Structure of the GRK - Graduate Research Training Group

Organizational structure of the RTG

About the Graduate Research Training Group (GRK)

Established in 2009, within the former SFB 652 “Strong correlations and collective effects”, and continued on the institute's budget since 2017, our GRK is now proudly integrated into the Collaborative Research Center 1477 “Light-Matter Interactions at Interfaces - LiMatI”.

While the GRK serves as a unified platform for all doctoral researchers at the Institute of Physics, its structured program operates on two closely connected levels:

For All PhD Students: The GRK fosters scientific exchange, professional networking, and community events across the entire institute.
Funded Opportunities: A significant part of our advanced program—including specialized individual funding and tailored support—is financed through DFG cluster resources. These extended benefits are directly tied to an official membership and association with the CRC LiMatI or IRTG IQS.

Student Leadership & Representation

The GRK is entirely led by doctoral researchers. Every one to two years, members elect a team of 1–3 doctoral representatives (speakers) to represent their interests.

The speaker team actively shapes our community by organizing the weekly doctoral seminar and the annual graduate workshop, while collaborating closely with groups like the students’ committee (FSR).

To ensure a strong support network, the speakers meet semi-annually with designated faculty confidants to coordinate activities and advocate for PhD interests towards work group leaders and the faculty.

11/2025-active	Anne Herzig, Denja Vaso, Nina Brauer (Speaker Team)
11/2024-11/2025	Denja Vaso, Paul Tuemmler, Swaparjith K.S (Speaker Team)
10/2023-11/2024	Tom Rieckmann, Marvin Krupp (Speaker Team)
02/2022-10/2023	Richard Altenkirch, Annika Bergmann, Divyanshu Ranjan, Klara Raspe (Speaker Team)
09/2021-02/2022	Benjamin Liewehr (Speaker), Website Support Klara Raspe
04/2021-09/2021	Anna Julia Poser (Speaker), Co-Speaker Benjamin Liewehr
03/2020-04/2021	Anna Julia Poser (Speaker), Co-Speaker Ayla Kruse
10/2019-03/2020	Björn Kruse (Speaker), Co-Speakers Anna Julia Poser, Ayla Kruse
10/2018-10/2019	Björn Kruse (Speaker), Co-Speaker Benjamin Liewehr
09/2017-10/2018	Gilbert Grell (Speaker)
02/2016-09/2017	Melanie Mraz (Speaker), Co-Speakers Katharina Sander and Semjon Köhnke
2015-02/2016	Daniel Cebulla (Speaker), Co-Speakers Semjon Köhnke and Per-Arno Plötz
2014-2015	Daniel Cebulla (Speaker), Co-Speakers Niels-Uwe Bastian and Oliver Grünberg
2012-2013	Daniel Cebulla (Speaker), Co-Speakers Mandy Bethkenhagen and Oliver Grünberg
2011-2012	Mathias Arbeiter (Speaker), Co-Speaker Phillipp Sperling
2009-2010	Sebastian Göde (Speaker), Co-Speakers Mathias Arbeiter and Sonja Lorenzen