Becoming a PhD candidate
You have several options for pursuing a PhD at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Namely, you can become a PhD candidate with or without employment. Most PhD candidates are employed by TU/e. However, you can also become a PhD candidate by seeking funding yourself. Some PhD candidates work part-time on their PhD. Read on for more information about the admission requirements, the different options to get a PhD, and the support for international candidates.
What requirements do I have to meet?
The most important admission criteria are your scientific qualities: you must be familiar with the theory and methodology of your field of study. In addition, an education requirement applies. You must have a Dutch master's degree (old-style doctoral degree) or a foreign equivalent. Not every foreign preparatory and/or master's program automatically gives you access to a Dutch PhD track. This will be assessed per candidate. Since English is the working language in science, we expect a C1 level from our PhD candidates. Please read the job description(s) carefully for any additional requirements.
Employed by TU/e
Most PhD candidates join the university to complete a PhD program. In that case, you start by applying for an announced and specific PhD position. If you are accepted, you will have the status of an employee during your training. As a PhD candidate, you are a valued member of TU/e’s staff. You will receive a salary and excellent employee benefits. PhD candidates employed by the university spend a minimum of 10% of their time on teaching tasks.
A full-time PhD typically lasts four years. Sometimes you can apply for a PhD-TA (Teaching Assistant) position. In other cases, you may be able to change your contract to a PhD-TA track later. Naturally, in consultation with your supervisor and only if the department can facilitate this. A PhD-TA track takes five years. You can spread this extra year, which is entirely devoted to teaching, over the entire contract period.
Open PhD positions
Are you interested and do you meet the requirements? If so, we look forward to your application!
Follow the link below to discover all available PhD positions, and filter by department for example. You can also find more information about the application process on our working-at website.
-
PhD on Novel bipolar membranes by electrospinning
PhD-studentChemical Engineering and ChemistryElectrospinning for production of 3D-structured bipolar membranes for water dissociation applications In water technology, the demand for bipolar membranes is steadily rising. Bipolar membranes split water into protons and hydroxyl ions allowing the industrial on-site production of e.g. acid and…
-
PhD position on numerical modelling of polymer reactors
PhD-studentChemical Engineering and Chemistry -
PhD on meta-optics mediated light-matter interaction
PhD-studentApplied Physics and Science EducationAre you curious about the fundamental limits that govern light’s interaction with matter at the nanoscale? Do you want to devise the next generation flat optics to address a challenge in imaging, holography, communications or sensing? Would you like to develop a balanced theoretical and lab…
-
PhD In-Memory Computing for efficient online learning Spiking Neural Networks
PhD-studentElectrical EngineeringObjective: To research, design, implement, and evaluate an ultra-low-power Spiking Neural Network (SNN) architecture that leverages in-memory computing principles for efficient online learning. Background: The field of neuromorphic computing seems to offer a transformative solution for achieving…
-
PhD on Analysis of Bayesian Intelligent Autonomous Systems
PhD-studentElectrical EngineeringShort Description Are you interested in Artificial Intelligence systems that learn from interactions with their environments? Have you wondered what the best way to collect data is for them? How much information they gain by observing specific data points? Then this PhD position might be for you.…
Without an employment contract
You can also become a PhD candidate without an employment contract at TU/e. In that case, you might have another agreement with TU/e or a third party to follow a PhD program. For example, you could have an employer who supports you financially. Or you receive a scholarship from another organization. You also have the option of not entering into a collaboration with a third party. However, you can sometimes receive material and/or financial support in that case.
If you do a PhD alongside other work, this usually extends your PhD track. Without an employment contract, you have no teaching obligations at TU/e.
Supervisor
Without an employment contract, you are responsible for finding a supervisor yourself. The first step is then to find a professor who is willing to advise you on your project. Depending on the type of research, TU/e may also appoint a supervisor.
Tuition fee
PhD candidates that are not hired by TU/e are required to pay an annual tuition fee. This fee covers educational and operational costs.
Type of PhD not on TU/e payroll (NOP) | Annual tuition fee | Annual tuition fee using expensive technology |
---|---|---|
CSC scholarships | Not applicable | Not applicable; use of expensive technology only after approval |
Scholarships | € 15.000 | € 35.000 |
Externally financed | € 15.000 | € 35.000 |
Externals | € 5.000 | € 25.000 |
Note that the managing director of the department may grant a (partial) waiver of the tuition fee. Possible reasons to grant a waiver can be:
- not working fulltime on the PhD track
- having a small scholarship
- not using the campus facilities or labs