On Dec 3, 2025, it was announced that the project titled "Conceptual Aspects of Composite States” will be funded, bringing six new PhD positions to the University of Graz, as one of two projects with Uni Graz members (the second project focusses on biocatalysis, with a lead at TU Graz, find out details here: https://www.fwf.ac.at/aktuelles/detail/docfunds-65-neue-doktoratsstellen-entstehen):
"Everything we can observe is composed of elementary particles. This applies to the components of atomic nuclei and potentially even to black holes. How exactly does this happen? A key question. Experiments, for example at CERN, or the observation of black hole collisions, in which Austria participates, continually yield new and unexpected findings. We therefore need a better understanding of how such complex states of binding function. In this project, six doctoral students at the University of Graz will research this topic and gain fundamental insights into the origin of our world. They will be ideally prepared to solve complex problems."
This project has a strong connection to the Research Careers Campus, as it originates in a RCC Consortium “Theoretical Particle Physics”, lead by Axel Maas and Denés Sexty:
“Our research covers all areas of particle physics, as well as sub-areas of the neighboring fields of nuclear physics, astroparticle physics, gravitation and cosmology.”
The Consortium was previously home to a FWF Doktoratskolleg titled "Hadrons in Vacuum, Nuclei and Stars” (find out more: https://research-careers-campus.uni-graz.at/en/research-careers-campus-graz/team-organisation/rcc-consortia/), and has a long track-record of dedicated PhD training, creating environments in which innovative research projects can thrive and fulfilling PhD career trajectories are fostered.
The doc.funds programme is expected to start in mid-2026 and interested candidates can apply once the 3,5 year PhD positions are announced via: https://inspirehep.net/jobs . They will be supervised by spokesperson Axel Maas as well as Gernot Eichmann, Alessia Platania, Simon Plätzer and Denés Sexty.
Read more in the news announcement by the university communications team: Dem Urknall auf der Spur: Uni Graz erhält 1,5 Mio Euro für Physik-Doktoratsausbildung - Universität Graz
We congratulate the whole team of the doc.funds project on their funding success and look forward to collaborating with them and the newly recruited PhD researchers in the future.
(Johanna Stadlbauer, 3.12.2025)