Pasteur-Paris University International doctoral program​ (PPU)

Language: The program is run in English and therefore fluency in English is required (TOEFL or other language proficiency scores are not necessary but may be indicated when submitting your application). No knowledge of French is required, but a basic knowledge may be useful in the daily life outside the Institute.

Age: The PPU doctoral program does not have an age restriction, but most accepted candidates are 24-26 years old and start their Ph.D. within a year of finishing their M.S., a few within 3 years.

External funding: Candidates with external funding are eligible to enter the PPU program if the funding constitutes employment or if the funds can be allocated to the Institut Pasteur to pay the candidate’s salary. Such candidates must go through the same application procedure and be selected by the committee.

PPU-Classic, PPU-OXFORD, PPU-EID, PPU-Imagine

• Master degree or an equivalent university degree in science, medicine or related fields delivered by a university located outside of France, by the time that the students begin the program. (In France, a master degree corresponds to five years of academic education)
• Students holding a B.A. or a B.S. acquired after four years of academic education may be considered if they have additional laboratory experience of at least 6 months, with a written final report or a publication.
• Students who already have begun doctoral training elsewhere and students with a master's degree obtained in France are not eligible for these programs. The candidate's nationality does not affect their eligibility.
• Students should not have resided in France for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the application deadline (October 20, 2025). Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.

PPU-Research & Technology, PPU-PARTICIPATORY SCIENCE

• These programs are open to any candidate holding a French or International Master’s degree.
• Students holding a B.A. or a B.S. acquired after four years of academic education may be considered if they have additional laboratory experience of at least 6 months, with a written final report or a publication.
• No mobility restrictions are required to apply for this program. The candidate's nationality does not affect their eligibility.

PPU MD-PhD

• Students should be currently enrolled in the cycle 2 or 3, or should have finished cycle 3 of their medical training in France (or the equivalent in other countries)
• No mobility restrictions are required to apply for this program. The candidate's nationality does not affect their eligibility.

• To present a candidate to the PPU program, thesis advisors must hold an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches) diploma.
• The host laboratory must be affiliated to the Institut Pasteur Paris.
• The research team must be affiliated with a doctoral school of any Parisian university (Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Saclay,…) and the advisors must not exceed the number of students allowed by their doctoral school.
• If there are multiple scientists holding an HDR in a host laboratory, each one can propose a project and submit an application with a prospective Ph.D. candidate.

There are 3 steps in the selection process

1. Candidates choose and are chosen by a host laboratory.

From September 1st, a list of host laboratories and the research projects they propose are posted on the application website after registration: https://ppu.pasteur.fr  (a preview is available here).

Applications must be sent through the same link: the candidates can select up to four projects they are interested in, and upload a detailed CV and a motivation letter in PDF format. 

Advisors may request additional information from candidates including reference letters and may interview some candidates by visio-conference. Each advisor must eventually choose only one candidate for thier project to present to the Admission Committee.

Candidates may contact potential host laboratories for further information but application must be made through the application website (no email application). Since each advisor must choose only one candidate, candidates may apply to more than one laboratory (maximum four). Advisors are asked to notify candidates who will not be selected as soon as possible. A candidate cannot be selected for more than one project.

The candidate selected for a project will then complete the application on the same platform together with the host laboratory (joint application).

2. Evaluation of joint applications by the Admission Committee.

The joint applications are evaluated in December on the basis of academic qualifications, previous research experience, scientific potential of the candidate and adequation of the candidate with the proposed project. In general, applicants are expected to be among the top of those qualified to enter a Ph.D. program in their home country.

The Admission Committee is composed of members of the PPU Steering Committee (all scientists of the Institut Pasteur), other Institut Pasteur researchers, representatives of the Doctoral Schools (who verify that the applicant is eligible to register for a Ph.D. at a Parisian University) and international senior scientists who are familiar with the applicant’s national education systems.The most promising candidates are selected for an interview.

