VIB International PhD Program in Life Sciences
The call for applications 2014 is open.
More Info:
www.vib.be/en/training/international-phd-program/Pages/default.aspx
VIB is offering 8 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 2014.
Admission requirements
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
Candidates should hold a university degree, or satisfy equivalent requirements, which is sufficient to start a doctoral program at a Flemish university. This means that applicants must hold a 5-year University degree, or equivalent, in life sciences (e.g. biology, biochemistry, biotechnology), physics, engineering, chemistry, or related fields. In general, this implies that the applicant has a Masters degree. Applicants, who have not yet received their degree at the time of the application deadline, can also apply, but a final certificate of the degree is needed no later than 2 months after the selection interviews.
Medical students who wish to obtain a Ph.D. degree can also apply after completion of their M.D. exams.
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a plus (and you should definitely indicate on your application whether you took the GRE), but the test is not required for your application. Please note that VIB does not yet have a GRE Institutional code. If you take the GRE-test specifically to enter our Ph.D. Program, please use the GRE codes of either the University of Antwerp, Brussels, Leuven or Ghent. We will not reply to inquiries regarding the GRE.
Age
Applicants are preferentially not older than 28 years at the application deadline.
Language
English is used in all VIB laboratories for scientific communication. Therefore, candidates must have an excellent command of English. A language test for English, such as the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is not necessary for the application, but should you have TOEFL test results, please add these to your application. Please note that VIB does not yet have a TOEFL Institutional code. If you take the TOEFL-test specifically to enter our Ph.D. Program, please use the TOEFL codes of either Ghent University, the K.U.Leuven, the University of Antwerp or the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. We will not reply to inquiries regarding the TOEFL.
Research projects
Below you find the list of PhD research projects that are selected for the VIB International PhD Program 2014. Don't forget to mention the correct project numbers on your application form.
Project 1
Effects of the microenvironment on cancer cell metabolism
Keywords: metabolite profiling, cancer, metabolic flux, cell proliferation, mechanical forces
Supervisors: Sarah-Maria Fendt and Georg Halder
Project 2
Studying the neural circuit mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease in Drosophila
Keywords: Drosophila, brain imaging, optogenectics, quantitative animal behavior, neurological diseases
Supervisors: Emre Yaksi and Patrik Verstreken
Project 3
Phosphorylation-mediated growth and differentiation processes in meristems
Keywords: differentiation, proteomics, Arabidopsis, plasmodesmata, phosphorylation
Supervisors: Ive De Smet and Kris Gevaert
Project 4
A systems biology approach to dissect p53 signaling
Keywords: cancer, p53, proteomics, ChIP-seq/RNA-seq, bioinformatics
Supervisors: Jean-Christophe Marine and Kris Gevaert
Project 5
Deciphering the ubiquitin code by advanced live-cell imaging of protein ubiquitination in human and plant cells
Keywords: ubiquitin branching, linear Met1-ubiquitination, bio-imaging, NF-κB, jasmonate
Supervisors: Rudi Beyaert and Alain Goossens
Project 6
The role of membrane trafficking in plant steroid hormone action
Keywords: membrane trafficking, magnetic nanoparticles, proteome, steroid hormones, Arabidopsis
Supervisors: Jenny Russinova and Wim Annaert
Project 7
Understanding the genetic and neurobiological basis of aggression in Drosophila, a model behavior for psychiatric disorders
Keywords: Drosophila, brain imaging, optogenetics, quantitative animal behavior, psychiatric disorders
Supervisors: Patrick Callaerts and Emre Yaksi
Project 8
The building blocks of memory: interplay between neurons and astrocytes in the brain
Keywords: neuron, astrocyte, learning, memory, behavior
Supervisors: Fabian Kloosterman and Matthew Holt
Project 9
From synapse to behavior – the role of LRRTM proteins in novelty processing in the hippocampus
Keywords: neural circuit, synaptic adhesion, novelty, optogenetics, electrophysiology
Supervisors: Sebastian Haesler and Joris de Wit
Project 10
Understanding Alzheimer disease from the interactions of the amyloid peptide
Keywords: beta-amyloid, abeta peptide, Alzheimer Disease, neurodegeration
Supervisors: Frederic Rousseau and Bart De Strooper
Project 11
Inactivation of protein function by targeted protein aggregation in plants
Keywords: protein aggregation, knock out, Arabidopsis
Supervisors: Jenny Russinova and Joost Schymkowitz
Project 12
Thiol-based redox switches in plant signalling
Keywords: biochemistry, kinetics, structural biology, glutathione, thiol-disulfide exchange
Supervisors: Joris Messens and Frank Van Breusegem
Project 13
Podoplanin, the missing link between macrophages and lymphatic metastasisin breast cancer?
Keywords: breast cancer, podoplanin, macrophages, lymphangiogenesis, metastasis
Supervisors: Massimiliano Mazzone and Jo Van Ginderachter
Project 14
Role of tumor-associated tissue eosinophil (TATE) populations in breast cancer
Keywords: breast cancer, tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated tissue eosinophils (TATE), tumor stroma, eosinophil functions
Supervisors: Jo Van Ginderachter and Massimiliano Mazzone
Project 15
The blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer’s disease
Keywords: Alzheimer disease, blood-brain barrier, choroid plexus, drug delivery
Supervisors: Claude Libert and Bart De Strooper
Project 16
Development and use of FRET-based trehalose-6-phosphate biosensors for functional analysis of the trehalose-6 phosphate phosphatase gene family in Physcomitrella patens
Keywords: Confocal fluorescence microscopy, Threhalose signaling, Physcomitrella genetics, Biosensor development, stress sensing
Supervisors: Patrick Van Dijck and Daniël Van Damme
Project 17
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 18
The oxidative stress response in plants
Keywords: oxidative stress, signal transduction, genomics, structural biology
Supervisors: Frank Van Breusegem and Joris Messens
Project 19
Search for biomarkers and therapeutic targets within the biomolecular composition of plasma membranes of reprogramming melanoma cells
Keywords: melanoma, plasma membrane profiling, superparamagnetic nanoparticles, bioinformatics, integrated proteomics/lipidomics
Supervisors: Wim Annaert and Lennart Martens
Project 20
Structure-function correlations in HINT1-associated peripheral neuropathies
Keywords: neurodegeneration; structural biology; HINT1
Supervisors: Albena Jordanova and Peter Tompa
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