Applications Invited For 2017 Crick PhD Programme @ The Francis Krick Institute

Francesca Ciccarelli & Rebecca Oakey | Exploiting cancer-specific perturbations of the chromatin complex network leading to dependencies and vulnerabilities that are actionable in therapy

Caroline Hill | The role of SMAD1/5 signalling tumourigenesis

Venizelos Papayannopoulos | Molecular basis for neutrophil extracellular trap function in inflammatory disease

Markus Ralser | Fission and fusion dynamics of the mitochondiral network in metabolically cooperating single cells

Frank Uhlmann | The molecular mechanism of chromosome segregation

PhD positions by Research Topic

• Biochemistry & Proteomics
• Cell Biology
• Cell Cycle & Chromosomes
• Computational & Systems Biology
• Ecology, Evolution & Ethology
• Gene Expression
• Genetics & Genomics
• Genome Integrity & Repair
• Human Biology & Physiology
• Immunology
• Infectious Disease
• Metabolism
• Model organisms
• Signaling & Oncogenes
• Tumour Biology

PhD Candidate instructions

Registering to apply

You must register online and activate your account before you can fill in the application form. When you have registered you will be sent an activation link by email.

You will be asked to provide a valid email address – please type this in carefully as the account activation link will be sent to this email address. Please note that these emails sometimes get blocked by email/university security systems or end up in spam folders, so please check your spam/junk folder.

Please make sure that your email address is one that you will check regularly throughout the application process as this will be how we will contact you.

Completing the application form

The online application form has 11 sections: Personal Details, Project Choice, Education, Experience, Statement, Other Details, References, Equal Opps, Declaration, Ask A Question/Messages, and Candidate Instructions.

You can move from section to section by clicking on the left-hand links. You can save your progress so you can return to and complete the form at a later date. However, if you move to a new section of the form without completing all required fields and hitting the ‘save’ button, changes will be lost.

The deadline for applications to the 2017 Crick PhD programme is23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 26 March 2017, when the online application site will close. However, you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible, to allow sufficient time for your referees to supply their references. Please note that the deadline for references is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 2 April 2017.

Completing “Personal Details” section

Fill in your name in the correct format, capitalising the appropriate letters (e.g. Joe Bloggs instead of joe bloggs), as this will be used in all future correspondence with yourself and your named referees.

If possible please provide a telephone number that you will be contactable on during the interview programme.

Completing “Project Choice” section

You will be applying for a position on the Crick PhD Programme and we will ask you to select your preferred group leaders/PhD supervisors on the application form.

Before completing the application form, please read about the group leaders recruiting PhD students to start in September 2017 and their PhD positions and view their recorded talks.

When you complete the application form:

• you will be asked to select up to a maximum of 3 project group leaders.
• you will be asked to give each group leader a rank of 1 or 2, 1 being your most preferred choice(s). You can have more than one group leader ranked 1 and 2.

Completing “Education” section

Please complete carefully, giving as much information as possible.

If you are studying/have studied at a non-UK university, please give your university’s standard name in English.

If you are studying/have studied for an integrated bachelors and masters degree, please enter this in the undergraduate section. We will know from the title that the masters is integrated.

In the section on your courses/modules taken, please state each course/module with credits and marks/grades in order to give us as complete information as possible. Please enter each course/module as a new paragraph.

Note: you can re-size the text boxes to make them larger by using the drag handle in the bottom right hand corner of the text box (note that some browsers, e.g. IE, has a scrollbar instead).

Completing “Experience” section

Please list any relevant research experience that you have, either as part of or outside of a university degree course, starting with the most recent. Include details of host lab(s), supervisor, dates, brief description of project(s) and your work on the project(s).

Note: you can re-size the text boxes to make them larger by using the drag handle in the bottom right hand corner of the text box (note that some browsers, e.g. IE, has a scrollbar instead).

Completing “Statement” section

Please pay particular attention to this section and tell us why you want to do a PhD, are applying to the Crick PhD Programme and to the projects you have selected.

The maximum word limit is 400 words.

Note: you can re-size the text boxes to make them larger by using the drag handle in the bottom right hand corner of the text box (note that some browsers, e.g. IE, has a scrollbar instead).

You will be asked to upload a copy of your CV – this must be a PDF (.pdf) file that is no larger than 2MB.

