Financial support for female doctoral students in the Department of Physics

The Department of Physics has set up a support program for female doctoral students with the aim of individually promoting the further career of female physicists during their doctorate. The program supports special events that go beyond typical conferences and make female physicists visible, usually with active participation. These include international conferences and symposia, summer schools or special continuing education and conference formats.
Typical participation in conferences of the German Physical Society or classic national conferences is not funded. Here, the working group leadership is expected to support doctoral researchers regardless of gender. Participation in conferences for female physicists and further training courses explicitly for female physicists are also not funded, as long as these can be funded from the central gender equality program.

Funding is provided in the form of lump sums depending on the conference venues:

  • Research stays (European 1,200 €, non-European 1,500 €)
  • Active participation in summer schools, preferably of an interdisciplinary nature, to acquire complementary subject knowledge (600 € nationally, 800 € internationally, 1,000 € overseas)
  • International conferences or special events for career advancement (200 € national, 400 € international, 600 € overseas)

For all events, an active contribution, e.g. in the form of a poster or a lecture, is generally expected. In addition, the benefit must go beyond a purely professional one.
Getting funding twice in one year is not possible; other funding opportunities should be exhausted. A supportive statement from the supervisor with a commitment that the funds exceeding the lump sum will be provided must be enclosed.


Application can be handed it at any times, an answer can take some time.

The application should be made in a form-based way via email (gleichstellung.physik@uni-muenster.de) to the Equal Opportunities Officer of the Physics Department:

Carina Bücker
Physikalisches Institut
Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10
48149 Münster

The form for applying for funding can be downloaded  here.

The information on the funding programme is provided  here as a pdf.

Travel allowance

Conference visit
© MExLab

As a young female academics, you can apply for funds from the university's own women's support programme for conferences and conference trips to increase your visibility and improve networking in the scientific community. The WWU's Internationalisation Fund also offers many opportunities. Let's go!

Seminars of the Graduate Centre

Graduate Centre
© Uni MS/Graduate Centre

As a meeting place for young academics, the Graduate Centre of the WWU regularly organises various events on further education and career planning, networking and interdisciplinarity for doctoral students and postdocs. It pays to check in regularly! Current course offerings can be found on the Graduate Centre website.

Scholarship programme: Erstklassig!

"Erstklassig!" has a duration of 18 months and supports young female academics on their way to a professorship with the method of mentoring. You can find a flyer and further information, such as application options, on the website of the central Equal Opportunities Officer [de].

Girls'Day

Every year in April, the nationwide Girls'Day takes place. The physics department is participating for over 10 years now. We are especially looking forward to your involvement: You can help shape the day and show the girls your labs. Have we got you interested? Every year in January, we start planning more intensively. Just knock on the door and we will inform you about upcoming dates.