PIK supporting the next generation of scientists

The Graduate School honoured Marwan for his commitment to diversity and inclusion, his supportive supervision style, and his dedication to fostering both the scientific and personal development of doctoral researchers. The jury also highlighted the open and respectful atmosphere he creates and his willingness to reflect on and continuously improve his leadership practices.

Supporting early-career researchers across disciplines and offering a high standard of supervision are important goals at PIK. A written supervision agreement defines the rights and obligations of doctoral candidates and their supervisors, and there are agreed quality standards for doctoral projects.

In 2025, a total of 27 PhDs were completed under the supervision of PIK supervisors. This includes eight PhDs by external candidates supervised by PIK researchers, who also frequently supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s students on their final theses. Over the past decade, the number of doctoral candidates at PIK has grown from around 70 to 106. At the end of 2025, 42 per cent of doctoral candidates were women and 25 per cent came from outside Germany.

Many visiting doctoral candidates had been awarded scholarships to undertake their PhDs at PIK. More than 50 percent of PhD students meet their supervisor several times per month. In the most recent staff survey, more than 50 percent of doctoral researchers who answered the survey said they were planning a career in academia. 60 percent hoped to stay at PIK after their doctorate.