university of zurich math phd

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Graduate Campus

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, guide: how to phd, this section provides those interested in pursuing a doctorate with an overview:.

Food for thought for beginning PhD candidates

Collection of links to relevant topics for PhD candidates
Preparation and procedure at UZH (following)

Find a supervisor, admission to doctoral studies, requirements for admission and procedures, content and requirements, individual phd and phd programs, procedures at uzh faculties, employment and funding, for international students and scholars.

First of all, get in contact with a UZH professor who is willing and able to supervise your doctoral project. If you are interested in participating in a PhD program, you should first of all carefully read through the application procedures for the program in question. Doctoral programs at UZH

The doctorate is comprised of a PhD thesis as well as coursework. It serves as a qualification for an academic career or other demanding professions.

As a general rule, a Master's degree or an equivalent degree from an accredited university is the prerequisite for admission to the doctorate. Certain criteria regarding content as well as formal conditions (e.g. grade-point average, qualification phases) are also considered when processing applications.

Admission to Doctoral Studies

The requirements for admission and the admission procedures are set out in the ordinance for obtaining a doctoral degree at the faculty in question. Some faculties also offer a fast-track doctoral program, a program for particularly talented students in which the Master's degree and PhD are integrated in a single program of study. The individual programs define their PhD programs' admission procedures – which, as a rule, are highly competitive.

Please note that PhD candidates must be matriculated at the University for the duration of their doctorate, i.e. until they have been conferred the final degree.

Application and admission Application period

Writing a PhD thesis – independent and original academic work – forms the core part of the doctorate. The thesis can take the form of a monograph or consist of several publications on a single subject which have been published in scientific journals (a cumulative PhD thesis). You can find more information about the formal requirements in the doctoral program regulations for your subject area. As a general rule, however, the thesis should be of such scope and content that it can be completed within three years.

The required coursework serves to enhance subject-specific skills, but also goes toward developing transferable skills. All coursework will be recorded in your final transcript of records and Academic Record. Coursework requirements can be fulfilled by attending courses in your subject area, by visiting classes from the main pool of courses in transferable skills (transferable skills and university-level teaching), or, in some cases by attending courses at another institution. Alongside the required coursework (including transferable skills), it is highly recommended that PhD candidates develop their teaching skills. Transferable skills courses University-level teaching

In many disciplines at UZH there are two types of doctoral programs offered: the individual doctorate and the structured doctoral programs . Moreover there are also interdisciplinary and inter-university schools or programs, partly financed by third-party funds. Doctoral Programs

Because the various faculties at UZH are thematically and structurally so diverse, each faculty is in charge of designing its own PhD program.

Be sure to read about the specific requirements at the faculty in question.

Various types of academic employment opportunities at UZH are open to junior scholars. During doctoral study, you can find employment as a «PhD candidate» or an «academic assistant»; postdocs receive positions as «postdocs» or «senior research and teaching assistants». These junior academic positions are an integral part of the procedure when pursuing an academic career. Junior academic positions are by nature temporary and are funded either by the university department in question or by a third party. Junior academic positions give young scholars the opportunity to achieve their next professional goal and to further qualify themselves for a career in academia. The main requirement for earning the necessary academic qualifications is performing individual research, but junior researchers are also given the opportunity to qualify themselves for teaching roles. In 2003 the guidelines for specifications at UZH faculties for employees holding junior academic positions were issued to define the rights and duties of UZH employees in junior academic positions. These were revised in fall 2023 and a new employment model was defined, which will come into effect on January 1, 2024. Employees with the status of a junior academic receive individual specifications which refer explicitly to their job description.

This UZH platform provides neccesary information from visits & exchange at the UZH to Visa, entry and residece permit. UZH for International Students and Scholars FAQ for International Students and Scholars

Weiterführende Informationen

Successful phd.

Food for thought for beginning PhD candidates

Collection of links to relevant topics

Mobility, Continuing education and courses, Career & Networking, Scientific integrity and Counseling

Best Practice for Doctoral Education

The guideline shows ways and possibilities to strengthen the quality, attractivity and internationalization of the doctorate at UZH.

Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics

Welcome at ZGSM

The Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics is a joint venture of the department of mathematics at ETH (D-MATH) and the Institute of Mathematics at University Zurich (I-MATH). Collaborating closely in research fields and programs in the past, the departments founded the Graduate School in 2003 to offer a common and internationally recognized PhD-education in all major areas of mathematics and hence extend and enrich the sense of community.

At this time we are working on a structured PhD-program including existing activities such as the Zurich Graduate Colloquium in Mathematics, several International Research Training Groups as well as graduate courses, research seminars, lectures, workshops, summer schools and conferences. The close cooperation with the FIM (Forschungsinstitut für Mathematik) and further special events will provide an international and challenging atmosphere. A broad spectrum of scholary activities completes the program.

You find on this website various informations about our Graduate School such as its academic programm and the online application form.

All of us in the Graduate School wish you good fortune as you pursue your advanced degree, and we hope you will contact us if we can help you along the way. Graduate study is exhilarating and life-changing.

Sincerely, Prof. Thomas Kappeler, Prof. Michael Struwe Directors of the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics

The Graduate Campus of the University of Zurich has been established to support PhD students and Postdocs in their scientific career. The Campus offers funding for interdisciplinary activities, access to a large network of junior researchers and organizes courses, e.g. on transferable skills.

In a joint effort of the research groups at the Department of Mathematics at ETH (D-MATH) and the Institute of Mathematics at University Zurich (I-MATH) we offer an intensive, broad and internationally recognized graduate education in mathematics.

The program consists of a wide range of graduate courses and research seminars and is complemented by the program of the Forschungsinstitut für Mathematik. Moreover, special programs are launched that include block-courses and sequences of lectures focussing on recent developments. It offers a broad spectrum of scholarly activity and a challenging and stimulating atmosphere so as to provide young researchers with an excellent base for a career in mathematical research.

In collaboration with the Institute of Mathematics at Humboldt University Berlin the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics is participating in an International Graduate College, thus providing the students with an international framework for exchanging ideas and experiences in research and instruction.

Our Graduate School consists of faculty, graduate students, a number of postdocs and some affiliated members. It is within the obligations of all these members of the Graduate School to contribute to its scientific life and to regularly participate in the various seminars, colloquia and courses offered within the program of the school.

Directors and Board
Students and Postdocs

Publications

Zurich Lectures in Advanced Mathematics (ZLAM, grown out of Lectures in Mathematics)

(In cooperation with FIM.)

Edited by: Erwin Bolthausen (Managing Editor), Freddy Delbaen, Thomas Kappeler (Managing Editor), Christoph Schwab, Michael Struwe, Gisbert Wüstholz

Mathematics in Zurich has a long and distinguished tradition, in which the writing of lecture notes volumes and research monographs play a prominent part. The “Zurich Lectures in Advanced Mathematics” series aims to make some of these publications better known to a wider audience. The series has three main constituents: lecture notes on advanced topics given by internationally renowned experts, graduate text books designed for the joint graduate program in Mathematics of the ETH and the University of Zurich, as well as contributions from researchers in residence at the mathematics research institute, FIM-ETH. Moderately priced, concise and lively in style, the volumes of this series will appeal to researchers and students alike, who seek an informed introduction to important areas of current research.

Publishing house of the European Mathematical Society (Series: Zurich Lectures in advanced Mathematics)

newsletter_issue2.pdf newsletter_issue1.pdf

flyer_colour.pdf flyer_white.pdf

Open positions

PhD positions

We offer a number of PhD-positions to excellent students each year. Beyond a number of grants for graduate students is given. Please find further details as well as the online application form

Impressions from Switzerland

Wintertime in Guarda (Unterengadin) Greifensee near Zurich “Centro Stefano Francini - Monte Verita” in Ascona-Lago Maggiore

PhD-Program

The Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics covers a broad spectrum of research fields in mathematics.

Research areas:

Applied Mathematics
Discrete Mathematics
Insurance Mathematics
Mathematical Finance
Mathematical Physics
Number Theory
Numerical Analysis
Operations Research
Probability Theory
Scientific Computing

Course List for Doctoral Students

As PhD student you should fill in the “Course List for Doctoral Students”.

This course list provides proof of the courses you have successfully completed during your doctoral studies and of the credit units you have earned. Every course that you have attended has to be signed by the instructor of the course. The complete course list has to be signed by your advisor.

