VIB is offering 10 PhD scholarships for international life sciences PhD students.
Apply now to kick-start your scientific career in a center of excellence, backed by first class research facilities and training in our multidisciplinary, international scientific community. VIB scientists work at the frontlines of molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, structural biology, plant systems biology, genetics, biochemistry and microbiology.
VIB is a life sciences research center in Flanders, Belgium, in the heart of Europe.
Selected candidates for the VIB International PhD Program will be fully funded with a yearly net salary of €25.000 and are expected to start in October 2017.
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Admission requirements and conditions VIB International PhD Program
Before applying for a scholarship in the VIB International PhD Program, make sure you are eligible for the program. The admission requirements are listed below.
Nationality
The VIB International PhD Program is aimed towards all non-Belgians, currently not living in Belgium.
University degrees
Language
Research projects Available
Please find the list of PhD research projects that are selected for the VIB International PhD Program 2016-2017 indicated below. When applying to our Program, don’t forget to mention the correct project numbers on your application form.
Project 1
New ROS therapeutic targets in breast cancer progression
Keywords: protein structure/function, oxidative stress, anti-oxidant systems, cancer models, breast cancer progression
Supervisors: Joris Messens and Massimo Santoro
Project 2
Into the molecular details of a newly discovered anti-inflammatory axis, based on zinc and glucocorticoid receptor
Keywords: food, microbiota, metabolism, inflammation, nuclear receptors
Supervisors: Claude Libert and Jan Tavernier
Project 3
Structural biology of Alzheimer’s disease
Keywords: single particle cryo-EM, Alzheimer’s disease, gamma-secretase, neurodegeneration, drug development
Supervisors: Rouslan Efremov and Joost Schymkowitz/Frederic Rousseau
Project 4
Sulfenic acid identification in crops under oxidative stress
Keywords: oxidative stress, crops, structural-functional biology, C. reinhardtii phenotype-reader, sulfenic acid identification technology
Supervisors: Joris Messens and Frank Van Breusegem
Project 5
Search for biomarkers and therapeutic targets within the biomolecular composition of plasma membranes of metastatic melanoma cells
Keywords: cancer, melanoma, metastasis, plasma membrane omics, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
Supervisors: Wim Annaert and Chris Marine
Project 6
Advanced proteomics to combat parasitic plant infestations
Keywords: proteomics, ubiquitination, strigolactones, Arabidopsis, parasitic plant infestation
Supervisors: Kris Gevaert and Sofie Goormachtig
Project 7
Discovery of novel sensor metabolites with regulatory function in higher eukaryotes
Keywords: next-generation sequencing, nuclear metabolomics, signal transduction, thermal proteome profiling, tomato
Supervisors: Alain Goossens and Kris Gevaert
Project 8
Influenza virus biology at the host-pathogen interface: towards new therapeutics
Keywords: influenza, host-virus interactions, in vivo mouse targeting and disease modelling, therapeutic
Supervisors: Xavier Saelens and Geert van Loo
Project 9
Elucidating the Ca2+ code of astrocyte function
Keywords: astrocyte, in vivo imaging, visual cortex, pharmacology, genetics
Supervisors: Matthew Holt and Vincent Bonin
Project 10
Unraveling astrocyte heterogeneity in the mouse brain using single cell transcriptome profiling
Keywords: astrocyte, transcriptomics, transcription factors, development, function
Supervisors: Yvan Saeys and Matthew Holt
Project 11
Abscisic acid: health effects, biosynthesis and signaling in humans
Keywords: synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, inflammation, *omics, nutraceutical
Supervisors: Rudi Beyaert and Alain Goossens
Project 12
Investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of trehalose or trehalose-6-P in lateral root and trichome development
Keywords: Trehalose metabolism, Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, lateral roots, Arabidopsis thaliana, sugar signaling
Supervisors: Patrick Van Dijck and Tom Beeckman
Project 13
The interplay of endocytosis and signaling. How do plant receptors integrate trafficking and signaling?
