Aims of the EMBL International PhD Programme
Admission to the EMBL International PhD Programme
Selection of candidates by personal interviews and final admission assessment
Enrollment into the EMBL International PhD Programme
Student progress and submission of thesis
Evaluation of thesis and examination procedure
Publication
of the PhD thesis and award of the PhD degree
Revoking
the Doctorate degree
Changes
of statutes
Aims of the EMBL International PhD Programme
The EMBL International PhD Programme provides
advanced, interdisciplinary training in Molecular
Biology and its associated scientific disciplines.
University graduates admitted into the Programme
["PhD students"] receive theoretical and practical
training, and conduct a research project under
the supervision of an EMBL faculty member, monitored
by a Thesis Advisory Committee. After the successful
completion of his/her research project, the PhD
student submits a written thesis. Following Committee
approval of the thesis and successful completion
of an oral examination, the candidate receives
the degree of "PhD". Where possible within the
national university systems, EMBL PhD students
may co-register with a national university to
obtain a joint EMBL/University doctorate [Statutes
for Joint Degrees]. Alternatively, EMBL PhD
students can opt to obtain their doctorate degree
solely from a national university, or to receive
a PhD from EMBL without linkage to other systems.
Admission to the EMBL International PhD Programme
Application Procedure
Admission is competitive and is achieved through
the selection procedure for the EMBL International PhD Programme. Applicants must hold, or anticipate
receiving before enrolment, a university degree
that would formally qualify them to enter a PhD
or equivalent programme in their home country.
Evaluation of Applications All applications are evaluated solely on the basis
of qualification and scientific potential. In
general, applicants are expected to be among the
top of those qualified to enter a PhD Programme
in their home country. All applications that have
been received by the publicised deadline[s] are
subjected to a multi-step evaluation procedure
by EMBL faculty members. The first assessment
is carried out by a faculty member who is familiar
with the applicant's national education system
and also will ensure that the applicant has achieved
the common standard for entry. Subsequently, the
application is reviewed by the faculty members
of the EMBL Scientific Programme[s]/Outstation
to which the candidate applied. Finally the EMBL
Graduate Committee [which is composed of the Director-General,
Directors and Dean of Graduate Studies together
with representatives of each Scientific Programme/Outstation
of EMBL] short lists those candidates that will
be invited for interview, taking into account
proposals from the Scientific Programmes/Outstations,
and an overall evaluation that they have adequate
qualification to undertake PhD studies at EMBL.
Selection of Candidates
by Personal Interviews and Final Admission Assessment
Short-listed candidates are interviewed for several days during Admission week. During the first days, interviews are conducted by the faculty members of the EMBL Scientific Programme[s]/Outstation to which the candidate has applied. This gives rise to an initial ranking of the applicants which is reviewed by the Graduate Committee. Selected candidates then advance to an obligatory Final Admission Assessment during which the candidate may be questioned on any aspect of Molecular Biology and his/her previous training. This assessment is conducted by a panel of faculty members representing the different Scientific Programmes/Outstations [normally chaired by the Director or Co-Director of Graduate Studies] and evaluates the intellectual capacity and general scientific knowledge of the candidates. Successful completion of this assessment and admission by the Graduate Committee is a prerequisite for enrolment into the EMBL International PhD Programme. Research Programmes and Outstations located outside Heidelberg participate in the same process of selection. They may also conduct a second selection offset by 4-6 months, following a second publicised deadline for applications. The selected candidates are then interviewed, ranked, examined and admitted by a panel established by the Graduate Committee following a Final Admission Assessment according to the standard procedures. The maximum number of candidates who can be admitted to any Programme or Outstation is authorised by the Director-General, taking into account resources for appropriate training and fellowships, the balance of the Scientific Programme of the Laboratory, and the number of new faculty.
Enrolment into the EMBL International PhD Programme
Successful candidates are permitted to enrol only
if they have been awarded either an EMBL [internal]
or an external predoctoral fellowship.
Within the
first year, the PhD student must:
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Complete the EMBL Predoctoral Core Course in Molecular
Biology, and obtain the corresponding certificate.
The Core Course is organised and supervised
by the Graduate Committee. Currently it
entails more than 350 contact hours, includes
lectures, practicals and student seminars
and encompasses the subject matter of all
EMBL Programmes and Outstations. Exceptionally,
a student may defer the course until the
second year with the approval of the Dean
of Graduate Studies. |
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Propose jointly with the supervisor a "Thesis Advisory
Committee" consisting of at least three members, including
his/her EMBL faculty supervisor as well as other EMBL faculty
member[s] and external member[s] from a national university
[ies]. The Thesis Advisory Committee is appointed by the Dean
of Graduate Studies, and is chaired by the supervisor. |
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Submit and
defend a Project Proposal ['Qualifying Assessment'].
The quality of the Project Proposal and
its oral defense are judged by the Thesis
Advisory Committee. The Project Proposal
introduces the problem the student hopes
to solve and reviews critically the experimental
approaches to be taken. It also summarises
the results of the initial work of the student.
The Project Proposal including the recommendations
of the Thesis Advisory Committee are submitted
to and considered by the Dean of Graduate
Studies who may request clarifications.
