Germany : PhD Fellowship 2010 at the Graduate School of Life Science, University of Wurzburg

Würzburg is one of the leading German Universities in the Life Sciences based on funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG Ranking 2009). Internationally renowned research centres such as the Biocenter, the Research Center for Infectious Diseases, and the DFG Research Center for Experimental Biomedicine (Rudolf Virchow Center) contribute to this standing.

The Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) is directly linked to those research centers. It comprises about 240 doctoral students and runs research training groups in the following major sections:
Biomedicine | Infection and Immunity | Integrative Biology | Neuroscience | MD/PhD program (MDs only)

GSLS Fellowships – Open for Application

The GSLS has available fellowships funded by the the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments. The application for up to 18 positions starting in Spring 2010 is now open.

Deadline: November 16, 2009 (Midnight, 23:59 Central European Time)

We offer

• an international (working language English) and widely visible research environment
• a taxfree personal fellowship of 1300 Euros/month for three years
• your own research grant covering research expenses of your PhD project
• travel money to attend conferences
• the freedom to chose lab, project and mentors provided mutual agreement in one of the sections of the GSLS
• continuous supervision and mentoring by a thesis committee of three principal investigators
• a strong network of peers
• advanced scientific and transferable skills training

We expect

• passion for research and practical experience therein
• a clear understanding of what you want to work on
• an excellent university degree obtained within the last two years, usually a M.Sc. or German Diploma; if graduation is expected by March 2010 you are welcome to apply; exceptional candidates holding an Honours B.Sc. may join after a qualification period
• proven excellent oral and written English proficiency (will also be assessed during interview) and willingness to learn basic German (training provided)
• eagerness to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment.

Application process

Before you apply, please inform yourself about the research performed in the scientific sections of the GSLS and in the labs of the GSLS members. We expect you to make an informed statement in your application form as to which research fields of the GSLS interest you most and which labs you could envisage to work at!

Once you have clear ideas about this, please follow this link:

Application Platform

• On that page, register for application
• Wait for an e-mail confirming your registration
• Log in and fill in the application form (take your time, you can interrupt the process as often as you like)
• Important notice: Do not ask your referees to send letters right now. Only ask your referees AFTER a notification that you were selected for an interview AND wait for our instructions. In this way we avoid hundreds of letters that are written in vain.

Selected applicants from Europe (or travelling in Europe at that time) will then be invited for an interview in Würzburg in January 2010 (travel subsidies available). International applicants from outside Europe will be interviewed by Video-Conferencing.

Source:

http://www.graduateschools.uni-wuerzburg.de/life_sciences/for_doctoral_students/application/gsls_fellowships/