2017 survery is here!
The PhDnet 2017 report is finally out, with 2218 participants, it makes the biggest survey ever held on doctoral researchers in Germany.
As of 2017, the Max Planck Society (MPS) counts in its ranks over 4500 doctoral researchers, who are the sci- entific backbone of the MPS. The Max Planck PhDnet, as the network of all MPS doctoral researchers, aims to improve interdisciplinary cooperation, optimize doc- toral education and promote state-of-the-art research. This survey, as other PhDnet surveys in the past, was commissioned by the Steering Group of the PhDnet to obtain an in-depth understanding of the lived reality of being a doctoral researcher within the MPS.
The goal of this report is to convey the findings of the survey to the Steering Group, the MPS General Admin- istration and the public; to keep those in leadership and supervision positions up-to-date on the situation of their doctoral researchers; and to make heard the voices of in- dividuals from a wide array of backgrounds and scientific disciplines, both their praise and their misgivings.
The Survey focused on six central topics: demo- graphics, working conditions, career perspectives, access to equal opportunities, funding and their awareness of other research networks. We obtained 2218 responses from 4525 requests and at least one answer from every Max Planck Institute of the Society (see Figure 1), which indicates that this survey offers a statistically represen- tative picture of the status of doctoral researchers in the MPS.