3. Interview week.

Selected candidates are invited for a four-day visit to the Institut Pasteur during February. Travel expenses (economy fare) and housing during the interview week are paid by the PPU program. During the visit, candidates:

• Visit the host laboratory and meet its members;
• Visit the Institut Pasteur (technical core facilities, museum, scientific library, …);
• Meet the Dean of the PPU program, the Director of Education of the Institut Pasteur, members of the PPU Program Office, current students and other scientists working at the Institut Pasteur;
• Are interviewed by Institut Pasteur scientists who are experts in the candidate’s past and/or future research projects and by a member of the Human Resources Department.
• Present their Master’s degree research (results or in progress) and their Ph.D. project to the Admission Committee which then asks questions;
• Meet at luncheons and dinners with students and scientists.

 The Admission Committee examines the general scientific knowledge, the past research accomplishments, the understanding of the proposed Ph.D. project, the motivation of the student, and considers the comments and advice of other interviewers. It then chooses the students to be offered final admission and those to be put on a waiting list. Around 15 openings are available each year. Candidates are informed of the decision shortly after the Interview week; successful candidates are generally given 10 days to notify the PPU of their acceptance.  Admission is highly competitive; each year many more qualified candidates apply than can be accepted.

Criteria used by the Admission Committee for the evaluation:

• Presentation: Logical and coherent presentation; appropriate information; clear oral presentation without “reading the slides”; good balance master/future phd projects. 
• Addressing the questions: comprehension of the questions, focus on the requested details, scientific knowledge, technical knowledge, ability to think about an open question.
• General attitude: positive attitude, self-confidence, attitude open to discussion.

Exact dates and deadlines for each step are clearly indicated in Current Call.

Students are responsible for attending a specified number of courses dedicated to fundamental biological concepts and public health. The course syllabus fulfils requirements set forth by the universities, usually equivalent to one to two weeks of courses per year. Multiple theoretical and practical courses are available at Institut Pasteur Education Center, in Parisian universities, and at the Institut Curie. Students have their choice of courses to take, based on their personal backgrounds, interests and topics of research, in accordance with their host laboratory.

Students will also benefit from technical training by members of core facilities. Furthermore, working at the Institut Pasteur provides students with the opportunity to attend some of the many cutting-edge scientific seminars and participate in on-site symposia. Students are also encouraged to apply to international workshops and conferences, for which the PPU program will offer monetary support.

In addition to hands-on laboratory training, the PPU program requires attendance to several professional development training courses to enhance the student skills and complement their academic training:

• French language courses: 3 class levels (basic, intermediate and advanced).
  During the I° year: two-hour sessions per week, on campus.
• Journal Club: To enhance the educational experience of participants and the assimilation of scientific evidences (learning how to critically evaluate a study, reflecting upon results and draw conclusions, understanding peer review, identifying innovation and advancement, learning how to conceptualize follow-up. (Journal Club)
  During the I° year: 1 session per month.
• Oral presentation workshop: To teach how to communicate their results and ideas effectively (identifying the key message, planning and preparation, presentation design, confident delivery and stress management, giving/receiving feedback). 
  During the II° year: four classes lasting 4 hours each.
• To learn how to organize a symposium, students of the II° year are in charge of the organization of the annual retreat for all PPU students, under the guidance of the PPU Steering Committee members.
• Other Institut Pasteur trainings: Bioinformatics, Research Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Free access to Pasteur MOOCs.

Various other training sessions are available at the Institut Pasteur, the Universities in Paris, and the Institut Curie.

A thesis advisory committee (TAC) follows the student's research progress, offering guidance as needed in addition to that provided by the laboratory in which the student is working.

The PPU program staff is fully committed to building a strong network within each incoming class of students, and between all students in the program as a whole as well as with students and scientists of the campus. For that purpose, several informal meetings  are organized to give the students a chance to discuss with the members of the PPU Program Committee and PPU office on individual questions and challenges or unforeseen difficulties encountered.