Additional requirements for students enrolled at ETH: After the signature of the advisor the course list finally has to be signed by the chair of the doctoral committee. For this signature you should hand in the course list at the secretariat of D-Math at ETH main building, room HG G 33.4 (phone +41 44 632 3737). You should hand in the course list together with the form “Registration for doctoral examination” which you find here. Please don’t contact the chair of the doctoral committee directly.

Please remember to fill in the course list timely to be sure that the course instructor is available for the signature.

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is Switzerland’s leading provider of scientific research funding. Actually the SNSF is supporting several projects of the ZGSM.

Learning German

Most of the PhD fellowships of the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics are teaching fellowships. Typically graduate students teach exercise classes for undergraduates in German. We expect that PhD students from abroad acqire within the first year of their studies adequate proficiency in German for teaching math classes.

As a courtesy ZGSM offers German language program for their members specially designed to aquire the needed skills in German within their first two years of study. The courses cover the international standards A1, A2 and B1. As a special feature the course at level B1 includes practice classes for teaching mathematics in German. By the end of the first respectively second year students have the possibility of taking the exam of the certificate for the level A2 respectively B1 of the Goethe Institut.

To a large extent, the courses are financially supported by the ZGSM. However we ask each participant for a financial contribution.

Our course program is a two-year program. The first year program is intensive but leaves ample time for reasearch, graduate course work and research seminars. Our aim is to enable all members of the ZGSM in relatively short time to communicate in German in daily life, thus making life in Zurich much more enjoyable.

Courses, Seminars, Events

Graduate courses fs 16.

Colloquia FS 16

Kolloquium über anwendungsorientierte statistik thu, 16.00-18.00 y27h46.

P. Bühlmann R. Furrer L. Held T. Hothorn M. Kalisch H.R. Künsch M. Maathuis M. Mächler L. Meier N. Meinshausen M. D. Robinson C. Strobl S. Van de Geer STA671.1

Zurich Colloquium in Applied and Computational Mathematics Wed, 15.30-17.00 Y27H25

R. Abgrall M. Chipot P. Grohs R. Hiptmair A. Jentzen S. Mishra S. Sauter C. Schwab MAT870.1

Zurich Colloquium in Mathematics Tue, 17.15-18.30 KO2F150

R. Abgrall J. Ayoub P. Bühlmann M. Burger C. De Lellis H. Knörrer S. Mishra R. Pandharipande W. Werner MAT070.1

Zurich Graduate Colloquium Tue, 17.15-18.30 KO2F150

C. De la Cruz Mengual M. Hempel A. Iozzi J. Oesinghaus M. Schiavina V. Schlegel J. Schmitt MAT075.1

Arbeitsgemeinschaften + Research Seminars

Advanced students seminars.

Seminar: Selected Topics in Representation Theory Fri, 10.15-12.00 Y27H46 R. Fonseca Gomes de Campos MAT595.1 Additional Courses: see semester program of ETH and UZH

Weekly bulletin of FIM

Weekly bulletin of FIM: current information about lectures, colloquia and further events.

International Cooperation

By collaborations with other graduate schools the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics provides an international framework for exchanging ideas and experiences in research and instruction.

Regulations

Course List for Doctoral Students (ETH Zurich and University of Zurich)
Ordinance on Doctoral Studies and Rector’s Implementation Provisions (English)
Doktoratsverordnung (German)
Detailed Regulations of D-MATH Concerning Doctoral Studies (English)
Detailbestimmungen des D-MATH zum Doktoratsstudium (German)

University of Zurich

Ordinance for Obtaining a PhD Degree and Ordinance of the Doctoral Program in Mathematics (German)

Doing a PhD in Zurich

Doctoral Studies ETH
Doctoral administration of ETH
Information for PhD Candidates UZH
Doctoral Studies UZH
PHD Survival guide

Associations for PhD students

European Council of doctoral candidates and young researchers

Admission process

The application process of the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics is devided into two phases:

Online application. Only electronic documents are required here.

Registration and enrollment at University or ETH. Certified copies and / or original documents are required.

