PhD theses

Graduate students in biology, bio-ingeneering, chemistry, pharmacy, medical and biomedical sciences, can join a laboratory of the de Duve Institute to perform the experimental work of their PhD thesis.

PhD programs are run in the framework of the Medical sector (Bio-Medical sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry) of the UCLouvain. Doctoral formation can be acquired through interuniversity graduate schools connected with the belgian FNRS.
On average the de Duve Institute hosts some 70 graduate students at one time.

Students willing to perform a PhD thesis in the Institute are encouraged to browse the RESEARCH pages of this web site to discover the research topics of the various laboratories of the Institute.
Contact should then be taken with the group leaders of the selected laboratories.

Administrative information about PhD thesis admission and rules can be found on the "research" section of web site of the Faculty of Medicine of the UCLouvain.

PhD fellowships

Several funding sources exist, that support PhD theses, depending on the research topic and on the host laboratory. Contact should be taken first with the group leader of the selected laboratory to assess work and funding opportunities.

FNRS fellowships (deadline: early January)

Highly competitive fellowships. Applications by graduate students should be introduced each year in January. Some very well-ranked candidates that did not obtain the fellowship may be given a FSR fellowship from the UCLouvain.

FRIA fellowships (deadline: early September)

Four-years fellowships (two years, renewable once). Both Belgians and foreigners may apply (equivalence from the Communauté française de Belgique is required for those who obtained a foreign diploma). Practical work may start from October 1st, although funding decision is only available in December.

Marie Curie fellowships

The Marie Curie programme of the commission of the EU provides fellowships for graduate students. Applications can be introduced several times per year. For more information, please consult CORDIS website.

FSR fellowships

These fellowships are available from the University of Louvain and are valid for one or two years maximum. Applications should be introduced every year by the thesis supervisor.

Health Sciences Sector (deadline: May)

"Bourses du Patrimoine" and other fundings. These fellowships are given by the Health Sciences Sector to students, often in order to finish their thesis work.

Other funding sources exist, that support PhD theses, depending on the research topic and on the host laboratory. Some de Duve Institute laboratories may award the student the equivalent of a fellowship from their own financial sources which is then paid via the university.