Research-Oriented Teaching

STRUCTURES offers specialized lectures, courses, journal clubs, interdisciplinary seminars as part of its research-oriented teaching programme, complemented by hands-on project practicals and theses in the research groups. These activities, a cornerstone of STRUCTURES College, aim to bridge disciplinary boundaries and provide ample opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to immerse themselves and engage with the cutting-edge research areas of the cluster. This facilitates a seamless transition from M.Sc. studies to doctoral research and promotes the scientific excellence of early-career researchers. The programme's interdisciplinary focus underscores the importance of research-driven study approaches that connect theoretical insights with practical applications.

The programme consists of two main components:

Specialized Lectures and Courses
These focus on current STRUCTURES topics, and are offered by STRUCTURES members, in particular by the STRUCTURES fellows based on their latest research after their fellowship time. In addition, courses are offered in close collaboration with the well-established graduate schools in physics (HGSFP) and in mathematics and computation (HGS MathComp).
Compact courses & Colloquia
One- or two-week courses offered by visiting academics provide an early opportunity for doctoral researchers to establish international ties.

In order to promote early independence, students and postdoctoral researchers furthermore receive their own budget to organize activities and invite lecturers and speakers. This aligns closely with the objectives of the STEPS Programme, which aims to empower the next generation of researchers to take charge of their academic and professional growth from the start of their careers. A part of these activities have a regular format: for instance, the Young Researchers Convent (YRC) organizes the annual Schöntal Discussion Workshop, which aims to bring early-career researchers from different areas of STRUCTURES together to engage in discussion over topics that go beyond the standard curriculum of a lecture. In addition, the weekly STRUCTURES Jour Fixe contains an element of research-oriented teaching: at the initiative of the YRC, there are regular pre-talks prior to the colloquium talk, in which a general introduction to the subject is given.

Additionally, a new M.Sc. programme in Mathematics of Machine Learning and Data Science is being developed, which will train the next generation for research, industry or public service, with the knowledge and skills to work at the intersection of the disciplines of mathematics and data science.