PHASE 1: Online application

Required degrees

For admission to the 3 year doctoral program a the candidates should have a Master or Diploma degree in mathematics equivalent to the degrees of the ETH Zurich respectively of the University of Zurich. Specific requirements such as examinations can be necessary.

Submission of the online application

In phase 1 only online applications are accepted. Applicants should fill in the online application form completely and send the supplemental electronic documents by the dates of the current application period.

Our application deadlines are announced on this site. However, applicants are invited to send their applications at any time. Only complete applications, including also the letters of recommendation (sent by mail) can be regarded.

Supplement electronic documents: Transcripts and letters of recommendation

In addition to the online application we require electronic versions of your transcripts and, if available, a certificate of the master degree or equivalent. After you will have submitted the application you will receive automatically a mail with an address where you can upload electronic copies of your documents especially transcripts and degrees. Only pdf-documents are accepted. (To convert a paper document into an electronic file you can use a scanner or a fax machine and a free e-fax account.) The upload function will only be valid for seven days after submission of the application. After this you can still see the status of your application and of the incoming letters of recommendation.

Furthermore we require three letters of recommendation as an e-mail, preferably including one of the master thesis advisor. The letters shall be send by the recommenders to [email protected] soon after the application has been sent. Applicants are supposed to ask their recommenders for the letter. To guarantee the correct assignment of the letters applicants have to give the recommenders names and email addresses in the application form.

Please refrain from sending any hard copies or additional documents in this phase of the application process. Additional documents you submit unasked are not accepted and they will not be considered for your application.

Special Requirements of ETH and University of Zurich

In the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics the departments of mathematics of ETH and University decide in common about graduate applicants (phase 1). Specific requirements for the admission to the Graduate School will be necessary in the second phase.

Decisions of the admission committee and information to the applicants

The admission committee of the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics will decide about the applications. All applicants will be informed by mail about the results.

In case your application will pass the first selection you will be invited to send further information (e.g. attestations, language tests, certified transcripts, original letters of recommendation).

In some cases questionable candidates might be invited to the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics to have some enquiry talks with the professors.

PHASE 2: Requirements and procedure or enrollment at ETH or University of Zurich

ETH and University - some differences

After being accepted by the graduate school you have to enroll at ETH or University of Zurich, depending to the departement the supervising professor belongs to. The enrollment procedures of ETH and University differ. Specific requirements such as examinations can be necessary. For detailed information see the regulations of ETH Zurich and University of Zurich.

www.doktorat.ethz.ch www.rektorat.ethz.ch/ueber_uns/organisation/zulassungsstelle www.rektorat.ethz.ch/dienste/dienst_dokt

Student Administration
Faculty of Science, Office of the Dean of Studies
Recognition for non-swiss degrees or diplomas
Registration for PhD studies (Download form here)

Information Leaflet for Postgraduate Students: Admission for Doctorate Studies Scheme: enrollment and registration (german only) Further leaflets and Information for postgraduate students at the faculty of science

Employment (More information are following soon.)

Scholarship (More information are following soon.)

Online Application

How to apply to the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics

To apply for the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics fill out this form completely. This application form has to be submitted prior to submitting supporting documents. Fields with an * have to be filled in. After submitting your application you will automatically receive an e-mail with an address to which you can upload electronic files of necessary supporting documents, especially transcripts and degrees.

For further details please read carefully the instructions (see admission process).

Are there any application deadlines?

Our application deadlines are April 30, September 30, and December 30. The current period is announced here. However, applications are accepted at all times. The applicant should necessarily arrange that his recommenders mentioned in the application form send their recommendations shortly after the application.

Which degrees are required?

The requirements for an admission to our Graduate School are a masters degree or a diploma. Only excellent and outstanding applicants can be affiliated by way of an exception.

I studied a math-related subject. Can I apply for a PhD-position at ZGSM nevertheless?

Candidates for the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics should have a degree in mathematics. Degrees in math-related subjects can be accepted if the candidates`fields of studies fit into our program.

How can I transmit the application documents: as file or as hard copy?

In the first phase of the admission process the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics only admits electronic documents. They can be uploaded in addition to the online application. In particular transcripts and, if available, a certificate of the master degree or equivalent are required. The letters of recommendation are supposed to be sent via email to [email protected] (see also in the application form). Applicants are supposed to give the recommenders email addresses in the application form.