Completing “Other Details” section

This section is to provide additional information about yourself and to help us advertise our PhD programme in the future.

Completing “References” section

We will request references from 2 or 3 scientists/academics who are familiar with your academic work and/or research experience and who can judge your potential as a PhD student.

Please select your referees carefully: one must be your current or most recent employer/supervisor, at least one must be able to comment on your university academic record, and at least one must be able to comment on your previous research experience.

Please ensure that your referees’ contact details, especially their email addresses, are accurate and enter only one email address per referee. If you have copied and pasted your referee’s email address, please ensure that there are no spaces before or after the address. We will contact your referees by email as soon as you submit your application, asking them to complete an online reference form. When you submit your application please contact your referees to confirm that they have received our reference request email (these emails sometimes get blocked by university security systems or end up in spam folders).

The deadline for reference receipt is 23:59 (UK Time) Sunday 2 April 2017. Your application may be considered if references are not received by the deadline, however, we will not invite any applicants to interview without 2 references in place.

Please help your referees meet this deadline by informing them of your application, checking that they will be able to submit a reference by the deadline and encouraging them to submit their reference soon after receipt of our email. You and your referee will receive an acknowledgement email once each reference has been submitted.

NOTE: if you leave your application until the closing date your referees will only have a short time to return your reference.

Completing “Equal Opps” section

This section is for equal opportunities monitoring purposes and the information you provide will be anonymised and will not be available to recruiting group leaders.

Completing “Declaration” section

Please review your application carefully  and complete any missing fields. Once all the mandatory fields are completed, you will be able to submit by clicking the submit button at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have submitted your application you will not be able to make further changes. You will be sent an email confirming that you have submitted your application. Please note that these emails sometimes get blocked by email/university security systems or end up in spam folders, so please check your spam/junk folder.

“Ask A Question / Messages” section

If you have any questions about completing the application form, which you cannot find an answer to on our PhD Programme webpages, you can submit a question to us here. We will endeavour to respond within 2 working days. You will receive an email with our response, and be able to log into your application where the response will be recorded (click on the ‘view’ button next to your original message). You will be able to access this section of the form when your form is partially completed and after you have submitted it.

“Candidate Instructions” section

Clicking on the ‘Candidate Instructions’ section will take you to this webpage.

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PhD Student Recruitment Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

If you have any other questions, please email [email protected].

Can international students apply (those outside of EU/EEA)?

Students of all nationalities can apply for the Crick PhD Programme, but applicants should note that some of the joint Crick-partner University studentships and some of the externally funded studentships may have eligibility restrictions. Please check the individual project descriptions for details on any specific eligibility criteria. If you are unsure of which tuition fees category you fall in, please refer to the UKCISA website.

How does the outcome of the UK’s vote to leave the EU affect applicants from non-UK EU countries?

The immigration and tuition fee status of non-UK EU citizens has not changed as a result of the UK’s decision in June 2016 to leave the EU. This will remain the case until the UK Government decides otherwise, and it is unlikely that this situation will change before September 2017. The Crick has a multinational outlook, and is proud to be a diverse, open and international institute. This will not change as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.  For statements from the Crick and all three of our partner universities on the result of the EU Referendum see:

The Francis Crick Institute

Imperial College London

King’s College London

University College London

What are Crick/Imperial College London, Crick/King’s College London and Crick/UCL joint studentships?

Students awarded these studentships will work on a collaborative PhD project and be supervised by a Crick primary supervisor and Imperial College London, King’s College London or UCL secondary supervisor. They will follow the Crick PhD Programme and be based between the Crick and their university research group.

What is the stipend?

Students starting the Crick PhD Programme in September 2017 will be awarded a non-taxable annual living stipend of £22,000. University tuition fees will also be covered.

How long will my studentship be for?

Four years, though in some cases, students finish their PhD in less than four years.

What degree will I receive?

You will be registered at and awarded your PhD degree by Imperial College London, King’s College London or UCL.

Which of the Crick partner universities will I register at for my PhD?

If you are successful in your interview and are offered a position on the Crick PhD Programme, you and your supervisor will decide on the most appropriate partner university for you to register at (Imperial College London, King’s College London or UCL). The decision will be based on ‘scientific fit’ as you and your supervisor will also have to nominate a member of staff from that university to act as a secondary/co-secondary supervisor on your thesis committee.