Keywords: clathrin, endocytosis, adaptors, receptors, protein-ligand interactions, Arabidopsis
Supervisors: Jenny Russinova and Savvas Savvides
Project 14
Design of functional amyloid peptides that kill drug resistant fungal pathogens
Keywords: amyloid aggregation, Candida sp., antifungal peptides
Supervisors: Patrick Van Dijck and Joost Schymkowitz/Frederic Rousseau
Project 15
Using a highly-evolvable synthetic yeast chromosome to optimize second-generation biofuel production
Keywords: synthetic biology, evolution, green chemistry, biotechnology, biofuel
Supervisors: Kevin J. Verstrepen and Yves Van de Peer
Project 16
Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying the mutagenic and carcinogenic effect of alcohol
Keywords: cancer, mutagen, yeast, tumor, DNA damage
Supervisors: Jan Cools & Kevin J. Verstrepen
Project 17
Effect of polyQ expansions on phase transitions of proteins involved in neurodegeneration
Keywords: neurodegeneration, Motor neuron, PolyQ disease, Phase separation, Low complexity domains
Supervisors: Peter Tompa and Ludo Van Den Bosch
Project 18
Culturing the unculturable microbes for the improvement of human and plant health
Keywords: microfluidics, bacterial cultivation, plant and human health, plant and human microbiome
Supervisors: Sofie Goormachtig and Jeroen Raes
Project 19
Using brain implants and single-cell genomics to trace tumour heterogeneity and therapy response during glioblastoma progression
Keywords: single-cell genomics, neurobiology, microfluidics, bioinformatics, glioblastoma
Supervisors: Sebastian Haesler and Stein Aerts
Project 20
Compartmentalized use of “growth-control-regulators” in axonal growth, branching, and synaptogenesis: Non-canonical roles of the Hippo pathway
Keywords: hippo pathway, growth control, axon branching, synaptogenesis, neuronal regeneration
Supervisors: Georg Halder and Dietmar Schmucker
Project 21
Boosting the metabolic fitness of cytotoxic T-cells to fight cancer
Keywords: immunotherapy, metabolism, T-cells, tumor microenvironment, cancer
Supervisors: Sarah-Maria Fendt and Jo Van Ginderachter
Project 22
Proteome-level insight into crop responses to environmental stress through innovative biochemical and computational omics approaches
Keywords: monocot crop, proteome, combined abiotic stress, comparative omics, bioinformatics
Supervisors: Ive De Smet and Lennart Martens
Project 23
The Ubiquitin Pathway as a new frontier in liver cancer therapy
Keywords: ubiquitination, deubiquitinase, liver cancer, proteomics, drug development
Supervisors: Anna Sablina and Sven Eyckerman
Project 24
Degradomic approaches to study intramembrane proteolysis involved in neurodegenerative diseases
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, mass spectrometry, intramembrane proteolysis, proteomics, mitochondria
Supervisors: Bart De Strooper and Francis Impens
Project 25
Role of the vacuolar protein sorting gene VPS13C in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia
Keywords: frontotemporal dementia, VPS13C, IPS cells, differentiated neurons, membrane transport regulation
Supervisors: Wim Annaert and Christine Van Broeckhoven
Project 26
Controlling Membrane Permeation in Animal and Plant Programmed Cell Death
Keywords: programmed cell death, necrotic cell death, animals, plants, membrane permeation
Supervisors: Moritz K. Nowack and Peter Vandenabeele
Project 27
The molecular and structural basis of a signaling peptide-receptor pair involved in root development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Keywords: signaling pathway, ligand-receptor interactions, structural studies, lateral root organogenesis, plants
Supervisors: Tom Beeckman and Savvas Savvides
Project 28
High-resolution biochemical and microscopic analysis of the necrosome
Keywords: necroptosis, protein complex, microscopy, proteomics
Supervisors: Peter Vandenabeele and Sven Eyckerman
Project 29
Cellular and network dysfunctions in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Keywords: Alzheimer’s Disease, hippocampus, memory, cell biology, neurophysiology
Supervisors: Fabian Kloosterman and Bart De Strooper
Project 30
Computational modeling of the epigenomic landscape of glioblastoma
Keywords: glioblastoma, epigenomics, chomatin, gene regulatory networks, drug resistance
Supervisors: Diether Lambrechts and Stein Aerts
How to apply for the VIB International PhD Program
Please follow carefully the different steps during the preparation stage and final submission stage of your application. Use English in all the documents.
Step 1 – Requirements
Step 2 – Select your projects
Step 3 – Download and complete the Application Form
Step 4 – Submit the Application Form and scans of degrees and certificates
- Completed Application Form
- Bachelor degree
- Masters degree (if applicable)
- English language certificate (if applicable)
- GRE certificate (if applicable)
- Transcript of marks (academic records)
Submit your application to: [email protected]
Step 5 – Collect recommendations
- complete the Evaluation Letter
- write a letter of recommendation for your application
- send both documents to the VIB International PhD Program Committee at [email protected]
Selection procedure
Deadline
You must submit the Application Form, completed according to the Application Guidelines, to the Program Committee before the application deadline of 15 February 2017. Application forms received after the deadline will not be considered.
After the submission
We will acknowledge the receipt of your completed application forms by email within 1 week and you will receive a registration number. Please do not inquire within 1 week of sending in your application on the progress of your application.
All applications are reviewed by the Program Committee of the International PhD Program.
In March 2017, short-listed candidates will be sent an invitation letter for the selection week from 15-18 May 2017. We will reimburse your travel expenses and provide free accommodation in Ghent during the selection week.
Offers of admission to the VIB International PhD Program will be made to the top 10 applicants during the interview week.
The selected candidates will be fully funded with a yearly net salary of 25.000 Euros.
Selected candidates are expected to start with their PhD at the university of their thesis advisor, or promoter, around the opening of the academic year in October 2017.
> The next step: How to apply?
Contact International PhD Program
VIB International PhD Program
[email protected]
Rijvisschestraat 120
9052 GENT
BELGIUM
phone: +32 9 244 66 11
fax: +32 9 244 66 10