In this phase of the application process no hard copies or additional documents that are submitted unasked will be considered.

How is the procedure of enrollment at ETH and University?

After being accepted by the graduate school you have to enroll at ETH or University of Zurich, depending to the department the supervising professor belongs to. The enrollment procedures of ETH and University differ. Specific requirements such as examinations can be necessary. For detailed information see the regulations of ETH Zurich and University of Zurich.

ETH: www.doktorat.ethz.ch www.rektorat.ethz.ch/ueber_uns/organisation/zulassungsstelle www.doktorat.ethz.ch/de/studsek/anmeldeverf.html (application) www.doktorat.ethz.ch/de/Infodok/bewerbdok.html (application) www.rektorat.ethz.ch/dienste/dienst_dokt (enrollment)

Universität www.mnf.unizh.ch/administration/reglemente/promoneu.html www.mnf.unizh.ch/administration/studiendekanat/

I do not speak German. Can I apply nevertheless?

The language of the lectures is English and German, in particular many of the more advanced classes are offered in English. However, to take part in our PhD-Program as well as for daily life in Zurich it is necessary to speak a little German at least.

The Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics offers intensive German language courses for foreigners specially designed for graduate students who want to acquire sufficient german language skills.

Information about further German courses: www.unizh.ch/studium/zulassung/aubild/dkurse.html www.sprachenzentrum.unizh.ch/index.php www.mobilitaet.ethz.ch/incomings/studium/sprache www.ethbib.ethz.ch/bildarchiv/sprachkurse.html cornelia.siteware.ch/sprachkurse/index.html

I already know who I wish to be my advisor. Where do I have to apply?

If you specify in your application names of potential or desired supervisors, your application details will be passed on to those persons. If you know the professors you want to be supervised by it makes sense to contact them, too. Nevertheless, please address your application to the secretary of the Graduate School.

Do I get any funding?

Students with an offer to the graduate program are generally awarded a teaching assistantship, which is renewed after one year for students making satisfactory progress towards their degree. The type of support may sometimes vary. For those applicants who do not speak enough German or English the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics offers a small number of scholarships. These scholarships last up to one year and are meant to begin the research work as well as to learn German. During this time the candidates do not have any teaching duty. The decision is made when the admission committee considers the application.

You will find here some information about the costs of living in Zurich:

www.mobilitaet.ethz.ch/incomings/leben/index_EN

www.rektorat.ethz.ch/dienste/dienst_stud_new/dienst_verz/sd_studienkosten_info

Are there any tuition-fees?

ETH: Before beginning a PhD-program there is an application fee of 110,- CHF. The examination fee at the end is 380,-. The tuition fees are singular 1200,-CHF, they are payed at the end of the program.

University: Ph.D. students have to pay a tuition-fee of Fr. 282.– CHF per semester.

I am interested in pursuing a Masters Degree in in Mathematics. Where do I get information?

www.study.ethz.ch www.studentoffice.unizh.ch/index.html

How can I find accommodation?

For some helpful addresses see: www.ethz.ch/prospectives/phd/housing www.mobilitaet.ethz.ch/incomings/leben/unterkunft/index_EN www.study.ethz.ch/faq/accomodation www.marktplatz.ethz.ch/index.cgi www.unizh.ch/leben/wohnen/

The Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics offes several PhD positions each year. Applicants are invited to send their application online.

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Faculty of Science

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programs, doctoral studies and graduate schools.

Students who complete our doctoral program are awarded the doctoral degree of Dr. sc. nat. – doctor scientiarum naturalium ). The degree requires students to conduct original, independent research and usually takes between three and four years. We offer doctoral programs that have an excellent international reputation in the following fields. Graduate Schools

Life Science Zurich Graduate School
Zurich Graduate School in Geography
Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics
Graduate School in Chemical and Molecular Sciences Zurich
Graduate School in Physics
Graduate School for Computational Science and Astrophysics and Cosmology

Ansprechpersonen

Biomolecular Structure and Mechanism Director: Prof. Dr. Raymund Dutzler

Cancer Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Maries van den Broek

Chemical and Molecular Sciences Director: Prof. Dr. Roland K.O. Sigel

Computational Science Director: Prof. Dr. Romain Teyssier

Ecology Director: Prof. Dr. Owen Petchey

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Director: Prof. Dr. Milo Puhan