When the project and the candidate are found
to be of an appropriate standard, the standing
of the student as an EMBL PhD student will
be confirmed by the Dean of Graduate Studies. In case the Project Proposal or its defense are
not found satisfactory, a second qualifying
Assessment will be conducted within two
months of the first, with the Dean of Graduate
Studies participating in the Assessment.
In case of failure in this Assessment, the
PhD student status is terminated, with the
first year studies certified. |
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Register as
a PhD student with the EMBL Graduate Office
following a successful Qualifying Assessment,
and/or register as a doctoral student with
a national university. |
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Exceptionally, students already enrolled in another doctoral programme who are to accompany newly appointed members of the faculty to EMBL, may be accepted into the EMBL PhD Programme as students following consideration of their files by the Director-General. |
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Student Progress and Submission
of Thesis
The progress
of the work is monitored by the Thesis Advisory
Committee, to which Annual Reports are submitted.
The Committee meets annually with the student
to evaluate his/her progress, future plans and
priorities, and to provide to the Dean of Graduate
Studies comments accompanying the student's report.
The student is also expected to receive additional training and to practice scientific writing and oral presentations, as well as to participate in journal clubs and seminars.
The duration of the PhD studies is normally 3.5
to 4 years. Following the formal declaration by
the PhD student's supervisor and the additional
EMBL faculty member[s] of the Thesis Advisory
Committee that a sufficiently demanding research
project has been successfully completed by the
PhD student, he/she may submit an "Application
for the Evaluation of the PhD Thesis and the PhD
Examination" to the Graduate
Office. This application must be accompanied
by:
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Four copies
of the thesis [in English]. The thesis is
organised into a short "General Summary",
a scholarly "Introduction" to the field
of research, substantial scientific publications
which can be already published, submitted
or in manuscript, and a final general "Discussion
and Perspectives". Alternatively, a monograph
format can be followed, with sections of
"Materials and Methods", "Results" and "References"
replacing the publications/manuscripts.
In case of multiauthorship of publications,
the PhD student identifies in a footnote
his/her contributions. |
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Copies of the approved 'Annual Reports to the Thesis Advisory Committee'. |
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The certificate to indicate the successful completion of the EMBL Predoctoral Core Course in Molecular Biology. |
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Evaluation of thesis and examination procedure
Thesis Examination Committee
After an 'Application for the Evaluation of the
PhD Thesis and the PhD Examination' has been submitted,
the supervisor is asked by the Graduate
Office for nominations for the Thesis Examination
Committee. The Thesis Examination Committee is
appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies and
consists of at least three members:
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A scientist
[preferably an EMBO or EMBL SAC member]
who had previously no contact with the PhD
student's work, and who is an expert in
the area of the student's research field. |
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Two members
of the Thesis Advisory Committee, including
at least one member of the EMBL faculty
[other than the thesis supervisor who sits
in on the oral examination only as an observer].
One of these two scientists acts as the
chairperson. |
| Evaluation of the PhD Thesis The thesis is evaluated in terms of scholarly
criteria by each member of the Thesis Examination
Committee. One criterion is the likely acceptability
of the thesis work for publication in quality,
international peer-reviewed journals. A decision
is delivered by the Chair of the Thesis Examination
Committee on the basis of the committee members'
written reports. The PhD Thesis can be accepted
for defense, or revisions can be requested. Following
no more than one round of revision, a decision
on acceptance for defense or rejection is taken.
The PhD Examination The Thesis Examination Committee attends a public presentation of the thesis work by the candidate, and participates in the ensuing discussion. The format is specified by the Graduate Committee. Subsequently, the candidate is examined in camera on the subject of his/her thesis, as well as broader aspects of Molecular Biology with particular emphasis on the scientific fields represented by the EMBL Scientific Programmes and Outstations. This examination can be passed or failed. It can be retaken once.
Appeals
A candidate may appeal to the Director-General against the composition of the Thesis Examination Committee or against the outcome of the Thesis Evaluation or PhD Examination. The Director-General may solicit advice and makes the final decision on the appeal.
Publication of the
PhD Thesis and Award of the PhD degree
Following the acceptance of the PhD Thesis and
after passing the PhD Examination, two hard copies
of the duly corrected thesis is provided to the
Graduate Office
by the successful candidate. The thesis is deposited
in a publicly accessible way and, if possible,
published electronically.
A PhD certificate is awarded
from the EMBL International PhD Programme to candidates whose
PhD thesis has been accepted and who have passed the PhD Examination.
The receipt of this certificate is a prerequisite to carry the
title of 'PhD'
Revoking
the Doctorate degree
Irrespective
of whether the PhD certificate has already been issued or not,
the PhD degree can be revoked by the Director-General following
consultation with the Graduate Committee if the candidate has
falsified any of the documents that a] were submitted as part
of the application for entry to the EMBL International PhD Programme,
b] were required for enrolment, c] were submitted with the 'Application
for the Evaluation of the PhD Thesis and the PhD Examination',
or d] in other cases of gross scientific misconduct.
Changes of Statutes
These statutes and any amendments are considered
by the external Scientific Advisory Committee [SAC] of EMBL
and are then approved jointly by the Chair of SAC and the Director-General.
They come into force upon publication following approval.
Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos, Director-General EMBL
Prof. Louise Johnson, Oxford University, Chair EMBL Scientific
Advisory Committee |