Students who are awarded a joint Crick/Imperial College London, Crick/King’s College London or Crick/UCL studentship will register at those universities. Once this decision has been made you will then need to apply for admission to that university. The Crick will provide guidance on this.

Are there any English language requirements?

There are English language requirements for students who are not native English-speakers. Information relating to this does not need to be submitted during the application process. If you are offered a position on the Crick PhD Programme we will provide you with information on our English language requirements.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Students accepted onto the Crick PhD Programme will need to meet the academic requirements of our partner universities (Imperial, King’s and UCL). Students should hold or expect to gain a first or upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject from a UK university, or a qualification that our partners consider to be equivalent from an international university. In addition, students should have appropriate research experience as part of, or outside of, a university degree course and/or a Masters degree in a relevant subject.

More information on our partner universities’ academic requirements for international students our can be found via the links below.

Imperial College London: Information on degree requirements for international students. Choose region > then scroll down to ‘Entry requirements for international qualifications’ and click the postgraduate link.

King’s College London: Information on degree requirements for international students. Scroll down > then choose your country.

UCL: Information on degree requirements for international students. Choose your region > Then choose your country.

Should I contact the supervisor to disucss my application?

It is not necessary to contact the supervisor to discuss your application.

When is the deadline for applications?

The deadline for applications for the 2017 PhD Programme is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 26 March 2017.  Please check your application carefully before submission. You will not be able to make any changes to your application once you have submitted it.

Who should I name as referees?

Your referees should be 2-3 scientists/academics who are familiar with your academic work and/or research experience and who can judge your potential as a PhD student.

Please select your referees carefully: one must be your current or most recent employer/supervisor, at least one must be able to comment on your university academic record, and at least one must be able to comment on your previous research experience. They also need to be able to submit a reference by the reference deadline (see below).

What will happen with my references?

We will contact your referees by email as soon as you submit your application, asking them to complete an online reference form. It is therefore important that you enter your referees’ email addresses accurately and that you enter only one email address per referee on the application form.Please also ensure that there are no spaces at the beginning or the end of the email address when you enter it.

When you submit your application please contact your referees to confirm that they have received our reference request email (these emails sometimes get blocked by university security systems or end up in spam folders).

The deadline for reference receipt is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 2 April 2017. Your application may be considered if references are not received by the deadline, however, we will not invite any applicants to interview without 2 references in place.

Please help your referees meet this deadline by informing them of your application, checking that they will be able to submit a reference by the deadline and encouraging them to submit their reference soon after receipt of our email.

You and your referee will receive an acknowledgement email once each reference has been submitted.

NOTE: if you leave your application until the closing date your referees will only have a short time to return your reference.

When will I hear whether I will be invited to interview?

Shortlisted candidates will receive an emailed invitation to interview by Friday 14 April – if you do not hear from us by this date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.

When are the interviews?

The interviews will take place Monday 8 May. For more information, please see below.

If I am invited to interview, will my travel and accommodation expenses be paid by the Crick? 

Yes, we will pay for your accommodation (if needed) and reasonable travel expenses (including for international candidates), if you are invited to interview.

Travel arrangements:

If you will be travelling from within the European Economic Area, please book travel yourself and keep the receipts. If you will be travelling by rail or air, please choose the most economical option and book advance tickets.

If you will be travelling long-haul, from outside the European Economic Area, we will book air travel for you in order to keep your costs down.

Visa:

If you are an international visitor you may need a visa to visit the UK. You can find this information on the UK Visas and Immigration website. If you do need a visa to travel to the UK it is your responsibility to arrange this, but we will arrange for any necessary supporting documentation to be sent to you.

Accommodation:

If you require accommodation, we will arrange and pay for a single room at a hotel in central London. You will be asked about accommodation requirements if you are invited to interview.

What will happen at the interviews?

Briefly, you will be interviewed by a panel of group leaders, and asked to give a short presentation on a research project that you have done or are doing, and to discuss one of our pre-selected research papers. You will also attend interview(s) and lab visit(s) with the Group Leaders that have shortlisted you to discuss the possibility of doing a PhD.   You will be emailed full details of the interview process including the panel interview format if you are invited to interview.

How will you contact me?

Throughout the application and interview process, we will contact you using the email address that you give on your application form; so please check it regularly. We may also use your telephone contacts.

If I am successful, when will I start my PhD?

On 18 September 2017.

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