News
NSF-Funded Doctoral Exchange Brings U.S. Students to IPF and Partner Institutes
For the second year in a row, the IPF is hosting doctoral students from the United States through an International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Coordinated by IPF Fellow Professor Joseph Tracy, the project runs from 2024 to 2026 and offers PhD candidates intensive, hands-on research experience in the field of soft matter science.
Each summer during the project, PhD students from North Carolina’s Research Triangle—comprising NC State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—travel to Dresden for a 10-week research stay. Their placements are distributed across three institutions: IPF, TU Dresden, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), where a total of seventeen researchers have committed to mentoring and hosting students.
In addition to scientific training, the project places a strong emphasis on intercultural exchange. Students begin with a joint orientation in North Carolina before relocating to Dresden, where they join individual host labs while participating in a shared academic and social program. Follow-up activities back in the U.S. help consolidate their experiences.
This year, nine PhD students have joined the program, with six placed at the IPF, one at the HZDR, and two additional placements at the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) and PTS – Institut für Fasern und Papier.
15.06.2025