While the main focus of the Ph.D. training lies on the graduate student research work, the KSOP is convinced that additional elements in the doctoral training are needed to reach the optimum academic success and to develop leadership capabilities.
The scientific success and/or an industrial career not only depend on well-developed technical skills and knowledge, but also on several other factors, which are insufficiently considered in existing Ph.D. programs. Scientific excellence and technical achievements in the field of the candidate’s thesis form the basis for any Ph.D. degree. Successful careers in industry or academia, however, often require additional leadership and management skills and/or interdisciplinary knowledge. Depending on the candidate’s orientation, we provide a specific modular Ph.D. training program which comprises units from a catalogue of technical, scientific as well as management and personal key competence modules. Regarding the latter, we benefit from the HECTOR School of Engineering and Management which provides corresponding modules.
KSOP provides graduate students with an optimal environment at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to carry out fisrt rank projects in the multi-desciplinary field of Optics & Photonics. To support their endeavor, two independent advisors and a mentor accompany the research work of each Ph.D. student by meetings on a regular basis.
In addition to that KSOP fosters an active international networking amongst its students via alumni groups, social media networks and various social events.