The students of the 2nd year are responsible for the organization of the PPU annual retreat, in collaboration with members of the graduate office. The retreat lasts three days and takes place at a rotating location outside of Paris (in very nice settings). The Ph.D. advisors and faculty members are invited and students are encouraged to invite a few scientists who are experts on the topic of the chosen theme of the year to present keynote lectures.

One presentation is dedicated to the scientist who gave his/her name to the 1st year class. In addition, all students are expected to present their projects and/or their results, making this retreat a truly interdisciplinary symposium. Furthermore, students discuss their research progress with scientists both from within and outside of the Institut Pasteur. The goal is also to reinforce the networking among students and with other scientists.

The rights and responsibilities of students in the Pasteur-Paris University International Doctoral Program are described in the Charter of Doctoral Training, which all students, their advisors and the heads of their laboratories are required to sign before beginning the Ph.D. project. Download here.

A Welcome Day is organized for the incoming Class on their first day on campus. The Dean presents the PPU program, the specific and mandatory trainings, the specific guidance and support provided to the student through the TAC, the social activities and the different offices and the services they provide on campus. The Dean will also answer questions about student life in general.

Discover below the calendar of the PPU program.

Document

PPU Educational Program.pdf

PDF 405.74 Ko

The PPU is part of the Doctoral Student Office.

A dedicated team providing administrative and academic support to PhD students from their arrival to their graduation ceremony, fostering bonds between PPU and non-PPU Ph.D students on campus.

DEAN OF THE INSTITUT PASTEUR- PARIS UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM

• Cecilia Patitucci, PhD

   

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Philippe Afonso, PhD
• Zeynep Baharoglu, PhD
• Nadia Benaroudj, PhD
• Célia Caillet-Saguy, PhD
• Germano Cecere, PhD
• Laura Cantini, PhD
• Aziz El Amraoui, PhD
• Marcel Hollenstein, PhD
• Annette Martin, PhD
• Mariette Matondo​, PhD

Discover the photo directory below

Document

PPU Office.pdf

PDF 799.04 Ko

The application process consists of three steps: (i) the candidate must select and be selected by a host laboratory, keeping in mind that each advisor can present only one candidate. ; (ii) applications are filled out jointly by the candidate together with the host laboratory ("joint application") and are uploaded in the PPU dedicated platform (link available in the Current call section at the opening of the call). Applications are evaluated by an Admission committee that selects candidates for an interview at the Institut Pasteur; (iii) these candidates are invited for a four-day interview on the Institut Pasteur campus (or in a visio-conference format during the sanitary crisis) and present their past and future works to the Admission committee (see details in application information).

The application period starts in mid-September. Prospective students are free to contact the lab (s) they are interested in at any time during application period.

The deadline for  joint application is usually in November. The exact dates and deadlines for each application period will be indicated on the current call page when a call is opened. Candidates are strongly encouraged to contact host laboratories as early as possible and well before the application deadline.

The first step is to identify and contact a host lab in which you would be interested in doing your Ph.D. research. Projects and contact information for laboratories recruiting prospective Ph.D. students at the Institut Pasteur are posted on the PPU dedicated platform (link available in the Current call section at the opening of the call).  Further information about laboratories and their research interests is available on the website RESEARCH. Because laboratories receive many applications and can present only one candidate, the first step of the selection process is to be chosen by a host laboratory. Please keep in mind that a candidate can only choose up to 4 host labs to apply to.

You are free to contact any lab of your choice at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. The list of all laboratories at Institut Pasteur can be found on the Institut Pasteur website. However, the laboratories not listed on the current call page are are not proposing a project for the PPU Program, and may not search for a student in the upcoming academic period.

Yes. You may contact as many host laboratories as you wish, but you may apply only to a maximum of 4. However, if you are selected by more than one host lab for application to this program, you will be required to choose only one.

