Application Procedure for the PPU

OVERVIEW

The application procedure is in several steps:

A. SELECTION OF AND BY A HOST LAB
- Check for an Open call from the Pasteur Paris University International Doctoral Program (usually end of the summer)
- Carefully read the Instructions in the Application procedure, including the eligibility criteria, and the FAQ
- Select one or more host Lab(s) from the list. The list is available when a call is Open. Contact them by sending a CV and a few words on your motivation. We advise to contact the host labs at latest 4-6 weeks before the deadline of submission of the application file.
- Selection of candidates by the Lab - One candidate per lab will be retained.

B: PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF THE APPLICATION FORM
- If you are selected by a host lab, download the application form 
- Fill the form, and contact the host lab for any materials that you need for filing your application
- The host lab which selected you will submit the form for you. Do not send the application yourself.

C: INTERVIEW OF SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES

ELIGIBILITY

Student eligibility

In order to apply to the program, the following conditions are required: 

• Students must hold a master degree or equivalent university degree in Science, Medicine or related fields from a university outside of France that formally qualifies her/him to enter a Ph.D. in France.
• Fluency in English (TOEFL  and GRE scores can be indicated)
  
• There is no age limit. Nonetheless, this program targets students who are at the beginning of their career.  
  
• Entry in the Program is only at the 1st year of Ph.D.  
  
• Candidates with an external fellowship are eligible but have to go through the same selection procedure.
  

Thesis advisor eligibility

In order to be eligible Thesis advisors must hold, or will shortly be examined for, the HDR (Habilitation à diriger les Recherches) diploma.

Host Lab Eligibility

The host lab must be located at Institut Pasteur in Paris except for the labs belonging to the network Revive.

The research team must be affiliated with a Doctoral School of one of the three partner Universities in Paris :

• Paris Descartes
• Pierre et Marie Curie
• Paris Diderot

If there are multiple research teams in the host lab (recognized as independent teams), each research team can submit an application for a prospective Ph.D. candidate.

Each research team can present only one candidate.

EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS

The applications are evaluated on the basis of the academic qualification, previous experiences and scientific potential of the candidates. In general, applicants are expected to be among the top of those qualified to enter a Ph.D. Program in their home country. The candidates first need to be selected by a laboratory at Institut Pasteur who is willing to host the candidate for a Ph.D. The application form is filled out together with the host lab. All completed applications which arrive by the deadline are then subjected to a multi-step evaluation procedure. The admission is highly competitive.

The first assessment is carried out by external scientific senior researchers who are familiar with the applicant’s national education system. In parallel, Faculty members will ensure that the applicant is eligible and has achieved the conditions for enter into the Pasteur-Paris University International Doctoral Program and to register for a Ph.D. at a Paris University. Subsequently, Faculty members (including the Scientific and Teaching Director of the Institut Pasteur and the Dean of the program), together with Directors from the Paris University Doctoral School, will short-list the candidates according to the rankings given by the external experts.

The candidates will be invited for four days in March. During that time, they will participate in the following activities:

• Visit the lab and meet its members.

• Visit the Institut Pasteur (Technical Core facilities, Museum, Scientific library, …).

• Meet the Dean of the program, the Teaching Director of Institut Pasteur, the Ph.D. Committee members, as well as students and scientists working at Institut Pasteur.

• Present their master’s degree work (results or in progress), as well as a general introduction into their Ph.D. project to the Scientific Committee.

• Meet all together at luncheons and diners.

During their stay, candidates will be evaluated by personal interviews and thorough assessment by a Scientific Committee. This Committee comprises a panel of Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the three partner Universities in Paris. The members of the committee cover the various scientific research domains developed at Institut Pasteur. None of the members from the Committee has her/his own candidate in the selected group of invited applicants. The Dean of the Program and the Teaching Director of Institut Pasteur attend the examination sessions.

The Committee examines the intellectual capacity, the general scientific knowledge, the overall comprehension for the Ph.D. project proposal and the motivation of the student, and establishes a final ranking. The maximum number of candidates who can be admitted is defined by the Direction of the Institut Pasteur and takes into account resources for fellowships and appropriate training.

Jury composition March 2013 : 

Institut Pasteur (Dept. of Neurosciences)

Institut Pasteur (Dept. of Parasitology and Mycology)

Claire Legay

Vincent Maréchal

Michaela Müller-Trutwin

Institut Pasteur (Dept. of Virology)