My PhD at the Institut Pasteur

The Institut Pasteur welcomes PhD students in close partnership with Masters’ programs and Doctoral schools from the Grand Métropole Paris area (Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres) and renowned international universities. The Institut Pasteur is committed to high standards of academic, scientific and innovation training, as well as social and ethical aspects.

The Institut Pasteur is a transdisciplinary and international organization in the heart of Paris

350 PhD students welcomed throughout the year
100 new PhDs per year
146 hosting research units
10 Nobel prizes

The Institut Pasteur is a major international player in higher Education in the Biological and Health Sciences. Join our community of PhD students and benefit from:

Training through research in an outstanding research environment (https://research.pasteur.fr/en/)
Practical training on high-tech platforms (microscopy, flow cytometry, imaging, microfluidics, etc.)
Specialized in-house theory courses (bioinformatics, ethics, etc... )
Participation in numerous scientific seminars, symposia and international conferences
Support for networking, entrepreneurship and postdoctoral careers
Free access to Pasteur MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and the MOOC diploma
Personalized scientific guidance and mentoring by the Tutorate team
Joining a research community of 32 Institutes worldwide (Pasteur Network)

…. and, you will profit from:

Full reimbursement of tuition fees
Support for administrative procedures
Participation in the doctoral and post-doctoral students’Association (StaPa)
Access to sport (ASIP) and cultural (La Pasteurale) associations
Access to the many services offered by the “Comité Social et Économique”
Free French lessons
PhD Welcome Day

My PhD at the Institut Pasteur

There are several ways to start a PhD at the Institut Pasteur.

The Doctoral school competition. The main entry is via the doctoral school of a partner university (UPCité, Sorbone University and Paris-Saclay University). All incoming PhD students must hold a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Science (B.Sc.) with at least one publication and significant laboratory work (6 months)– The final admission decision is taken by the University Doctoral School of the university with which the host laboratory is affiliated. Please consult the partner Universities’ web pages to take part in their Doctoral School’s annual selection competition, guided by your future host laboratory (https://research.pasteur.fr/en/).

Thesis project funded or sponsored by a laboratory. Institut Pasteur researchers receiving funding from the EU, the National Research Agency, Industry or other funds may sponsor PhD students for their thesis research. Contact your future host laboratory to find out whether it has this type of funding.

The Pasteur Paris University International Doctoral Program (PPU). Successful completion of the annual PPU competition provides three years’ funding from the Institut Pasteur or a partner/sponsor institution for doctoral projects at the Institut Pasteur with a specific training program (https://www.pasteur.fr/en/education/ppu).

Doctoral theses sponsored by industry (CIFRE). Innovation projects that include a research component as part of a doctoral thesis may also give rise to funding with an industrial partner. Your future host laboratory must have an industrial partner in order to set up a CIFRE thesis project, which will take place in both establishments and be funded by the French ANRTscheme. (https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/les-cifre-46510). For more information, see below.

Partnership between the Graduate School and the University. Active programs with partner universities can also be a source of funding for PhD theses. For example, the One-Health-Emerging Infectious diseases Graduate School (https://www.pasteur.fr/en/EUR-1H-EID) and the Antimicrobial Resistance Graduate School from UPCité partner University.

Continuing educational training to obtain a Doctorate. Professionals who have already started a career can also apply for a doctorate. Specific information, the submission of a request for diploma equivalence or the integration of a self-salaried laboratory can be arranged. Please contact the Doctoral Student Office for more information.

The Institut Pasteur is strongly committed to PhD students

Doctoral Student Office flyer

Find out all you need to know about Institute Pasteur’s academic and social commitment to PhD students.

Download the flyer

Welcome Day

Welcome Day – PhD Students

This is a great opportunity to meet the staff the Doctoral Student Office and all the people in charge of the support programs (PhD Academic Support Office, PhD International Programs Office, PhD training Office, PhD Tutoring Office).

The Welcome Day is an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the academic support infrastructure and the history and operation of the campus. It is also a great chance to meet other PhD students and build the first links in your network on the Institut Pasteur campus.

Academic level:

Personal training by the research team of the host laboratory
Individual monitoring by the "Tutor" assigned by the Tutoring Team
Support to attend courses, MOOCs, Workshops and Modules of the Doctoral school
Common core training for methods, and à la carte, for Statistics, Bioinformatics and Genome Analysis
Access to Institut Pasteur webconferences
Courses in Scientific writing, Grants/Fellowship application and reviewing journal articles
Participation in seminars and congresses organized on campus at National or International level, throughout the year
Personal career advice and monitoring– interviews and assessment meetings, participation in seminars on alternative careers and meetings with alumni or off-the-beaten-track entrepreneurs
Training in StartUp awareness and innovation

Social and personal support

Doctoral Student Office - On campus and very close to research laboratories
Welcome Day to celebrate new incoming PhD students and wish all the best to those who are living
Reimbursement of University fees by Institut Pasteur, under conditions of Tutoring mandatory reporting and administrative requirements
Access to benefits offered by the Comité Social et Economique (CSE), the Institut Pasteur's employee representative committee –Tickets for Art or Music concerts, travel discounts, Travelers’ cheques
Students association memberships (STAPA)
Sports, dance, performance or personal improvement and competition (ASIP)
Student contests
Twinning with international universities and the worldwide Network of Institut Pasteur sites
Publication of a student newspaper

Affiliation to Doctoral Schools

Go to this page

Funding

CIFRE

Industrial Research Training Agreements (CIFRE)

Set up in 1981 by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education, the CIFRE system has two objectives:

To Develop partnerships between public research laboratories and companies;
To Provide PhD students with professional research experience and encourage companies to recruit them.

The purpose of the Industrial Research Training Agreements (CIFRE) is to co-finance the training of a doctoral student recruited by a company to carry out a research project as part of its R&D strategy, and to support the student in preparing his PhD.

The research mission entrusted to the PhD student is part of a collaboration with an Institut Pasteur research laboratory, which is responsible for the scientific supervision of the PhD student.

Each CIFRE is concluded between the Association Nationale pour la Recherche et la Technologie (ANRT) and Institut Pasteur for a maximum period of 36 months. In particular, the CIFRE specifies how the funding is to be allocated and how the PhD student’s time is to be divided between the company and the research laboratory.

PhD students benefiting from a CIFRE are welcomed at the Institut Pasteur as OREX employees.

The follow-up steps and the role of each entity at the Institut Pasteur: