Registration

For registration into the PhD program it is necessary to fill in the  registration form, obtain approval from your supervisor (signature) and sent it to the PhD Program Coordination Office via e-mail . Upon successful assessment, we will send you a welcome package with all necessary information, and register you for PSC weekly newsletter where you will get up to date information on courses and other various opportunities the PhD Program in Plant Sciences has to offer.

registration form (PDF, 278 KB)

The PhD Program is open to doctoral students officially enrolled at the University of Zurich (UZH), ETH Zurich (ETHZ) or at the University of Basel (UNIBAS). Thus, To be eligible for our program, prospective students must first secure a position within a research team at one of the three universities. This involves finding a professor who will act as your PhD thesis supervisor. The PhD program itself provides thematic training to supplement your doctoral research,  but does not offer PhD positions. 

Required qualifications

• Applicants must hold a university Master's degree (or equivalent) before starting one of the PSC PhD Programs. Please note that we do not accept degrees from Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen).
• Applicants must have good knowledge of English.

The candidate can be conditionally accepted into the PhD Program after the requirements are fulfilled. However, the final acceptance depends on the formal admission requirements of the host university (UZH, ETHZ or UNIBAS). There are two tracks to become a PhD - Track I and Track II.

Track I refers to the student recruitment via the Life Science Zurich Graduate School (LSZGS). Candidates may submit their applications twice a year: November 1 and May 1 in a form of online application on the LSZGS Website.

Final acceptance for a PhD position depends on:

1. Successfully completing the admission interview.
2. Finding a PhD position in one of the participating research groups.
3. Fulfilling the formal admission requirements of the ETH Zurich, University of Zurich or University of Basel.

The details about the selection and admission procedure can be found in the relevant LSZGS regulations and LSZGS FAQ page. After passing the selection procedure, and in agreement with a research group leader (with the right to supervise and direct the dissertation at the respective university), the candidates from Track I may apply to be admitted to the PhD program.

For registration into the PhD program it is necessary to fill in the registration form (PDF, 278 KB), obtain approval from your supervisor (signature) and sent it to the PhD Program Coordination Office  via e-mail. Upon successful assessment, we will send you a welcome package with all necessary information, and register you for PSC weekly newsletter where you will get up to date information on courses and other various opportunities the PhD Program in Plant Sciences has to offer.  

Track II concerns direct applications to the Principle Investigator (PI). Candidates may apply directly to a research group, have a formal interview with a research group leader at the respective university and in the presence of at least one other group leader or faculty member. The interview protocol (PDF, 64 KB) should be recorded, signed by all interviewers and submitted to the PhD program office along with the registration form (PDF, 278 KB) to the PhD Program Coordination Office via e-mal. Upon successful assessment, we will send you a welcome package with all necessary information, and register you for PSC weekly newsletter where you will get up to date information on courses and other various opportunities the PhD Program in Plant Sciences has to offer.  

Note: University of Basel PhD candidates do not need this interview protocol. Simply submit the PSC registration form to join the PhD program in Plant Sciences.