ISTA Funded PhD program 2023-24, Austria

by Samrach · January 28, 2023

Deadline for applications: 28 February 2023

WE ARE LOOKING FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO APPLY FOR THE PHD PROGRAM AT ISTA.

BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S STUDENTS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY

ISTA welcomes students with different academic backgrounds who can bring their skills and experiences to the scientific setting.

Students with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, chemistry, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, physics, data science and scientific computing and related areas are encouraged to apply.

HOW DO I APPLY?

ISTA processes applications to its PhD program once a year. The application portal is now reopen. To apply, you have to create an online account, which will allow you to track your application through its various stages. We do not accept applications and documents received outside of this system.

APPLY NOW:PhD application tool (GenApp)

Deadline to submit your application is 28 February 2023 (15:00 CET). Referees have until 5 March 2023 (23:59 CET) to submit recommendations.

Please download the instructions manual here.

Please fill out the form using a web browser on a desktop computer. Web browsers on mobile devices (i.e. Android, iPhone, iPad, etc.) are not supported.

NB. If you had already created/submitted an application for the 2023 call, you will need to recreate this and submit your documents again – including referee details and references. All previously submitted data has been lost as a result of the attack.

WHAT APPLICATION MATERIALS ARE REQUIRED?

We ask you to upload the following documents to the application portal:

CV
Statement of purpose that explains your research experience and your motivation for applying to the ISTA PhD program. It should be 1-2 pages maximum. In your statement, specify up to three research groups you find the most interesting. At this stage you do not need to contact potential supervisors.
University transcripts and diplomas of all degree programs and all years you have attended and/or are currently enrolled in (in English and in original language)
Contact information of 3 referees

All documents have to be submitted in English and copies of university transcripts also in their original language.

WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA?

The selection committee uses a collection of indicators to evaluate the applicant’s preparedness, motivation, and potential. The following will be considered:

undergraduate performance: overall, with a special focus on relevant field-specific courses
reference letters provided by professors and senior scientists: one letter from industry is acceptable, but letters from an academic background are given priority; referees are asked to address analytical capabilities, technical proficiency, ability to work independently and motivation/commitment;
statement of purpose: the applicant’s past research experience and motivation for applying to this particular PhD program: is it a good academic fit? does the program contribute to the candidate’s future career plans?, etc.;
additional relevant skills (field-specific): demonstrated in, e.g., internships and/or participation in research projects, participation in science Olympiads, programming languages, lab techniques, etc.
transferable skills: e.g. communication skills, experience with working in teams, previous mobility and international experiences, leadership experience as demonstrated in student organizations, etc.;
diversity: e.g. a woman in computer science/math/physics; an applicant who switched fields, etc.;

APPLICATION AND SELECTION TIMELINE

The application call for 2023 opens, by exception, on 16 December 2022 and ends on 28 February 2023. The first review process will be completed in March. Candidates will notified about their status in early to mid-April.

Shortlisted candidates are invited for interviews, to take place in late April and mid May. Interviews may be conducted either remote or onsite. Offer letters will go out in late May or early June, and candidates can accept or decline the offer of admission by 30 June. The start of the PhD program is uniformly on 15 September.

Application opens	16 December 2022
Application closes	28 February 2023 15:00 CET
Pre-selection meetings	late March/early April
Student Interviews	late April/mid May
Final selection meetings	late May
Offers sent out	after the final selection meeting
Offer need to be accepted	30 June 2023
Start of PhD program	15 September 2023

STATUS OF OUR STUDENTS

PhD students are employed by ISTA. Prior to the Qualifying Exam, their activities consist of coursework, rotation projects within research groups, and preparation for the Qualifying Exam. Once the students have successfully passed the Qualifying Exam, they perform research on their PhD thesis project within one or more research groups, and they may assist in teaching activities.

All our PhD students receive internationally competitive salaries and full social security coverage. Students also receive financial support to attend scientific conferences and workshops during their studies.

Scientific interns are employed by ISTA. They are enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program in good standing at a degree granting institution (other than ISTA) while performing a research project within a research group of ISTA for a period of up to 1 year.

ISTerns receive a monthly compensation. The ISTernship program is developed in cooperation with the OeAD, the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research. The OeAD handles the scholarship payments for a period of up to 3 months between May 15 and September 15.

SALARIES

PhD student salaries depend on whether the student is holding a bachelor’s or a master’s degree at the time of admission. When students pass their Qualifying Exam (about 1.5 years into their degree), they receive a salary raise. Gross salaries in the year 2023 for PhD students range – dependent on the criteria above – from 2471 EUR/month to 3003 EUR/month (paid 14 times a year: once per month plus double payments in June and November).

ISTA offers scientific interns a minimum salary of EUR 1,184 gross per month.

ADMISSION COSTS AND TUITION FEES

ISTA does not charge any tuition fees. No application fee is required to apply to our PhD and internship programs.

RESEARCH FUNDING AND AWARDS

In all fields of research, funding is of paramount importance to sustain the resources needed by scientists. ISTA relies on diverse funding sources to support all its researchers.

The Grant Office is there to support applicants wishing to apply for external funding. PhD students at ISTA are no exception since it is best to acquire grant writing skills early on in one’s scientific career. For academic job applications, competitive peer-reviewed fellowships can be a powerful indicator that 1) you’re a scientist worth investing in, and 2) that your research projects are of the highest quality.

Fellowships which have been awarded to PhD students and interns at ISTA include:

DOC fellowships from the Austrian Academy of Science
Böhringer Ingelheim Foundation fellowships
IBM PhD Fellowship
FEMTech Stipends of the FFG, and
ISTernships (internally funded).

Students can also be part of larger projects within their research groups. ISTA has been particularly successful in receiving a large number of prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants which reward innovative projects for their research excellence.

In addition, students may be involved in projects funded by more local sources such as:

the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
the Land Niederösterreich (NFB)

The opportunity to network with other institutions is one of the highlights of the cooperative grants currently running at ISTA. These bring together eminent scientists (and sometimes companies) from across Europe and beyond to work on challenges in a specific field. They can also be specifically aimed at PhD student training, as is the case with:

Doktoratskollegs from the FWF
Initial Training Networks (ITN) from the European Commission

All scientists at ISTA are supported by the Grant Office in all matters related to external funding: from application, implementation, to reporting to the relevant funding organizations.

Source / More information: Official Website HERE.