Student Summer Internship 2025
at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany
(Reference Number: 386)
The call for applications for 2025 is now closed.
The application deadline was January 15, 2025, 11:59 CET.
Results will be announced in early March 2025.
Our offer
MPIA offers fully-funded internship opportunities for bachelor and master students anywhere in the world who wish to acquire hand-on experience in research and instrument development in astronomy. Students who have obtained a masters degree in 2023 or earlier as well as students who are already enrolled in PhD programs are not elligible for the internship.
The primary internship program typically takes place during the summer (between May and September) but visits are possible throughout the year depending on the students’ academic calendars. If you have questions or are looking for opportunities outside the regular application cycle, please reach out to our internship coordinator (internship@mpia.de).
Travel costs are supported and a salary is offered (~1000€/month net with full social benefits), if necessary.
Assistance will be provided to seek accommodation as close as possible to the institute or the city center.
At least two internships will be awarded to candidates from developing countries (see attached list). We particularly encourage applications from students with backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in astronomy including, but not limited to, ethnic minority members, refugees or the children of refugees, individuals with a disabilities, first-generation college student.
Your profile
Students are invited to work full-time for up to three months on various research projects (see attached list). The internship will be in person at MPIA in Heidelberg, Germany and is conducted entirely in English.
The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer. Applications from women, people with disabilities, and minorities are particularly welcome. The MPIA supports its employees in the search for suitable child care. For questions concerning promoting equal opportunity for all employees and prospective employees at MPIA, please contact the Equal Opportunity Officer (equality@mpia.de) and regarding disabilities guidelines and regulations please contact Ralf Launhardt (sbv@mpia.de).
Your application
Non-EU national bachelor students: please see the important note at the bottom of this page.
We first select candidates based on preparation in astronomy, their previous research experience, technical expertise, motivation and grades. In the second stage, for short-listed candidates, we review the recommendation letters and search for a good supervision match based on the students’ interests, schedule, and expertise. There are no minimum requirements candidates need to meet to be considered. All applications are reviewed. But only applications containing all necessary documents (see below) will be considered.
How to apply
A. All application documents were due by January 15, 2025 and must be submitted using our online application system. The application form will allow you to indicate your top three selected projects. Please carefully review the descriptions of the available projects in the linked document. The selection is not ranked.
The four required application documents are listed below (see 1.- 4.). Please consolidate all documents in one file (PDF format only, max. 10 MB/file) and in the order listed below.
B. Please also arrange for one reference letter to be provided separately (further details will be provided once registered in the online application portal).
Your curriculum vitae (CV). The CV should be up to three pages long. Please include the following information (if relevant): current enrollment status, expected graduation date and average grade; prior post-graduate education, enrollment dates and average grades; other relevant education (e.g., online courses, summer schools, etc.); a short summary of prior research experiences, topics, length and supervisor; computer skills and programing experience; lab and instrumentation experience; awards, scholarships, internships; work and volunteer experiences; extracurricular activities; contact information; links to professional online profiles (e.g., personal webpage, GitHub, LinkedIn); other information relevant to the internship and project requirements. The CV should not include a photo of the applicant. Please use a minimum of 10pt font.
A brief one-page research statement that motivates your application. The research statement should include, first and foremost, a brief summary of previous research experiences and clearly explain your role in each project. The research statement can also include some (but probably not all) of the following topics: a discussion of what interests you about the selected projects and why you think you are a good candidate for them; how your skills fit the requirements of the projects; an explanation of what motivates you to do scientific research in astronomy; a discussion of how this internship fits with your future educational and career goals; examples of situations where you demonstrated grit, perseverance or overcame challenges. If your major is not astronomy and/or you do not have any astronomy courses, please describe what other experiences have prepared you for this internship. Please use a minimum of 10pt font. Please ensure that your research statement is your own original work and accurately reflects your experiences, ideas and interests. We discourage the use of large language models (LLMs; e.g., ChatGPT) in drafting your statement, as submissions that rely on AI-generated content lack the depth and originality critical for admission to the program and are usually disadvantaged in the evaluation process.
A university transcript (e.g., scans of certificates; pre-university level are not required). For students enrolled in masters programs, please also provide a transcript from your bachelors studies. Transcripts do not need to be translated, but a transcription of classes and grades written in a non-latin alphabet is required. Transcripts are not required for the current semester but if you would like to let us know what courses you are currently enrolled in, please attach a list.
A transcript attachment form (pdf, xlsx, web). The transcript attachment form asks you to list astronomy and computer science/programming courses from your degree and convert the grades to a common scale. Courses you are currently enrolled in can be included without grades. Please use one of the provided templates. If you need more space than provided on the template, please extend the table or attach a second copy of the form.
Applications are closed. Results will be announced in early March 2025.
For inquiries, please contact the internship coordinator at internship@mpia.de.
Non-EU national bachelor students
Important note for non-EU nationals seeking an internship for their Bachelor’s degree due to administrative visa constraints: the internship must take place while the applicant is still studying for their Bachelor’s to the final day of the internship. The student must obtain their degree on a day (graduation date) after the end of the internship. It does not apply to students holding a Master’s (and technically ready to start a Ph.D.). In addition, Bachelor students must have at least four completed semesters at the beginning of the internship (May/June, 2025) to be eligible for a visa.
General information
The institute
The researchers at the MPIA work on a variety of topics from exoplanet search and characterization, the census of the Solar neighborhood, to the study of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and the detection of the most distant quasars. Some work on the analysis of observational material obtained from the X rays to the millimeter wavelength, as well as massive whole-sky surveys, while others develop new simulation codes of star and planet formation to cosmology, and yet others develop the instruments for the largest telescopes such as the LBT or the E-ELT or the most specific and requiring usage. The working language is English.
The breeding of future young researchers is an important mission of the institute, with at any time 20 Bachelor and Master students, and 50 to 60 Ph.D. students. Many of the latter joined through the IMPRS (International Max Planck Research School, doctoral program in astronomy and astrophysics).
The city of Heidelberg
Heidelberg is a friendly city of 150,000 inhabitants and is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. The harmonious ensemble of castle, Old Town and river nestled in the hills of the Odenwald already inspired poets and painters of Romanticism and today still fascinates millions of visitors from all over the world.
It was mostly spared during the Second World War but the castle partly bear witness of the 9-year war of the late XVIIth century. It is a university town, with 28,000 students enrolled at the Ruperto Carola University, the oldest German university funded in 1386 and one of the top German universities, with 1000 PhD defended every year and 130 nationalities represented. Nearby attractions include the larger cities of Stuttgart and Frankfurt, historical places such as the Schwetzingen and Mannheim Palaces and natural sites such as theOdenwald forest.