The English Master's degree programme in "Meteorology" is research-oriented and conveys in-depth insight into the theoretical and experimental working methods in meteorology.
As institute with a world-class research profile, we offer the ideal environment for a successful doctorate and many options in terms of professional qualification and development.

Course programme Master Meteorology

At the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology you can take up a Master's degree in Meteorology.
The programme is research-oriented and provides in-depth insight into the theoretical and experimental workings of meteorology.

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Doctorate

Would you like to pursue a doctorate at the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology after successfully completing your Master's degree? At our institute there are many opportunities to pursue a doctoral project within the scientific working groups and in close contact with researchers and other doctoral students.

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enlarge the image: Two young men stand on the roof of the institute behind the micro rain radar and look on a laptop. Photo: Swen Reichhold
enlarge the image: Integrating spheres of various sizes are available for the radiometric calibration of camera and spectrometer systems. Photo: Swen Reichhold
enlarge the image: The temperature and humidity curves can be programmed over several points and thus automated. Photo: Swen Reichhold

Our institute offers excellent conditions for a successful doctorate:

  • Research-oriented and internationally recognised doctoral training
  • Excellent research environment due to close networking with national and international research institutions

The first step towards a doctorate is finding a topic and a supervisor. Doctorates can be taken in all subjects offered at our university. You can either apply for advertised doctoral positions or a place in a structured doctoral programme, or alternatively look for a source of funding yourself and contact a suitable supervisor with your doctoral project.

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Organisation and Guidance

  • Organisation
    You can find the key points for organising your doctorate here (only german).
  • Guidance
    On the one hand, our university supports those interested in doing a doctorate and doctoral candidates with various counselling services ranging from A for study abroad to S for mediation.
    On the other hand, the academics at the institute are available to support you with internal counselling services.
  • Doctorate in special circumstances

Skills developing and Networking

Pre-Doc Award

The Pre-Doc Award offers pre-docs and postdocs from our university the opportunity to jointly plan a research project.

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Find a Job to Finance Your Doctorate

As a doctoral candidates you can be employed at the Leipzig Institute for Meteorology. Unlike scholarships, employment is a means of accumulating social security entitlements.

Apply for Vacancies At the Leipzig Institute for Meteorology

The University awards positions for doctoral candidates usually twice annually. Successful applicants are employed as research assistants at Leipzig University. This financial support is available for a maximum of three years.

Information And Application

Finance a Doctorate with a Structured Doctoral Programme

The doctoral programmes offered by the Research Academy Leipzig offer doctoral students positions or scholarships to begin a structured doctorate. Applications are made directly to the individual programmes, which decide on the application and admission procedures.

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Find a Doctoral Scholarship

Leipzig University, the Free State of Saxony and numerous organisations for the promotion of young talent all award scholarships to doctoral researchers. Most applicants need to demonstrate an above-average degree and pass a formal selection process. This usually begins with a project outline, which is often reviewed by two professors. The application procedure takes at least six months.

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Contact persons for general questions about doctoral studies:

  •  Susan Baeumler (Dean's Office Secretary)
  •  Dr. Alexander Weber (Academic Secretary)

Doctoral degrees

At our faculty you can pursue a doctorate in the field of meteorology. The Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences at Leipzig University awards the doctoral degrees doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) and doctor philosophiae (Dr. phil.) on the basis of a proper doctoral procedure on behalf of Leipzig University.

  • The degree Dr. rer. nat. is awarded for doctorates in the subject areas of meteorology.
  • For doctorates in the fields of history of natural sciences (physics, meteorology, geosciences, geography), the degree Dr. rer. nat. or the degree Dr. phil. can be awarded

Admission requirements

  • You can be admitted as a Doctoral candidate if you have obtained a Diplom, Master's or Magister degree at a higher education institution or the state examination and have not previously definitively failed a similar doctoral procedure.
  • The doctoral committee decides on the recognition of the equivalence of foreign examinations and degrees.
    Master's degrees or diploma degrees obtained in the member states of the European Union are generally treated as equivalent to the corresponding German degrees.

Further information

More than one hundred and fifty doctoral students have successfully completed their doctoral degrees at Leipzig Institute for Meteorologyat our institute since it was founded in 1996.

List of Doctoral degrees at Leipzig Institute for Meteorology

Postdocs

Postdoctoral training offers many options in terms of professional qualification and development. Click here for information about the habilitation procedure as well as how to fund your research.

