Universität Stuttgart: International Graduate School for Advanced Solid State Science

The Graduate School for Advanced Solid State Science (ASSS) has been established in 2007 as an international graduate school with a M.SC. and a PhD training program in Advanced Solid State Science. The school is a co-operation of the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research (MPI-MF), the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF), and the University of Stuttgart (Chemistry and Physics faculties).

Solid state science can be scientifically divided into three subfields: (a) structure of matter, (b) transport, electrical and magnetic properties of matter, and (c) optical properties of solids and their temporal dynamics.

All of these subfields are well represented on a very high scientific level in Stuttgart, from topics such as strongly correlated solid state systems, spin and charge interactions, surface and interface science, reduced dimensionality systems, nanoscopic and mesoscopic systems, quantum effects and transport, soft-matter solid state systems, single quantum devices, tailored matter, and even metamaterials and supersolids.

Focused research efforts in Stuttgart which link the university departments and the Max-Planck-Institutes together include several SFBs (Sonderforschungsbereich, collaborative research center), a GK (Graduiertenkolleg, research training group), a FOR (Forschergruppe, research unit), and an International Max-Planck Research School on Low-Dimensional Systems and Interfaces.

This Research School will act as seed for the proposed international Graduate School on Advanced Solid State Science in Stuttgart, as the structures and processes for recruiting, hiring, educating, training, and graduating excellent Ph.D. students are already in place.

The international Graduate School aims at realization of the Humboldt ideal of the unity between research and teaching: B.Sc. students are supposed to join the Graduate School immediately after their B.S: degree. They will obtain a combined education that includes research early on as well as intensive coursework all the way up to the Ph.D. examination.

Its outreach and interdisciplinary objective should form ties also with neighboring disciplines such as materials science, mechanical engineering, and biology.

Further information