Doctorate (PhD or MD) and habilitation at the Clinic of the Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy

1. General Background

The promotion of junior scientists is a central goal of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy of the University Medical Center Mainz (UM).

Prof. Dr. Manfred E. Beutel fosters the personal development as well as the scientific, clinical and didactic qualifications of his junior scientists. Academic staff will be supported in expanding their scientific skills and successfully completing scientific qualification theses if they are motivated and suitable. This is to enable the junior scientists to develop into independent and successful scientists and to take up long-term leading positions in scientific institutions within and outside their own institution.

UM supports medical and non-medical dissertations and habilitations. Bachelor's theses, master's theses and diploma theses can also be conducted according to the circumstances and by arrangement. Applications for professorships or other management positions will be supported individually by the clinic management upon request of the person concerned.

Doctoral and post-doctoral students should be involved in the scientific work of the department. The Clinic will provide the institutional, spatial and technical requirements for the preparation of the qualification work by arrangement. In addition, the integration into a scientific project is ensured as well as supervision, advice and mentoring. On the part of the qualifier, a high degree of scientific interest, communication and teamwork skills, willingness to learn, commitment and the ability to structure their work themselves will be brought in. The responsibility for the timely organization and successful completion of the qualification work lies with the doctoral or post-doctoral students themselves.

2. Goals

The Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy invites junior scientists to conduct their doctorate or habilitation. Doctorates and habilitations are explicitly desired. It is our goal to inspire committed and qualified junior scientists for our research and to involve them in order to conduct internationally renowned, excellent research on scientifically and socially relevant topics in the field of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy.

Within the clinic, doctoral students are accompanied through the process of doctoral studies by an experienced medical and psychological research team. Habilitation candidates are primarily supervised by a project manager/mentor. Doctoral and post-doctoral students commit themselves to the highest scientific diligence in the conception, planning, implementation, evaluation, and publication of their project. They also commit themselves to adhering to ethical standards and to transparency with regard to their scientific procedures. Furthermore, they work according to an agreed project plan, which includes the publication of the project results in international journals.

3. General conditions for doctoral studies

• Doctorates (PhD or MD) by physicians are conducted in accordance with the Doctoral Regulations for Physicians of the University Medical Center Mainz (Department of Research and Education). Conditions for admission, the doctoral regulations and current contact persons can be found on the homepage of the Dean's Office or in the Doctoral and Habilitation Office of the University Medical Center Mainz.
• The realization of the necessary requirements for the doctorates is supported by the department.
  Prof. Beutel/the project leader appoints a mentor (this can also be the project leader/Prof. Beutel himself) who is the contact person for all questions concerning the doctorate.
• Doctoral students who work as research assistants at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy will be informed at an early stage about the allocation of resources between the project leader and the doctoral student regarding the institute- or project-related and doctoral tasks. The result is recorded by the doctoral candidate and signed by the respective mentor, Prof. Beutel, and the doctoral candidate.
• The conception of the content of the doctoral thesis is done in agreement with the mentor. The result is recorded by the doctoral candidate and signed by Prof. Beutel, the mentor and the doctoral candidate. It is the basis for the official doctoral registration.
• When choosing a topic for the doctorate, the doctoral candidate's own contribution must be clearly delimited and identifiable. In the scientific process, creative problems and requirements on several levels of study planning, realization and evaluation are given, which enable a sufficient personal contribution within the framework of a doctorate.
• A time schedule for the doctorate is drawn up within the first 6 months by the doctoral candidate in close consultation with a mentor. The schedule is recorded by the doctoral candidate and signed by Prof. Beutel, the mentor, and the doctoral candidate.
• Annual interviews of the doctoral candidate with Prof. Beutel and the mentor take place. The doctoral candidate is responsible for the timely organization of these talks. The results of these interviews are recorded by the doctoral candidate and signed by Prof. Beutel, the mentor, and the doctoral candidate.

4. General conditions for habilitations

• Habilitations as well as the acquisition of the Venia legendi are possible for physicians and psychologists based on the current habilitation regulations of the University Medical Center Mainz.
• Rules for admission, habilitation regulations, and current contact persons can be found on the homepage of the Dean's Office or in the PhD and habilitation office of the the University Medical Center Mainz.
• The content of the habilitation is developed in consultation between the habilitation candidate and Prof. Beutel. The result is recorded and signed by Prof. Beutel and the candidate.
• The candidate and Prof. Beutel agree on regular appointments in which an exchange of information on the habilitation process, required publications, courses and career planning takes place. In addition, the habilitation candidate can take advantage of advice on his habilitation project and career planning that is tailored to his needs. In addition, arrangements are made regarding the timing of the habilitation process. The results of these meetings are recorded by the habilitation candidate and signed by the habilitation candidate and Prof. Beutel.

5. Offers of the university medicine / Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy for doctoral students and post-doctoral students

Offer, subject to availability

• Mentoring
• Research Conference
• Project Meetings
• Plagiarism
• Grant application workshop, writing Workshop
• Methodological and statistical consulting at the Institute for Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and
• Computer Science 
• Training events of the Department, Wednesday conference
• Provision of software (IT department)

For empirical work the connection to the SPE is desired. The clinic will provide the following information:

• Checklist SPE / local project Folder
• Ethics registration and deregistration template
• Submission of compensation for test participants
• Template key authorization SPE
• Info project registration SPE

6. Potential risks

• The clinic management cannot always make a binding commitment that temporary positions will be extended until the end of the agreed doctoral or post-doctoral period. Prof. Beutel will do everything in his power to offer committed doctoral and post-doctoral students the framework conditions for the timely completion of their qualification work.
• Doctoral or habilitation projects may be too large or too small. If necessary, adjustments may have to be made in the process, which must be discussed and recorded with Prof. Beutel and the mentor.
• The independent scientific achievement of a doctoral or post-doctoral student may not be recognizable when researching in a larger project. In this case, it must be ensured in consultation with those involved that this share is delimited in good time and that the own contribution remains recognizable.
• The agreed time schedule for the doctorate / habilitation may not be adhered to due to the uncertainty surrounding the publication of research results.

7. Target Groups

• Psychologists (Diploma, M.Sc.)
• Physicians
• Academics with comparable degrees (e.g. natural scientists, health scientists)

General information about the opportunities for doctoral and post-doctoral research at the University Medical Center Mainz can be found here.