LabEx ParaFra Doctoral Scholarships to Study in France
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The international doctoral program of the French national research project ‘ParaFrap’ is currently open for applications for 17 doctoral positions to be started in October 2021. The program is funded by the Ministry of Research.
The ParaFrap LabEx (Laboratory of Excellence) is a collaborative research program in health sciences focused on molecular and cellular parasitology in the broad sense.
The network brings together 26 leading French groups in the field and is funded by the Excellence Initiative of the Ministry of Research.
Successful candidates will be enrolled in one of the 17 research groups (listed below), distributed among various French universities such as :
- National Center for Scientific Research of Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille and Grenoble,
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research Paris, Montpellier and Toulouse,
- University of Montpellier,
- Institute Pasteur Paris,
- and many more..
Each candidate must indicate 4 projects of interest. If selected, he must be registered for one of the four projects indicated, unless the selection committee sees a particular interest in modifying one of his options.
Applications are open to non-French students.
Program details
DEADLINE: April 10, 2021
LEVEL : Ph.D.
FINANCING: € 2,500 monthly + other advantages.
OPEN: All nationalities except French.
COUNTRY: France.
UNIVERSITY: Several.
Benefits of ParaFrap PhD scholarships
The selected doctoral students will be recruited on a fixed-term contract of 36 months. The maximum gross monthly salary will be € 2,500, according to the research institutes. Doctoral students will benefit from private health insurance and social security rights.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must:
- Have achieved academic excellence,
- be highly motivated to pursue a doctoral project in parasitology,
- Have obtained a “Master 2” diploma or an equivalent (5 years after high school / secondary) in science by July 2021; outside this format, only exceptional applications (with justification) will be taken into account by the program director.
- English language skills are compulsory.
- If you are doctoral students, and you were accepted, you must initiate a procedure to change your current research director and institute to one of ours. If this procedure is not taken into account by your current institute, please abstain.
The doctoral program has no age limit, but most of the applicants who have been accepted before are between 24 and 26 years old.
List of available projects
Project title | Contact |
How does T. gondii modulate neuronal responses and antigen presentation to evade immune recognition throughout chronic infection? | |
Characterization of a central transcriptional regulator for the metabolic adaptation of Toxoplasma towards its host | |
Role(s) of glycerol metabolism in the biology of African trypanosomes | |
Role of a host peroxiredoxin in blood stage growth of malaria parasites | |
How do parasites manipulate the behaviour of their vectors? A comparative spatial transcriptomic study in Anopheles and Glossina sensory organs. | |
Optimisation of antiparasitic redox-active 3-benzylmenadiones and of drug partners for effective drug combination by oral administration | |
Study of in vivo P. vivax and falciparum – host bone marrow interactions | |
The molecular drivers of antigenic variation in African Trypanosomes | |
The Epigenetic Role(s) of MORC-containing Complexes Operating in the Hidden Face of the T. gondii Life Cycle or Regulating Virulence Genes in the Human Malaria Parasite | |
PfPP1 contribution to egress in asexual and sexual stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum | |
Identification of curative treatments to control cryptosporidiosis and the associated molecular mechanism | |
Deciphering how erythroblast infection by Plasmodium falciparum induces a delay in erythropoiesis | |
Studying two complementary infection models to identify common mechanisms of intracellular parasite survival: The roles of Leishmania and Eimeria exo-kinases in subversion of host cell signalling. | |
DevDermTryp – Development of dermal trypanosomes | |
Targeting a Plasmodium propeller domain protein to prevent malaria liver stage infection | |
Unravelling the role of epigenetic factors which control the DNA replication in Leishmania | |
How does a Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite cope with the small intestine surface biochemical, topographical and rheological properties to colonize the enterocytes |
Application and Selection Procedure
All applications MUST be made online on the website (“APPLY” button below).
Preselection: candidates will be selected, on the basis of their academic achievements, previous research experience and letters of recommendation (blind), by a committee formed by the group leaders of each of the participating laboratories. Each principal investigator will rank five candidates.
Interviews: The selection committee will then invite a shortlist of 35 to 40 candidates for interviews in front of the entire panel of principal investigators of the program.
These interviews will take place from June 15 to 23, 2021 at the Institut Pasteur in Paris or remotely by video, depending on the pandemic situation.
If on site, travel and accommodation costs will be covered by ParaFrap.
Final selection: After ranking, acceptance letters will be sent immediately to the top 17 applicants, who will be invited to give their approval the following week. The remaining candidates will be informed of their ranking.
If a candidate declines the offer, the first candidate on the waiting list will receive a letter of acceptance.
The ParaFrap program is committed to providing its students with the best starting platform for a successful career in science.
The deadline for submitting an application is April 10, 2021.
Information on doctoral research projects, the selection process and the application procedure are available on the official website.