Evolutionary Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Kentaro K. Shimizu

General Doctorate Director: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Straumann

Geography/Earth System Science Director: Prof. Dr. Ross Purves

Integrative Molecular Medicine Director: Prof. Dr. Thierry Hennet

Mathematics Directors: Prof. Dr. Thomas Kappeler and Prof. Dr. Michael Struwe

Microbiology and Immunology Directors: Prof. Dr. Leo Eberl and Prof. Dr. Annette Oxenius

Molecular and Translational Biomedicine Director: Prof. Dr. Christian Wolfrum

Molecular Life Sciences Director: Prof. Dr. Michael Hottiger

Neuroscience Director: Dr. Wolfgang Knecht

Physics Director: Prof. Dr. Andreas Schilling

Plant Sciences Director: Prof. Dr. Samuel Zeeman

Public Understanding of Science Director: Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert

RNA Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Frédéric Allain

Science and Policy Director: Prof. Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus

Systems Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Jörg Stelling und Prof. Dr. Uwe Sauer

Theoretical Astrophysics and Cosmology Directors: Prof. Dr. Ben Moore and Prof. Dr. Lucio Mayer

Application and Admission Procedure

Important note: If you originate from a foreign country, which is not a member of the European Union it is of utmost importance, that the following procedure is followed exactly as specified below.

Chart - How to become a PhD student and what the administration offices will do for you (PDF, 97 KB) .

Application to the Admissions Office of the University of Zurich .
Visa application for non-EU students.
You cannot start working on your doctoral thesis in Zurich until you have obtained a visa and a work permit.

Contacts for PhD students

If you encounter problems during your PhD studies, there are several offices at the Faculty of Science you can contact.

Your first point of contact is always your doctoral committee or the human ressources representative at your institute.
Then you should contact the director of your PhD program.
In the last resort you can contact the Persons of Trust of the Faculty of Science .

Press Enter to activate screen reader mode.

Department of Mathematics

How to apply for a doctorate.

The external page Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics (ZGSM) call_made offers international applicants the possibility of doing a doctorate at ETH Zurich or the University of Zurich. If you want to apply, please use the external page ZGSM's online application form call_made .

Please be aware that doctorates are in general associated with an offer of employment.

$Application possibilities ZGSM$

Before registration you must have applied and been accepted by an examiner . Please keep in mind that the hiring process may take some time (2-4 weeks), especially if a visa needs to be obtained (6-8 weeks).

Who can act as doctoral thesis supervisor/examiner?

A doctoral thesis can be supervised by a professor as indicated under Art. 1 of the external page Ordinance on Professorships ETH (only availabe in German) call_made . Privatdozenten resp. Privatdozentinnen working full-time at ETH Zurich can also act as doctoral thesis supervisors. However, this requires approval from the Department. The required approval form Download Supervision of the Doctorate by a Privatdozent (PDF, 236 KB) vertical_align_bottom must be submitted along with the application for your doctorate. Please note in this context that, where a thesis is supervised by a Privatdozentin resp. a Privatdozent, at least one co-examiner must be a professor as indicated under Art. 1 of the external Ordinance on Professorships ETH ( link see above ). Professors can act as examiners in doctoral examinations for up to one year after their retirement. The relevant department (that provides the infrastructure and the funding) is responsible for approving them as examiners after the end of their office. It should be noted that during the first year after retirement or resignation, at least one professor as indicated under Art. 1 of the Ordinance on Professorships ETH (link see above) must be called in as co-examiner. If the doctoral examination has not been taken after the expiry of this year, retired professors must give up the role of doctoral thesis supervisor and a new supervisor must be decided upon.

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UZH for Researchers

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, funding for phd researchers, table of contents, 1. phd / research at uzh, 2 research stay abroad.

3. Further funding opportunities for PhD's

The question of whether and how to do a doctorate depends to a large extent on how to finance it. Basically, there are two possibilities: through a employment at UZH or by pursuing a professional activity outside the university.

