Life Sciences Division

Admission procedure

Admission to the Doctoral Program is by competitive entrance examination. Admission is reserved for students of all nationalities currently preparing a Master’s degree, master 2 or equivalent diploma that qualifies them for registration to a french “Ecole Doctorale”.

Evaluation of applications

Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their academic performance and scientific potential. To apply, fill-out the on-line application form that can be found on the “Application” page of this site. The different items on the form should be filled as completely as possible.

In addition to completing the on-line application form, candidates are required to provide at least two letters of recommendations. Incomplete dossiers or dossiers reaching our offices after the deadline will not be considered.

Applications will go through several selection steps:

1. A pre-selection based on the application dossier is carried out by a scientific committee. Candidates with the best academic performance who are highly motivated for research will be identified.
2. Pre-selected candidates will be invited to the CEA Center at Saclay for a two-day visit (15th and 16th of May, 2012). During their stay, candidates will be interviewed by the program’s Selection Committee in order to evaluate their scientific knowledge. A detailed explanation of the evaluation procedure will be sent by mail to the pre-selected candidates. They will also meet the PhD supervisors or group leaders of all the thesis projects and could modifiy their choice of the 3 thesis projects they are interested in.

The travel and accommodation expenses of non-local candidates will be covered entirely by the program.

1. The candidates will be ranked by the program’s Selection Committee at the end of their scientific interviews. The number of candidates admitted to enter the Program (main list) will be determined each year by the High Commissioner of CEA, in conjunction with the Director of the life sciences division. This number can vary to take into account the excellence of the candidates. A waiting list will also be established. All the results will be communicated by the end of May 2012.

The research laboratory where the selected candidates will do their doctoral work will be chosen by the direction of the Program, in collaboration with the group leaders involved and taking into account the wishes of the candidate. If a candidate does not wish to join any of the groups suggested to him/her, candidates on the waiting list will be approached in the order they were ranked.

Once a host laboratory has been chosen, the admission of the candidates to the Doctoral Program will be definitive only after:

1. The candidate has completed the Master (or equivalent) degree.
2. The Doctoral School to which the chosen research group is affiliated has formally approved* the candidate.

Thesis contracts will start after October 1st, 2012.

* Note that the approval (that may be an interview) is not an additional selection test, since the candidates are not financed by the Doctoral School. Its purpose is to present the student and the thesis project to the directors of the Schools. If there are any reservations, discussions will be held on a case by case basis between the Doctoral School and the Directing Committee of the Doctoral Program.