Short-term studentships
Who can apply?
Anyone registered for a PhD in experimental or theoretical particle physics whose current research would benefit from a short period of integration into the MCnet Marie Curie Research Training Network.
Applicants should fulfill the requirements to be a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher: the precise definition can be found here but, in brief: applicants must not hold a PhD and must be less than four years after receiving the degree that entitled them to start a PhD (usually a Diplom or Masters). They are open to all nationalities, subject to the Marie Curie rules on mobility: again the precise rules are here but, in brief: applicants must not be nationals of the country of the receiving institution and must not have spent more than 12 of the last 36 months resident in the country of the receiving institution – for these purposes CERN is considered to be a country of its own and is therefore open to Swiss and French nationals. Applications are particularly encouraged from women and residents of Less Favoured Regions, New Member States and Associated Candidate Countries of the EU.
What are they for?
To enhance your current programme of research on a Monte Carlo-related topic by performing it in collaboration with the academics, postdocs and fellow students of the MCnet network, in the environment of one of the research teams of the network.
The research proposal in the application should clearly address the question of how the applicant's existing research and training programme will be enhanced by the short-term studentship, as well as the timeliness of the project and relevance to the aims of MCnet.
Where can they be held?
In any of the teams of MCnet: CERN, Durham, Cambridge (a sub-node of the Durham team), Karlsruhe, Lund and University College London.
Applicants should indicate their preferred team on the application form, and make a case for the fit to this team in their research proposal. The network may in some cases offer a studentship in another team, if it is deemed more appropriate.
When are they for?
Studentships in the the next round are for tenure from the spring of 2010 for a period of between three and six months.
Applicants should indicate their preferred start date and duration on the application form. Given the importance of timeliness of the project, applications for the first half of the year will be given priority. Four months is considered to be the standard duration – applications for shorter or longer periods should be justified in the research proposal. There will be further rounds of applications four times per year.
What is offered?
The studentships are paid at the standard rate for a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher in the relevant country and include a Mobility Allowance that depends on your family circumstances and return travel from your current institution. Students will benefit from a generous Training Allowance to cover training, participation in research activities and travel to other network nodes, etc.
The precise details and rates of remuneration vary from team to team and can be obtained from the Team Leader of the relevant node, if necessary. Travel and collaboration within the network during the period of the studentship is particularly encouraged – specific plans could be detailed in the research proposal.
How to apply?
Fill out the online form here and attach your c.v. and a research proposal (one or two pages would usually be sufficient).
In order that your eligibility for Marie Curie mobility actions can be assessed, ensure that you include all information on your nationality (including dual nationalities if any), your countries of residence over the last three years (including stays at CERN if any) and your educational qualifications including the date on which they were awarded.
What happens next?
We will contact your PhD supervisor for their letter of support. Applications close on the last day of each month.