In the majority of cases yes, only few host laboratories are located at walking distance from the Institut Pasteur (Institut de l'Audition, IDA)

A Masters of Science (M.Sc.), or an equivalent degree that would formally qualify you to register for a Ph.D. program in the French University system, is required to be considered for acceptance into this program. In some cases, students who have carried out an undergraduate research project in addition to their B.A. or B.Sc. degree may qualify. The host lab can inquire into this with its affiliated doctoral school.

You do not need to have finished your M.Sc. or equivalent degree prior to the application deadline. The degree must be completed by the summer of the following year, in order to register at the Paris Universities. A copy of the diploma or a certified written attestation of completion must be available before the start of the program (October).

The PPU doctoral program does not have an age restriction, but most accepted candidates are 24-26 years old and start their Ph.D. within a year of finishing their M.S., a few within 3 years.

No, you do not. Your application must be uploaded in the PPU dedicated platform. If you are accepted into the program, you will receive information on when and how to register with the university/doctorla school to which your host laboratory is affiliated.

No.

The program is run in English and therefore fluency in English is required. TOEFL or other language proficiency scores may be indicated when submitting your application. No knowledge of French is necessary. French language classes will be part of the Ph.D. program curriculum.

No. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are welcome but not required.  

No. A master degree (or equivalent) delivered by a university located outside of France is required. A double Master degree is acceptable only if a French and non-French institutions are delivering each a Master degree.

No. All applicants are evaluated by the Admission Committee solely on the basis of their qualifications and scientific potential. All applicants must successfully pass the application and interview procedures in order to be eligible. Moreover, under French law, the external funding must constitute employment or the funds must be allocated to the Institut Pasteur to pay the candidate’s salary.

The selection for the interview is highly competitive. The candidates selected for an interview will be notified by email toward the end of December or beginning of January.

The candidates selected for the program will be notified by email shortly after the interviews, generally within 1 week.

Candidates do not send applications themselves. Joint application (candidate/host lab) must be uploaded on the PPU dedicated platform

No.

No.

No, all laboratories searching for a Ph.D. student for the PPU program must upload a project on the dedicated platform. Teams that have already chosen a candidate must still upload a project and contact phd@pasteur.fr

To present a candidate to the PPU program, thesis advisors must hold an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches) diploma. If there are multiple scientists holding an HDR in a host laboratory, each one can propose one project and submit one application with one prospective Ph.D. candidate (joint application).

To participate in the Pasteur - Paris University International Doctoral program, a host laboratory must be affiliated with a Doctoral School of one of the three partner Universities of the program: Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, and Université Paris Saclay.

No advisor may have more than one Ph.D. student within the program.

The candidates selected for the program and their host labs will be notified by email shortly after the interviews, generally within 1 week.

Four days. The exact dates are indicated on the Current Call Page. During the sanitary crisis, the interview week is done through visio-conference for 4 days, in the same format as the one on site (see below).

During your stay you will visit your host laboratory to meet and discuss the research project with the prospective advisor and laboratory members. Individual interviews will be performed by Faculty members to assess each candidate’s qualifications for the PPU program. You will tour the Institut Pasteur and its core facilities, and meet with current PPU students and the PPU program staff. To see what scientific life is like at the Institut Pasteur, meetings are also planned with scientists and other Ph.D. students at meals and in informal social events. You will be interviewed by the Admission Committee, during which time you will present your Master’s degree research (results or in progress) and planned Ph.D. project.

Yes.

The Institut Pasteur is a non-profit research foundation that has maintained a long tradition in teaching. Several major science courses organized at the Institut Pasteur are integrated into the master degrees of several Parisian universities. For the PPU program, the Institut Pasteur has developed a special partnership with Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, and Université Paris Saclay. This partnership means that students are employed by the Institut Pasteur and registered at a Parisian university. Students enrolled in the PPU program perform their research project on the campus of the Institut Pasteur. The universities will deliver the diploma, on which will be indicated the co-operative nature of this program through the title “Pasteur - Paris University International Doctoral Program.

