VIB in Belgium is offering 8 PhD scholarships for international life sciences PhD students. Applicants who are interested in kick-starting their scientific career in a center of excellence, backed by first class research facilities and training in our multidisciplinary, international scientific community are encouraged to apply.
VIB scientists work at the frontlines of molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, structural biology, plant systems biology, genetics, biochemistry and microbiology.
Worth of award
- Selected candidates for the VIB International PhD Program will be fully funded with a yearly net salary of €25,000 and are expected to start in October 2014.
Eligibility
Before applying for a scholarship in the VIB International PhD Program, make sure you are eligible for the program. The admission requirements are listed below.
- The VIB International PhD scholarship in life sciences is aimed towards all non-Belgians, currently not living in Belgium.
- Candidates should hold a university degree, or satisfy equivalent requirements, which is sufficient to start a doctoral program at a Flemish university. This means that applicants must hold a 5-year University degree, or equivalent, in life sciences (e.g. biology, biochemistry, biotechnology), physics, engineering, chemistry, or related fields. In general, this implies that the applicant has a Masters degree. Applicants, who have not yet received their degree at the time of the application deadline, can also apply, but a final certificate of the degree is needed no later than 2 months after the selection interviews.
- Medical students who wish to obtain a PhD degree can also apply after completion of their MD exams.
- Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a plus (and you should definitely indicate on your application whether you took the GRE), but the test is not required for your application. Please note that VIB does not yet have a GRE Institutional code. If you take the GRE-test specifically to enter their Ph.D. Program, please use the GRE codes of either the University of Antwerp, Brussels, Leuven or Ghent.
- Applicants are preferentially not older than 28 years at the application deadline.
- English is used in all VIB laboratories for scientific communication. Therefore, candidates must have an excellent command of English. A language test for English, such as the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is not necessary for the application, but should you have TOEFL test results, please add these to your application. Please note that VIB does not yet have a TOEFL Institutional code. If you take the TOEFL-test specifically to enter our PhD Program, please use the TOEFL codes of either Ghent University, the KU Leuven, the University of Antwerp or the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. We will not reply to inquiries regarding the TOEFL.
How to apply
Applicants are to follow carefully the different steps during the preparation stage and final submission stage of your application. Use English in all the documents.
Step 1 – Select your projects: projects topics can be found online on their website
Step 2 – Download and complete the Application Form. Complete the file according to the application guidelines document on their website. Make sure all required paragraphs are completed. Save the document, titled “your-name–VIB-PhD-Program-2014”.
Step 4 – Submit the Application Form and scans of degrees and certificates
Have a copy ready of your:
- Completed Application Form
- Bachelor degree
- Masters degree (if applicable)
- English language certificate (if applicable)
- GRE certificate (if applicable)
- Transcript of marks (academic records)
Submit your application to: [email protected]
Step 5 – Collect recommendations
Download the Candidate Evaluation Letter from their website. Contact two scientists/colleagues who can judge your potential as a PhD-student. Ask both of them to:
- complete the Candidate Evaluation Letter
- write a letter of recommendation for your application
- send both documents to the VIB International PhD Program Committee at [email protected]
The letters of recommendation are confidential and are an essential part of your application.
Please note that they will not be able to process your application without the letters of recommendation.
Deadline: application closes on February 15, 2014.
For details contact: [email protected]
To read more about the scholarship and download forms, click here