Join Us at BIGS Neuroscience!
(c) BIGS Neuroscience
Become part of our Bonn Neuroscience Community
(c) BIGS Neuroscience
Application

The BIGS Neuroscience Graduate Programme offers a wide-ranging and international research environment characterized by excellence in neuroscience research, outstanding mentoring, early independence in research, and state-of-the-art facilities. Our goal is to provide young scientists with first-class conditions in an innovative and inspiring environment, paving the way for a successful career in science through our competitive PhD programme, which focuses on advanced training and research in emerging interdisciplinary fields.

Prospective students are required to apply for research positions directly with one of our principal investigators before submitting their application to BIGS Neuroscience. Please familiarise yourself with the information relating to the required qualifications and the application process.

The right to confer degrees remains with the University of Bonn, and you must meet all the admission and degree requirements of the faculty in which you intend to complete your doctoral studies.

Prospective students are required to apply for research positions directly with our principal investigators before submitting their application to BIGS Neuroscience. Discover your Neuroscience research field of interest!

To be considered for admission to this PhD programme, applicants are required to hold, or be close to obtaining, an undergraduate qualification (M.Sc. or equivalent) in one of the following disciplines:
• Life sciences
• Natural sciences
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Applied mathematics
• Medicine

To become a member of the BIGS Neuroscience graduate school, you must be sponsored by one of our research groups and registered with an affiliated Faculty of the University of Bonn. You must also meet all the university’s admission and degree requirements. If you are unsure whether your degree qualifies you to apply, please contact the Faculty offices directly. Please find more information and contact details under the tab „Registration of the doctorate at the University of Bonn“

After completing your registration at the University of Bonn, you can apply to BIGS Neuroscience. Applications are accepted year-round and may be submitted concurrently with your university registration. Please note that securing a PhD position in one of the BIGS Neuroscience affiliated research groups is a mandatory requirement for your application to be considered.

Language Requirements:
The language of instruction at BIGS Neuroscience is English, and very good proficiency in both written and spoken English is required. While a TOEFL or equivalent test is not required for participation in BIGS Neuroscience, it may be necessary for the registration of your thesis at one of the Faculties. You can find more information on the regulations and requirements of the Faculties under the tab „Registration of the doctorate at the University of Bonn“ and on the faculties´ websites. German language skills are not required; however, international doctoral students interested in learning German are invited to take German language courses funded by the Bonn Graduate Center programme Doctorate plusBIGS or NeurotechEU.

Membership of BIGS Neuroscience is compatible with pursuing a doctorate within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat. degree), Faculty of Medicine (PhD degree), or Faculty of Arts (Dr. phil. degree). These faculties award degrees according to their respective regulations. Membership in BIGS Neuroscience requires registration with one of these faculties to obtain a doctoral degree. BIGS Neuroscience itself does not have the authority to confer doctoral degrees independently.

For specific inquiries regarding admission requirements, necessary documents, rules and regulations, or the suitability of current degrees for a doctorate in Bonn, please contact the doctoral offices directly.

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Philosophy

To begin the application process, you can use the following contact form to request access to the online registration link. Alternatively, you can contact the BIGS Neuroscience coordination office via e-mail. For the registration you will need to provide the following information and documents.
• CV
• Graduation Certificate (e.g. Master, Diploma)
• Transcript of your degree
• Faculty’s certificate of admission (Promotionsbestätigung) combined with the list of your thesis committee members

Please note: The accepted file format is PDF. We recommend scanning documents at 300 dpi. If a document consists of several pages, please combine them into a single PDF file.

Contact form for requesting BIGS Neuroscience membership:

First Name *
Last Name *
Email Address *
Are you already registered with a Faculty? *
Do you already have an employment contract? *
Please enter your expected contract start date:
Is your thesis supervisor a member of BIGS Neuroscience? *
If not, we would like to contact your supervisor about a BIGS Neuroscience membership. Could you please provide your supervisor´s contact details.
Your supervisor´s name
Your supervisor´s affiliation
Name of your supervisor
What is your research area? *
Please indicate your research area

Welcome Meeting
We will grant you access to our administrative system after you have attended a BIGS Neuroscience Welcome Meeting. The Welcome Meeting provides you with an overview of the graduate programme. New students must participate in one of these meetings to complete their enrolment in BIGS Neuroscience.

The meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month from 10:00-11:30 AM via Zoom :
• April 1st, 2025
• May 6th, 2025
• June 3rd, 2025
• July 8th, 2025
• August - no meeting
• September 2nd, 2025
• October 7th, 2025
• November 4th, 2025
• December 2nd, 2025