Once you have registered on the Application portal, you will receive an e-mail with your personal login information. If this e-mail has not arrived, please check your spam folder. If the problem persists, contact us at heibrids@mdc-berlin.de. Please note that for the central recruitment we do not accept applications other than those submitted through our Application portal (e.g. CVs sent directly via e-mail or through other job application portals).
After registration, you may start working on your application, editing and saving the information in each section until you submit. The application should be completed in English. All mandatory fields are marked with *. Once you have submitted the form, you will no longer be able to edit the information, however, you can check the status of your recommendation letters. Please note that you will receive a confirmation email upon submission.
Available projects
After registration, the group leaders participating in this call and detailed description of their respective research projects can be found under the "Projects" tab. For more information on the participating project leaders please visit the profile pages of our research labs. Carefully look into the research information and find projects that best fit your interests. Make sure to include all the labs and projects of your interest in the text of your application (see below, “Research & Motivation” section), with detailed statement of interest for each research lab.
Before starting the application process, please make sure that you are eligible to apply for our program.
Below, you will find a detailed manual to help you fill in your application. Please read it carefully, since incomplete and/or incorrectly filled applications will not be taken into further consideration. Please make sure to include all relevant information in the application form. Information only included in additional documents (e.g. CV or certificates) might not be considered.
Please note: it's applicant's responsibility to make sure the application, as well as the reference letters, are submitted before the deadline. Late submissions, incorrectly filled applications, and applications without references will not be taken into consideration.
Personal Details
Personal Data: If you have multiple names, please enter the name from your passport. If applicable, please use hyphens. Please enter the address that is available to and used by courier delivery services. Furthermore, make sure to provide at least one telephone number.
Additional Information: Please tell us where you have first heard about the HEIBRiDS PhD program.
Academic Details
For detailed information on degree requirements, please check the Eligibility section.
To be eligible, you need to have some research experience (bachelor and/or master research projects). Also, a research master thesis should have been required for obtaining your degree. If your study programs were structured in this way, you are eligible to apply.
Enter information about your university (both BSc and MSc). Please note that information on both BSc and MSc (or integrated program) need to be given, or you won’t be able to submit the application form.
Date of graduation: If you have not graduated yet, put an approximate date of graduation.
Final score: To transform your grade into the German grading system, a detailed description of your university’s grading system is needed. Therefore, please provide information on i) highest possible grade in your grading system; ii) lowest passing grade in your system (please note: not possible, but passing) and iii) your achieved final grade. These will be used to translate your final grade into the German grading system, using the Modified Bavarian Formula Calculator.
Scholarships and/or Awards: Please clearly state the type of scholarships/awards you have received, the funding body, and the duration of the support.
Study abroad: Please state all long term (e.g. master program or a semester abroad), as well as short term (e.g. summer school, workshop or a course) visits. Please clearly state type of the program / event, host institution and duration of the study stay.
Research & Motivation
Research Interest: Please select the research area you are most interested in from the drop-down menu. In addition, you may also select drop-down research key words that particularly match your interests. At this stage, this only indicates your interest, and it is not considered an application for the specific exchange program.
Research Experience: Please provide information on your relevant theoretical or experimental research experience, and list any supervised research projects with a duration of at least several weeks (BSc, MSc, internships, study visits or other). Please indicate whether your contribution to the project work was of a theoretical or experimental nature. Describe your role in the project, as well as contributions and results obtained from your work. Describe your accomplishments, with emphasis on the techniques you used and skills you obtained.
Publications & Conference contributions: Please give a list of your publications (only those published in international journals) and conference contributions (poster presentation and/or talk). Please give full citations of all publications / conference contributions. Publications in preparation or under review should not be given.
Research Statement - Motivation letter: Use the research interest statement (Motivation letter) to express which research field you want to pursue during your PhD and why, as well as specify your preferences for particular research labs and projects. Make sure to include all labs and projects of your interest, with detailed statement of interest for each project. This might include, for example, the background of your interest (such as previous experience or personal motivation), details on scientific questions, concepts and/or techniques of interest, as well as your goals and vision of your scientific career development, etc. Here, you should also express and elaborate on any interest in an exchange program.
Research Statement - Why did you select HEIBRiDS for your application? max. 2000 characters including spaces.
Research Statement - Scientific discovery that has impressed you the most (max. 2000 characters including spaces): Here, you should describe a scientific discovery that fascinates you, avoiding historical and technical overviews, but elaborating why you think this research matters. Did it disprove an existing paradigm, how did it affect everyday lives, or benefit the progress of society and science in general?
Research Statement - Undergraduate courses you found the most inspiring: max. 2500 characters including spaces.
References
Please enter complete contacts for two referees. We recommend choosing referees that know you personally and are willing and able to write a description of your academic performance. After you fill in the contact details of your referees, an automated e-mail with a request for writing the recommendation letter will be sent to them. Please fill in all required fields - only after all fields are filled, the automated request will be sent. Please let your referees know in advance that they will receive an invitation e-mail from HEIBRiDS! You cannot change your referee yourself once you have saved the contact. If you wish to change a referee, contact us in time to reset the information. Following the invitation, referees should submit their letters directly to the MDC PhD application system, using a link they received in the e-mail. Please make sure your referees have received an invitation email. If they do not receive an e-mail within 24 hours after the automated request is sent, notify us at heibrids@mdc-berlin.de immediately.
Also, make sure that your referees have submitted their reference letters in time. After submission, the status of your references will be indicated by the symbols on the left. The symbol will change from orange envelope to green "check mark" after your referees have submitted their letters. Please note: References arriving after the reference deadline will not be processed and applications will be considered incomplete.
Video Upload
In this section you may upload a video where you address the following question in ca 2 minutes (min 1 minute): "Which of the Nobel prize awards in the field of Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry or Physics did you find the most inspiring and why?". You may elaborate on any award of the above categories, either recent or older.
Documents
All documents must be uploaded as pdf files (max of 3MB).
A scanned version of the following documents is mandatory:
- Short CV of max. 2 pages (In the CV, please provide only biographical data and professional development timeline. All relevant education, research experience, motivation, workshops, conferences and publications information should be given in the application form.)
- Transcript (record of study, including courses list and scores) of your highest degree awarded
- Certificate of your highest degree awarded
If you have not completed your Master's program yet, provide temporary transcripts, including scores. All documents should be available in German or English. If you do not have an English version issued by your university, a translation certified by a public notary or other official will be sufficient. If your university does not provide transcripts, a marksheet should be provided instead. Applications without scored transcripts cannot be further processed.
A scanned version of the following documents is recommended (but not obligatory!):
- GRE score
- English proficiency test
Please note: Applicants need to have a good command of written and spoken English, since the program language is English. Language proficiency tests for non-native speakers are recommended, however, the proficiency certificates are not a requirement for the application!
Submission
Don’t forget to submit your application once you have completed all sections. After submission you cannot change or add information, but you can check the status of your references. The completed application must be submitted by the application deadline.
Please note that upon submission you will receive a confirmation e-mail.
