The University
The Biozentrum of the University of Basel is an institute that concentrates in biomedical teaching and research as well as an emphasis for understanding the basics of molecular science located in Basel, Switzerland. Research through the Biozentrum covers a large variety of subjects with the five major divisions being:
- Computational and Systems Biology
- Neurobiology
- Cell Growth and Development
- Structural Biology and Biophysics
- Infection Biology
The Biozentrum is the largest academic department at the University of Basel’s Faculty of Science. The Biozentrum supports over thirty unique research projects and brings scientists from over 45 different nations around the world together. The Biozentrum officially became its own department at the University of Basel in 1978.
The PhD Scholarships: Fellowship for Excellence
The Biozentrum is pleased to announce the availability of PhD scholarships known as Fellowships for Excellence. The Fellowship for Excellence is intended towards the International PhD Program in Molecular Life Sciences that the Biozentrum offers as an alternative way for applicants to get into the program. The Fellowship of Excellence award is a competitive award and only a maximum of ten recipients will be chosen annually. These PhD scholarships are highly sought after because being awarded a Fellowship for Excellence is considered extremely prestigious because of the strict and rigorous process for selection. Recipients who complete the program begin their careers with an outstanding mark on their resumes.
Value
The scholarships provide a stipend of CHF 6’000 annually.
Recipients will receive inclusive evaluation by the faculty at Biozentrum with rotations into 2 different labs for a duration of two months each.
The recipients of the Fellowship of Excellence are awarded funded trips to the city for study purposes annually.
They also receive additional financial support for travel and additional support to help better prepare the candidates for postdoctoral careers such as help preparing CV’s as well as offering meetings and network opportunities with other alumni and recipients of the Fellowship.
Duration:
The duration of these PhD scholarships are up to three years.
Eligibility
- The applicant must already hold a qualifying degree or will obtain a qualifying degree before the start of the program.
- The applicant must be of international status
- Students that have already commenced their PhD studies are not eligible to apply
- The applicant must have sufficient evidence of academic excellence. These are competitive fellowships so any prior publications need to be submitted.
- The applicant must provide at least two letters of recommendation from academic resources.
How to Apply
Applicants must successfully complete and application for enrollment at the University of Basel’s Biozentrum. Potential candidates express their interest in the PhD scholarships in the application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all the appropriate documentation is received by the school.
Selection for these PhD scholarships are extensive. Being called for an interview is not an immediate sign of potential. The committee chooses anywhere from 20 to 30 potential candidates yearly to attend interviews. Potential candidates are encouraged to take this time to prepare and think about the different research groups that the institute has to offer. This helps to organize interviews with the specific groups that they need to be in. Potential candidates will also be expected to prepare a 20 minutes seminar that will be presented to the committee as well as other distinguished leaders at the Biozentrum as well as attend a dinner with current PhD students at the Biozentrum. After all of these things are taken into consideration the top ten candidates that impressed the committee will be awarded the fellowship and will be mandated to commence their PhD studies within a six month period.
Deadline
The deadline to apply is the 30th of June. Candidates that have been shortlisted will know by the end of July. Interviews will be conducted during the last week of August and final decisions will be made by the end of September.