As a PhD candidate in the Evolve Doctoral Programme you are given the opportunity to work on your interdisciplinary research project with several supervisors from the participating research institutes of your own choice.
Together with the 16 other PhD candidates, you will follow a joint research and training programme, consisting of scientific lectures, academic and professional skills training, and career guidance.
In the Netherlands, teaching and supervising students is an integral part of a researcher’s position. Therefore, you will be expected to assist with lectures and practicals in your field(s) of expertise, and to supervise undergraduate research projects.
Also, you are offered the opportunity to go on secondments with our leading industrial, academic or non-profit partner organizations.
Qualifications
- You qualify as a PhD candidate in the Netherlands, meaning that you are in the possession of, or about to obtain, an internationally recognized Master’s degree in the relevant field (equivalent to a Dutch Master’s degree). All European MSc degrees are accepted.
- You have an educational background in one or multiple fields relevant to the Evolve Doctoral Programme, such as (bio)chemistry, (bio)physics, molecular biology, computational science, systems biology, evolutionary biology, ecology, astrophysics, geoscience or a related field.
- To fulfil the eligibility requirements, you must not already be in possession of a doctoral degree.
- To comply with EU funding rules, you will not have resided in the Netherlands for more than 12 months during the 3 years prior to 20 October 2024.
- You are proficient in the English language at an academic level.
Note: You do not need to come from an EU member state. Candidates from all over the world can apply.
How to apply
To apply, you complete the online application form and submit one PDF file, containing (in the following order):
- A motivation letter
- An academic Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages A4)
- Copy of MSc certificate (or letter by current supervisor stating expected MSc degree date)
- Proof of sufficient proficiency in the English language
- A motivation for the selected research project from the list of 20 predefined project proposals advertised in the call (max. 1 page A4) or description of a self-proposed research project (1 page A4)
- Abstract of MSc thesis
- Two reference letters (dated and signed) by academic referees, preferably experts in the chosen Evolve scientific areas. One of these should be the MSc research project supervisor of the candidate
Instead of choosing from the list of predefined projects you may also freely select your own main supervisor and co-supervisor (via the online application form) and freely propose your research topic. Your research topic must fit within the Evolve Doctoral Programme and must address at least two of the four scientific areas, which are described on our website. Only applications that are complete and submitted before the application deadline via the e-application tool will be considered.
Evaluation, Selection Procedure and Timeline
| Publication of the vacancies | 20 September 2024 |
| Deadline for application | 20 October 2024, 23:59 (CEST) |
| Evaluation and decision on eligibility (per e-mail) | October 2024 |
| Invitation to Web-based interview, or rejection (per e-mail) | October/November 2024 |
| Online interviews | November 2024 |
| Notification on evaluation result | November 2024 |
| Onsite selection days | January 2025 |
Start and duration of your position
The preferred starting date is March/April 2025, however in case you will only receive your MSc diploma by Summer 2025, you can also start in July, August or September 2025.
You will have an initial appointment of 12 months that will be extended by 36 months if you perform satisfactorily. The total duration is 48 months period.
Conditions of employment
You will be offered below salary for your years of PhD research according to the Collective Employment Agreement (CAO-UNL) of the Dutch universities, the UFO-profile PhD candidates applies. In addition to the primary salary the University offers 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%:
- year 1: € 2,872 gross per month for a full-time position
- year 2: € 3,345 gross per month for a full-time position
- year 3: € 3,502 gross per month for a full-time position
- year 4: € 3,670 gross per month for a full-time position.
You will have an initial appointment of 12 months that will be extended by 36 months if you perform satisfactorily. The total duration is 48 months period.
The Evolve Doctoral Programme has an inclusive policy. Therefore, candidates who have had career breaks or a diversified career path are especially encouraged to apply.
The Evolve application, evaluation and selection procedure commits to the principles of the European Charter and Code for Researchers, and specifically the Code of Conduct for Recruitment.
