Here we present the current cohort of the Pre-Doc Award with the doctoral projects. There is also information for the Awardees - Predocs as well as Postdocs.
The role of social closeness in facilitating collaborative dishonesty in young c
Human cooperation is fundamental to the development of complex societies, yet it often coexists with dishonest and unethical behaviour. Research with adults suggests that cooperation and dishonesty can be linked, as individuals sometimes engage in dishonesty to achieve shared goals, a phenomenon known as collaborative dishonesty. However, little is known about how collaborative dishonesty develops in childhood. This project investigates whether different forms of social closeness between collaborating partners facilitate collaborative dishonesty in young children. It further aims to examine the developmental origins and key drivers of collaborative dishonesty, as well as its interaction with cultural context by studying children in Kazakhstan and Germany. The findings will contribute to a
more nuanced understanding of cooperation, highlighting how collaboration can promote both prosocial behaviour and rule violations early in development.
Beyond Words: Investigating Facial Emotion Expression of Maltreated Youth During Peer Interaction
Child maltreatment is a widespread societal problem linked to long-term difficulties in mental health and social relationships. One potential mechanism underlying these difficulties may be how children regulate and express emotions. Yet, despite significant technical advancements in the field, surprisingly little is known about how emotions of maltreated youth unfold during real-life social interactions. Therefore, this project aims to compare facial emotion expressions of youth with and without a history of maltreatment using automated software during real-time social peer interactions. By objectively capturing emotions as they occur, rather than relying on retrospective self- or observer reports, this approach allows for a more accurate understanding of emotional processes in social contexts. The findings will help identify emotional risk markers and inform targeted interventions to improve peer relationships and long-term outcomes for maltreated youth.
Laws and Habits of Thought
The project investigates how the laws of logic relate to those laws that characterise a specific form of thought. It is clear that while the laws of logic are universal and necessary, the laws of a particular form of thought depend on contingent factors and are therefore contingent; this is emphasised by both Frege and Kant. At the same time, however, it is also clear that universal laws of thought must be mediated by specific laws of thought: To not think according to some specific laws is to not think at all. Specific “conceptual schemes” or “habits of thought” are therefore at once necessary and possibly inadequate for seeing the world as it really is. This tension and the possibility of transformations of forms of thought will be investigated.
The physics of anyon colliders
Our research focuses on understanding the behavior of a quantum system upon interchanging two particles. There are two types of fundamental particles, fermions and bosons, which are distinguished by this so-called exchange statistics. The many-particle physics is heavily impacted by the exchange behavior, for example, the type of particle dictates if a system behaves like a metal or a superfluid.
Under extreme conditions, an interacting system of electrons can form particle-like objects subject to exchange statistics intermediate between bosons and fermions, so-called anyons. While recent experiments have revealed evidence of anyonic behavior, a direct measurement of the exchange statistics remains an open challenge. Our work aims to develop theoretical models for experimental setups capable of revealing this fundamental quantum property.
Proactive Work Behavior and Employee Wellbeing
Modern workplaces require employees to proactively shape their work environment. Proactive work behavior (PWB) – self-initiated, future-oriented actions to improve work and oneself – is typically found to be beneficial and energizing for employees but can also be depleting and negatively a0ect employee wellbeing (EWB). My cumulative dissertation examines how, when, and why PWB supports or undermines EWB. In the Pre-Doc phase, I will conduct a meta-analysis that synthesizes research on associations between di0erent forms of PWB (e.g., personal initiative, voice, job crafting) and positive and negative indicators of EWB (e.g., engagement, satisfaction, stress, exhaustion). The meta-analytic results will form the foundation of two subsequent empirical studies: an experimental study and a multi-wave longitudinal study examining reciprocal PWB–EWB dynamics.
Understanding Open Quantum Systems
Modern quantum physics underlies many technologies, from lasers to quantum computers. While classical models usually consider isolated systems, in practice open quantum systems are the focus, interacting with their environment. These interactions change the quantum states of the system over time, guiding it into predictable, well-controlled states. Such effects are important for quantum information, as they allow information to be stored or processed reliably in a quantum system. In my dissertation, I study these systems using mathematical tools from functional analysis, in particular von Neumann algebras and quantum Markov semigroups. The goal is to understand their long-term behaviour and quantify how the systems stabilize. The results contribute both to fundamental understanding and to applications in quantum information and quantum computing.
