Planck Schools

The Max Planck School of Cognition is one of three pilot Max Planck Schools. For more information about this unique and country-wide initiative, please visit the central website.

The Max Planck School of Cognition offers an international four-year doctoral program starting on September 1st each year with a one-year orientation phase followed by three years of research for the doctorate (Figure 1). Students can enter the program with a bachelor’s (fast-track) or a master’s degree.

The coordination team of the Max Planck School of Cognition has offices at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Our School does not have a classical campus. Our students, however, can conduct their doctoral research with one of 46 scientific experts at 29 institutions in 16 cities across Germany, the Netherlands and England. Below you can find more information on who is part of our School.

^{A fully funded international doctoral program in Germany}