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enlarge the image: An optical table with corresponding mounting brackets and an alignment laser is used to characterise the optical sensors. Photo: Swen Reichhold
enlarge the image: The members of the working group sit at tables in the foyer and work. Photo: Stephan Flad

Funding a PostDoc

Your independent career as a researcher will be heavily dependent on the acquisition of external funding. Different organisations offer funding for your own position or scholarships for your early career research group or other employees, as well as grants for material and travel expenses. The research service of the University advises you on potential funding sources and their respective regulations, on open calls for proposals and internal support possibilities. It can also help you to write your proposal.

Further information.

Initial Funding: Leipzig Flexible Fund

The Leipzig Flexible Fund provides postdoctoral researchers (including junior professors on fixed-term contracts) with funding for preparatory activities for their own external funding application.

Further Information

Funding your own position

Based on your current career phase, the University of Leipzig will advise you on specific external funding programmes run by various national and international funding bodies.

Further information on funding your own position

Junior Research Groups

Programmes for junior research groups offer young academics a high level of financial support in order to establish and lead their own research group

Further Information on funding programmes.

 

Re-etntry scholarhsips

  • Re-entry scholarships for Women planning their habiliatation
    So-called re-entry scholarships are available for female academics who already hold a doctorate and, after working in a professional environment outside of academia, wish to resume their scholarly work at Leipzig University. The funding is designed to help them prepare for their habilitation.
  • Re-entry scholarships for Completing a Habilitation
    Postdoctoral researchers who interrupted their academic career at a higher education institution in the Free State of Saxony at an advanced stage due to family commitments can apply for a scholarship to help them finish their habilitation project.

Further information in re-entry scholarships

PostDoc positions at the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology

You can hold a PostDoc position at the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology in one of our research projects. The funding period in the projects is usually 3 years.

Apply for open positions at the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology.

Habilitate at the Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences

Habilitation formally establishes the qualification for independent research and teaching in a given field, conferring a postdoctoral teaching qualification in that subject. In many disciplines it is still the primary route to a full professorship.

Boards

  • The Faculty Council of the Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences is responsible for the implementation of the habilitation procedure.
  • A habilitation board is appointed by the faculty council for the implementation of the individual habilitation procedure

Habilitation right

  • The Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences of the University of Leipzig awards the degree of doctor habilitatus on the basis of a habilitation procedure in the name of the University of Leipzig. It is awarded as an addition to the previously acquired doctoral degree with the title doctor rerum naturalium habilitatus (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) or doctor philosophiae habilitatus (Dr. phil. habil.) or in corresponding combination with a previously acquired doctoral degree.
  • If the habilitated person undertakes to give lectures, usually at the university, he/she shall be entitled to add the suffix "PD" (Privatdozent) to the doctoral degree.

Admission requirements

Admission to the habilitation procedure may be granted to anyone who

  • has obtained a doctoral degree from a German university or an equivalent university or an equivalent academic degree from a foreign academic university which is associated with the subject of the planned habilitation,
  • has achieved special scientific achievements in the subject or subject area for which the habilitation is pursued by working for several years after the doctorate, and has experience in the field of teaching;
  • submits a habilitation thesis or, as proof of equivalent scientific achievements, a selection of publications with a summary discussion (cumulative habilitation thesis) in accordance with § 6 HO;
  • submits a list of scientific publications and copies of essential papers;
  • has definitively failed a habilitation procedure in the same subject area and is not in an incomplete habilitation procedure concerning the same doctoral degree.

Dr. Matthias Tesche (2020)
Beyond optical profiling - Innovative use of the lidar techniquein atmospheric research PDF ∙ 2 MB
PDF 2 MB

Dr. Ina Tegen 2009
Soil Dust Aerosol and Climate

Uwe Schlink (2003)
Longitudinal Models in Biometeorology: Effect Assessment and Forecasting of Ground-level Ozone

Manfred Wendisch (2003)
Absorption of Solar Radiation in the Cloudless and Cloudy Atmosphere

Dr. Uwe Harlander (2002)
On Rossby wave propagation in atmosphere and ocean

Dr. Christoph Jacobi (2000)
Midlatitude mesopause region dynamics and its coupling with lower and middle atmospheric processes

Dr. Nicole Mölders (1999)
Einfache und akkumulierte Landnutzungsänderungen und ihre Auswirkungen auf Evapotranspiration, Wolken- und Niederschlagsbildung

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