Reframing Social Media Use: From Risk to Flourishing in Childhood
Parents increasingly use digital media to down-regulate children's emotional arousal, a practice defined as Parental Digital Emotion Regulation (PDER). I hypothesize that the negative association between screen time and emotional development is primarily driven by outsourcing regulation to devices. This longitudinal project investigates how PDER affects children’s general and situational regulatory capacities at ages 4 and 6, comparing digital, analogue, and active co-regulation contexts. Employing physiological measures (HRV, RSA), behavioral observations, and questionnaires, the study evaluates their relative effectiveness. We hypothesize that high PDER reliance hinders long-term self-regulation. While digital regulation may rapidly reduce acute physiological arousal, this effect is expected to be short-lived compared to active co-regulation. Findings will inform evidence-based digital media guidelines for parents.
N-Heterocyclic Carbenes as Small Molecule Inhibitors in Area-Selective Deposition
In our computational chemistry study, we aim to provide guidance for the development of next-generation bottom-up techniques in nanoscale electronic devices. Traditionally, miniature electronics, like CPUs and GPUs, are produced by etching desired patterns in previously deposited materials. As devices reach the size regime of multiples of atoms, these techniques face many challenges. A possible future could therefore be not to remove material, but to selectively deposit the material needed in the correct shape. One such technique is called Area-Selective Deposition (ASD). It requires the use of inhibitor molecules that bind in a well-defined manner to specific surface sites. Furthermore, the inhibitors need to be removable from the surface. A candidate class of molecules for this purpose are so-called N-Heterocyclic Carbenes. We study these carbenes and their interactions with industrially relevant surfaces using state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods.
Literatur vom Ende der Literatur? Autofiktionalität in Wolfgang Hilbigs Prosa
The writer Wolfgang Hilbig (1941–2007), who was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 2002, explores the limits of an author's productivity in the literary world of the Federal Republic of Germany in his last novel, Das Provisorium. In keeping with the autofictional nature of the text, this swan song to his own public authorship finds its counterpart in the non-literary world. The dissertation project aims to place Hilbig's prose work in relation to autofiction research and at the same time to ground it in literary sociology. In doing so, it should become clear how Hilbig reacts with his texts, such as Die Arbeiter. Ein Essai, Eine Übertragung, and Ich poetologically—and critically examines the literary world of both German states through the figure of the autofictional author.
Machine learning for the photodynamics of chromophores
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) has transformed the life sciences by enabling precise visualization of processes within cells and whole organisms. Despite its significance, recognized by the Nobel Prize awarded for its discovery and development, the fundamental photochemical mechanisms responsible for its fluorescence are not yet fully understood.
This project applies advanced machine learning techniques to model GFP’s fluorescent core motif and to investigate how it reacts after absorbing light. Machine learning greatly reduces the computational cost of simulating these light-induced processes, allowing us to study them on larger scales and in greater detail. This approach thus paves the way towards a better understanding of this system, supporting a rational design of improved fluorescent probes with controllable photodynamic properties.
Information for the Awardees
Here we have compiled information that can support you during your Pre-Doc Award sponsorship.
There are various ways to finance your doctorate. In addition to your own position, which is financed by third-party funds raised by your postdoc, you can also apply for funding yourself. You will find a number of possibilities on the following pages.
The website Stipendiumplus provides information on foundations that also award doctoral scholarships. You can find a further overview of scholarships and study support through foundations on the website Stiftungssuche.
On the basis of the Saxon Higher Education Freedom Act and the Saxon State Scholarship Ordinance, scholarships for doctoral funding are awarded at our university as state postgraduate scholarships.
You can also find further important information on the following pages of our university:
- PhD Funding
- Consulting and organisation
On our homepage we inform you about the possibilities of a doctorate at Leipzig University and provide documents such as doctoral regulations.
You can also find a comprehensive range of information and advice on your doctorate on the website of the Leipzig Research Academy.
Predocs
The international doctoral initiative warmly welcomes all new as well as future doctoral students. Find them on Facebook.
Information about the ProRat (PhD Council) can be found on the Intranet or on Facebook.
Postdocs
The interdisciplinary and international Postdoc Club meets regularly and offers space to help shape events and topics
We also offer you the opportunity to network with other postdocs via the LinkedIn group Postdocs in Leipzig.
We provide a wide range of further information for doctoral researchers on the Leipzig Researcher Development Programme page.
The Career Service supports you with questions about your career prospects.
The continuing education database of our university bundles all continuing education offers from various offices. In addition, you can obtain further information, e.g. on the further education centre of the Free State of Saxony in Meißen, where you can take advantage of all further education offers free of charge.
The Leipzig Research Academy is the central institution for the promotion of young academics at the University of Leipzig. Among other things, you will find a comprehensive workshop programme there.
The foreign language offers of the Language Institute are aimed at all those who want to expand and improve their foreign language skills for professional or private reasons.
Further information for postdocs is available here.
