The International PhD Program in Molecular Life Sciences “Fellowships for Excellence” invites motivated young scientists from all over the world to apply for a PhD student position at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in Basel, Switzerland. Notably, in contrast to many other PhD student programs that aim at a broad recruitment of many candidates, the “Fellowships for Excellence” are only awarded to a maximum of 10 successful candidates per open call: the program thus strives to recruit and identify only the most outstanding students worldwide. Due to this rigorous selection and a comprehensive evaluation procedure, these “Fellowships for Excellence” are highly prestigious and sought after. Recipients have direct access to the Biozentrum PhD program are offered a rotation-based selection of a research group of choice and a number of other incentives that should foster the scientific excellence and the career prospects of these PhD candidates.
Fellowships are provided in the field of Molecular Life Sciences. Fellowships are available for studying PhD degree at Biozentrum University of Basel in Switzerland.
Eligibility:
Applicants must either already hold or anticipate receiving before enrollment a university degree that qualifies them for a PhD program at the University of Basel (MSc, Diploma, etc.). In exceptional cases, outstanding students with a BSc degree are also eligible to apply to the “Fellowships for Excellence” program; they however will have to pass additional courses at the Biozentrum after acceptance. PhD students who already have enrolled at the Biozentrum or plan to start their PhD thesis before September 1 of the same year as the open call are not eligible to apply to the “Fellowships for Excellence” program.
Scholarship Open for: Applicants from all over the world are eligible for these PhD fellowships.
Number of Scholarships: Maximum 10 PhD fellowships are awarded.
Scholarship Duration: Fellowships will be awarded for a period of three years.
Scholarship Value:
Acceptance into the “Fellowships for Excellence” program is highly prestigious due to the rigorous selection process. Accordingly, successful completion of a “Fellowship for Excellence” is widely recognized as an outstanding achievement for the future career of fellows. In addition, other incentives have been made available to “Fellowships for Excellence” PhD students to support their scientific and personal growth. The fellowships will include:
- a personal, annual stipend, e.g. to allow attendance of meetings, acquisition of books or computers (currently CHF 6’000 total for 3 years);
- preferential registration for some courses in the Biozentrum Graduate Teaching program;
- yearly study trip to a city with ties to Siemens, e.g. Berlin, Munich, St. Petersburg;
- financial support for travel to postdoctoral interviews at the end of the PhD thesis;
- support for the preparation of the personal CV and postdoctoral application by Biozentrum faculty members in the “Fellowships for Excellence” committee;
- personal certificate of acceptance into the “Fellowships for Excellence” program;
- scientific meetings and networking opportunities with current “Fellowships for Excellence” students and alumni.
Selection Criteria:
These PhD fellowships are based on the scientific excellence of the applicants. PhD fellowships that are awarded on a competitive basis, provide direct entry into the Biozentrum PhD program and a rotation-based selection of the research group.
Notification:
Successful candidates will be shortlisted by the end of July and invited to the Biozentrum for an interview week at the end of August (travel and accommodation provided by the “Fellowships for Excellence” program).
How to Apply?
The mode of applying is online. For the application, electronic copies of the diploma/MSc degree with grades and transcripts as pdf files, a CV or scientific résumé (maximum one page, pdf format), a description of research interests in general and one with a specific focus on a potential PhD thesis at the Biozentrum as well as the names and contact information of 2 referees from the candidate’s previous academic environment (usually faculty members) are required. The referees will be contacted automatically and will be asked for an online evaluation as well as a reference letter. Further information about the application procedure will be made available to the candidates upon registration and submission of their application.
Application Deadline: June 30, 2014.
For further information: PhD Fellowships for Excellence at Biozentrum University
