Join the BIGS Neuroscience community!
More than 40 research groups are seeking excellent PhD candidates

Prospective students need to apply for research positions directly to our principal investigators before they apply to BIGS Neuroscience. 
Find your PhD project in the Neuroscience research field that interests you most!

Who is eligible?
An excellent academic performance and prior research experience is expected. Distinctive proficiency in textbook knowledge of the relevant scientific disciplines is essential. Applicants must hold, or anticipate receiving before taking up PhD thesis work, an undergraduate degree in one of the following disciplines:

• Life sciences
• Natural sciences
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Applied mathematics
• Medicine

In general, a very good Master degree or equivalent is required. Applicants holding an excellent 4-year BSc degree are also welcome to apply, given that independent research and a written thesis is part of the curriculum. Candidates holding a medical degree must have completed their course of study before starting their PhD thesis, including the exam equivalent to the German 2nd State Exam. If there are doubts on whether your degree will allow you to apply, please contact the coordination office or the Faculty offices directly. Find more information and contact details of the Faculties here.

Your background is not in Neurosciences and you are afraid of struggling without knowledge in this field? For students with a non-Neuroscience background we offer additional lectures and seminars through the Master of Neurosciences program.

Language requirements
The language of BIGS Neuroscience is English and very good proficiency in written and spoken English is required. TOEFL or equivalent is not required for participation in BIGS Neuroscience but may be necessary for the registration of your thesis at the three Faculties. Find more information on the regulations and requirements of the Faculties here. German language skills are not required but interested international doctoral students are invited to take German language courses funded by the Bonn Graduate Center program Promotion plusBIGS.

Application requirements
To become a member of BIGS Neuroscience graduate school, you have to be sponsored by one of our research groups and be registered with one of the three affiliated Faculties.  In addition, as the right to confer doctoral degrees remains with the Faculties, you must meet all the admission and degree requirements of the University of Bonn. Information about our faculty members and their research projects are available in the research section. Prospective students need to apply for research positions directly to our faculty members.

Application process
In addition to finding a supervisor and registering with the University of Bonn Faculties, you must apply to BIGS Neuroscience to become a member of our graduate school. Application is possible any time during the year.

Step 1: The online registration form allows you to enter all required information and to upload corresponding documents. Please contact our Coordination Office to gain access to our online application form. We kindly ask you to COMPLETELY fill out this form and upload the required documents. Before you start the application process, please make sure that you have the following information/documents ready. Accepted file format is pdf. We recommend that you scan documents with 300 dpi. If a document consists of more than one page, please combine these pages into a single PDF document.

• CV
• Graduation Certificate (Master, Diploma)
• Transcript of your Master studies
• Faculty’s certificate of admission (Promotionsbestätigung). Ideally you upload the certificate of admission which you receive from the doctoral office (Promotionsbestätigung) combined with the information on your thesis committee, which lists your PI and all further supervisors. If you have not yet registered with the doctoral office, you can use any document from your supervisor (employment contract, personal email or letter) showing that you have been accepted as a student by your PI.

Step 2: Join a BIGS Neuroscience welcome meeting. BIGS Neuroscience office provides general information about the graduate program for interested students at regular welcome meetings. New students need to participate in one of these meetings if they wish to enroll in the graduate school. Please inform the coordination office via email on which date you would like to participate.

• August – no welcome meeting
• September 3rd, 2024
• October 1st, 2024
• November 5th, 2024
• December 3rd, 2024

Location: Online via Zoom

Time: 10:00 – 11:30