How to Apply

The application procedure for admission to LIFE is online. Please read this entire section carefully so that you do things in the proper order. Note that you will not be able to change your data after you have submitted them.

The current application period begins on October 10. The deadline for applications is November 28, 2008.

• See FAQs to make sure you are eligible to apply.
• Start compiling your documents early. You will need a fair amount of time to get all the information together, and your referees need enough time to write their letters.
• Find referees. You will need to ask two referees to write letters of recommendation for you. They must be named in your application form, so please first ensure that they are willing to provide the recommendation. It is your responsibility to contact your referees and make sure they submit the recommendation letter on time.
• Fill out the application form. Please choose at least one desired mentor from the list of LIFE faculty members in Berlin.
• Send us your supplementary application materials as one PDF file by e-mail.
• Send us legally attested copies of all your certificates no later than November 28.

The application form is the form with which you register to participate in the entire online application procedure. It includes your contact information, educational background, the names of two referees, and your desired mentor(s) from the Berlin faculty group. You must submit it before you send us the supplementary application materials, and before your referees can submit their recommendation letters.

Application Form

Click here to send us the other documents required for your application:

• A covering letter explaining why you wish to join LIFE,
• Your Curriculum Vitae, including your academic training and professional experience,
• Scans of official certificates of degrees of all colleges/universities you attended
• Copy of your thesis or another publication or preprint.

Please put all documents in one file. The preferred document type is PDF. However, RTF/Word, JPEG and ZIP documents are also accepted. Your files should not exceed 10 MB as a whole. When scanning your documents, choose a lower resolution to ensure a smaller file size.

By November 28, we will need legally attested copies of all certificates. Please send them by regular mail to the following address:

Silke Schäfer
LIFE Office
Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Königin-Luise-Str. 5
14195 Berlin / Germany