The International PhD program of the national research project ParaFrap is currently open for applications for eleven 3-year Ph.D. positions, to be started on October 1st, 2013.
The Labex (Laboratory of Excellence) ParaFrap is a Health Sciences collaborative research program focusing on molecular and cellular Parasitology in its wider sense; it was initiated by 21 French leading groups in the field. It is funded by the Excellence Initiative of the French Ministry of Research and supports four major research fields in protozoan models such as Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Leishmania, Trypanosoma, Entamoeba and Theileria :
Post-genomic data exploration
Mechanisms of pathogenesis and protective immunity
Parasite molecular and cellular biology
Towards new intervention strategies against parasitic pathogens
Applicants must have achieved academic excellence and be highly motivated to pursue a PhD project in one of the above research areas. They should have obtained a Masters 2 level diploma or equivalent by July 2013. Information about the PhD research projects, selection process, as well as the application procedure, is available at https://www.parafrap-application.org.
Successful applicants will be enrolled in one of the 11 research groups who were awarded the PhD grants, distributed among diverse French Universities (see website). Each applicant will have to indicate 3 projects of interest. He/she should be enrolled in one of the three projects indicated, unless the selection committee sees a particular interest in modifying one of his/her options. The deadline for submitting applications is on the 12th April 2013. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for the final selection round (interviews) which will take place at Institut Pasteur in Paris on June 17th and 18th.
Selection procedure
Pre-selection: Each PI will select six applicants according to his/her CV, academic records, laboratory experience and letters of recommendation from referees.
Interviews: The ParaFrap selection committee will then shortlist 22-34 candidates who will receive an invitation for an interview at Pasteur Institute in Paris. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by ParaFrap; but applicants from outside the European Union might be interviewed by video conference.
Final selection: The selection committee will then rank the applicants, taking into account the opinions of the group leaders who interviewed them. Acceptance letters will be sent immediately to the top 11 candidates, who will be asked to respond within the next 2 weeks. Candidates 12-20 will also be notified of their outcome. Should a candidate refuse the offer, the first candidate in the waiting list will receive a letter of acceptance.
Supervision of the PhD thesis work The PhD student will be supervised by his/her thesis supervisor, who must be « Habilitated to Direct Research », according to the rules of the Doctoral Schools in France. Each student will also be assigned a personal tutor, who has to be from another institute than the one where the student’s work is carried out and in general, will be the main collaborator (‘co-PI’) in the project. A PhD thesis committee will interview the student at the end of the 1st and 2nd year and produce a report to the Doctoral School.
Thesis contract
Duration: The PhD thesis contract is established for three years.
Studentship: The monthly gross salary will be according to French national rules approx. 1700 € (net salary approx. 1480 €). Selected candidates will receive private health insurance and social security entitlements.
PhD Program provisional planning
April 12th, 2013 Application deadline
April 19th, 2013 Referees deadline (letters of recommendation)
May 6-7th, 2013 Invitations for interviews sent to applicants
June 17-18th, 2013 Interviews in France (Institut Pasteur, Paris)
June 21st, 2013 Notification of the results of the interviews
June 30th, 2013 Definitive acceptance by the selected applicants
October 1st, 2013 Start of the PhD
Mid-October, 2013 Start of the first 2-weeks introduction training workshop in Montpellier
Click on the flyer to download.