Your laboratory must be affiliated with a doctoral school of one of the three partner universities. You will be registered at the same doctoral school and university as your research team.

A doctoral school is an association of research teams preparing Ph.D. students to a career in research through an educational program for the research profession. Each French university has several doctoral schools which are specialized in specific scientific domains. To be enrolled in a Ph.D. program, the student registers at a doctoral school.

Completion of a Ph.D. at a French university requires participation in several scientific courses and professional trainings. All students enrolled in the PPU program will participate in a similar number of courses and training hours, regardless of the university affiliation. To fulfill this requirement, students will be able to choose among a number of courses that are the most appropriate and interesting for their individual training, including the ones that are required by the doctoral school.

The university will deliver the diploma, which will indicate the co-operative nature of this program through the title “Pasteur - Paris University International Doctoral Program”.

The program starts the first week of October. Arriving in Paris between September 15 and October 1 will help to familiarize yourself with the city, the housing and the university, as well as to prepare all the necessary paperwork. The exact arrival date may vary from student to student and will depend on the status of his/her visa application (if you are not from the European Community).

Students are expected to finish their Ph.D. in three years. Sometimes extensions may be granted when required and justified and are subject to approval from the doctoral school. Extensions will only be given by universities if external funding is available. The PPU program only provides funding for three years.

The program aims to meet the highest standards for education and training of Ph.D. students in the world. While spending most of the time working in individual research projects in a laboratory at Institut Pasteur, students benefit from excellent scientific courses and professional development trainings. The students will also be able to attend exciting seminars and participate in interactive workshops, annual retreats and journal clubs. The students within this program will be well supported by the staff, acting as advocates for the students’ scientific education and to provide assistance in any practical matters. A thesis advisory committee (TAC) will follow the students’ research progress and will offer guidance as needed in addition to that provided by the laboratory in which the student is working. The program offers a salary covering living costs and including health insurance. The program also offers assistance in obtaining housing upon arrival in France. Financial support for attending international conferences or summer courses will also be provided.

No.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact phd@pasteur.fr

Upon your arrival in Paris, you will be able to stay in Institut Pasteur reserved housing at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP) for 6 months (up to 12 months during the sanitary crisis). The rent is paid by the student. This is a beneficial time to look for housing. The real estate market is tight and students are encouraged to actively seek housing rental opportunities. They can apply independently to continue living at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP) and to the international houses of their respective countries as well. (Housing)

No.

Yes. The PPU, the Graduate as well as the Human Resources offices of the Institut Pasteur will provide assistance. A Hosting Agreement ("Protocol d'accueil") for visa application will be sent to students selected to enter the program from outside of the European Community. Precise instructions will be sent to all students accepted into the program about the paperwork that they need to complete and the steps they need to follow. The instructions must be followed carefully.

No. However, a 4000€ one-time bonus is added to the first paycheck.

Yes, healthcare is included in the salary. The Institut Pasteur will help you to enroll in the French social security system, which includes healthcare. You will eventually (usually within 3 to 6 months) get a "Carte Vitale", which can be used at healthcare providers to facilitate refund on expenses. Prior to obtaining the "Carte Vitale" students can still go to doctors and other healthcare professionals, and request a signed healthcare form ("Feuille de soin") which later may be sent to the French healthcare office "Assurance Maladie" by mail for reimbusement. Please keep copies of all payments and "feuilles de soins". See the Assurance Maladie "AMELI" website (www.ameli.fr) for more information. The website is in French, but there is an English link from there.

Regarding your social security insurance, benefits and healthcare rights in France, check the Assurance Maladie "AMELI" website (www.ameli.fr).

There is also a French Health Insurance Advice Line with English-speaking operators : 09 74 75 36 46 (from France), Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.