ISTA Fully Funded PhD Programme 2027

The ISTA PhD Programme invites applications for its 2027 call, which the programme page lists as open now. It is built around a shared graduate school experience: students begin with rotations and cross-disciplinary coursework before settling into a research group for their thesis work.

Who can apply

The page sets out the programme structure and funding but states no nationality restriction, and it describes a PhD for students entering a doctoral programme. Research areas covered by the coursework include biology, chemistry and materials, computer science, data science and scientific computing, mathematics, neuroscience and physics. Check the admissions pages of the programme for the exact academic requirements before you start an application.

What the programme offers

All PhD students are fully funded, at internationally competitive salary levels, and receive full social security coverage. Students are offered five-year employment contracts and stay fully funded until their thesis defence as long as they make reasonable progress. The programme typically lasts between four and a half and six years, depending on whether you start with a bachelor's or a master's degree. In the first phase, students complete three lab rotations of roughly two months each and take interdisciplinary core courses, then pass a qualifying exam before the thesis phase begins.

Deadline

The application deadline is 8 January 2027. Because students join a research group only after their rotations, you can apply with an interest in several areas rather than a single fixed project. Questions about the programme go to the admissions team listed on the programme page.