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed against major criteria addressing the scientific quality of the submitted research proposal/motivation for selected proposal and its integration level within Evolve; the relevance of the candidate’s educational background for Evolve their motivation and achieved results. Other criteria, such as impact on the candidate’s career advancement, complementary skills, previous mobility, teaching and/or non-academic experience as well as reference letters will also be taken into consideration. Each candidate’s merits will be judged quantitatively as well as qualitatively. The qualifications needed for enrolling in Evolve are high, since the programme aims to only select excellent, highly talented students. The evaluation criteria, thresholds and weighting are listed in Table 1; the scale interpretation of marks is listed in Table 2. These evaluation criteria, thresholds and weighting will be applied during all evaluation and selection stages (written application, online interview, selection days).
Table 1 – Evaluation criteria, thresholds and weighting
| WEIGHTING | |||
| Scientific & Technological Quality (30%) | Candidate Curriculum (70%) | ||
| Overall threshold is 3.5 | |||
| Scientific & Technological Quality | Threshold | Weight | |
| Quality and originality of proposed project or of the motivation for selected project | 3.5 | 65 | |
| Integration level within EVOLVE and the main activities of prospective host institute(s) | 3.5 | 20 | |
| Timeliness and relevance of the project | 3.5 | 15 | |
| Candidate Curriculum | Threshold | Weight | |
| Educational background: MSc curriculum fit with the chosen host institute(s) | 3.5 | 30 | |
| Motivation, eagerness and career ambitions | 3.5 | 20 | |
| Achieved results, incl. academic record, awards, grants and prizes | 3.5 | 20 | |
| Complementary skills: creativity, independence, leadership, communication, English proficiency | 3.5 | 10 | |
| Reference letters | N/A | 10 | |
| Extra: previous mobility, teaching or non-academic experience | N/A | 10 | |
Table 2 – Scale interpretation of marks
| # | Value | Description |
| 5 | Outstanding | All relevant aspects of the criterion are successfully addressed. |
| 4 | Excellent | All relevant aspects of the criterion are successfully addressed, with minor shortcomings. |
| 3 | Very good | The criterion is very well addressed, although some improvements are possible. |
| 2 | Good | The criterion is well addressed; however, some improvements are necessary. |
| 1 | Fair | The criterion is broadly addressed, significant weaknesses are detected. |
| 0 | Insufficient | The criterion is not sufficiently addressed. |
Redress Procedure
1. (Non-)Eligibility notification and redress procedure
- You will receive a (non-)eligibility notification by e-mail within 14 days after the application deadline, with information on the possibility for redress.
- You may submit a redress after notification on your (non-)eligibility. You can submit a redress within 14 days of receipt of the formal notification.
- A redress regarding non-eligibility will be reviewed by a panel consisting of three impartial staff members (European Project Managers, Funding Officers or Scientific Coordinators). You will receive a reply no later than one month after the deadline for redress request.
2. Evaluation notification and redress procedure
- Rejected applicants will receive a notification by e-mail containing their scores and information on the possibility for redress.
- Applicants can submit a redress within 14 days of receipt of the formal notification.
- A redress regarding the evaluation results will be reviewed by the Steering Committee.
- The redress procedure is not meant to call into question the scientific judgment made by the Evaluation and Selection Panel (ESP); it will solely look into procedural shortcomings and/or factual errors. The Steering Committee may, however, recommend the re-evaluation of the proposal.
- A reply will be sent to the complainants no later than one month after the deadline for redress request.
- Finally, applicants may send a written complaint to the Board of the respective University, if the applicant has clear evidence to support shortcomings in the evaluation process that may have affected the final decision. This procedure will review how the application has been handled during the entire evaluation process. Also, this will not be an automatic re-evaluation and the judgement of appropriately qualified experts will not be called into question.
Working at a Dutch University and living in the Netherlands
General information about life at a Dutch University can be found in the Beginner’s Guide to Dutch Academia.