Employment at the university can take place in different ways: you have the opportunity to apply for a position as an assistant or doctoral candidate. information about open doctoral positions is best obtained directly from your supervisor or on the uzh job platform . or you can raise funds independently to finance your doctorate. below you will find funding instruments where doctoral researchers can apply for fellowships or a project funds..

The following opportunities enable you to fully or partially finance your doctoral research at UZH. This overview is not exhaustive. Be sure to inquire about specific funding opportunities in your department or faculty.

Mobility experience is of great importance for a academic career. The following programmes offer financial support for a stay abroad during doctoral research.

3. Further funding opportunities for PhD's

Weiterführende informationen.

National and UZH Sources of Funding

UZH Grants Office Hirschengraben 48 8001 Zurich

The staff of the UZH Grants Office will be happy to support your inquiry for possible sources of funding. Phone +41 44 634 20 50

European and International Sources of Funding

EU GrantsAccess Seilergraben 53 8001 Zurich

The staff of EU GrantsAccess will be happy to support your inquiry for possible sources of funding. Tel. +41 44 634 53 50

Webseite EU GrantsAccess

Further Sources of Funding

Access *Research Professional (via VPN)
Index of Swiss Foundations (in German)
Index of UZH Foundations (in German)
Index of Regional Foundations
Scholarshipportal
research.swiss

Further Information for PhD Researchers

UZH Graduate Campus
UZH for International Students and Scholars
Open Jobs at UZH
UZH Career Services

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Department of Astrophysics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programme in data science, graduate school for data science.

Data Science is a relatively young scientific discipline aimed at addressing important scientific and societal problems by focusing on obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting data. It has become an indispensable part of both academia and industry. Indeed, Data Science is now widely regarded as the fourth pillar of scientific discovery complementing theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches.

The PhD Program in Data Science is aimed at preparing aspiring data science professionals for a successful career in academia or industry. To achieve this goal, enrolled students will engage in world-class research at one of the best Universities in Switzerland. They will also have access to a multidisciplinary curriculum and be able to collaborate with experienced faculty members from a large number of departments across the University.

Students have to be offered a PhD position by an individual faculty member of a participating research group. The faculty member together with the PhD candidate can then select an appropriate PhD program that best fits the academic profile of the candidate. The data science PhD program is tailored for students with a strong technical background in machine learning or data science, for example. Decisions regarding enrollment into the PhD program will be made by an admission committee.

Requirements

A Master's degree in Science, Mathematics, or Computer Science or an equivalent degree. Additional requirements may be attached to specific PhD openings. Further requirements may be listed in the regulations of the doctoral program.

Successful applicants have a strong scholastic record, a creative mindset, are able to communicate their work effectively, have a basic knowledge of programming and statistics, and, most of all, enjoy solving problems in Data Science.

In order to graduate, students need to fulfill the following requirements:

Deposition and defense of a written dissertation about the student's independent research project
Acquisition of 12 ECTS credits of advanced courses
Additional requirements imposed by the admission committee, the doctoral committee, or the University

Curriculum

The program includes a curricular part of at least 12 ECTS credits. Participating students can choose from a broad selection of research topics and classes in coordination with or as stipulated by their doctoral committee. The curricular part of the doctoral studies covers both the specific topic area of the research project and a general education in Data Science and data modeling in Natural Sciences. ECTS credits may also be awarded for active participation in conferences or other activities of relevance for the doctoral study.

Featured Courses

Academia Industry Modeling (AIM) week
During AIM week, teams of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows complete a one-week focused research project on applied problems proposed by industry partners. Industry representatives and participating faculty coordinate the formulation of the problem and supervise the research teams. Topics can cover all scientific interests and domains represented in the PhD program and in particular their interfaces.
Modeling of Complex Systems In this hands-on course, the students learn how mathematical models can be used to describe and understand the dynamics of real-world systems in essentially all applied sciences, such as physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, economics, social sciences etc. The course covers concepts like integration methods, mechanistic and descriptive modeling, stochasticity, and Monte Carlo simulations. On the practical side, students will model and implement dynamical systems, understand the theoretical background and limitations, and practice understanding and communicating of models.

Official PhD regulations for the Data Science Programme:

Doctoral Program Regulations (PDF, 206 KB) Ordnung zum Doktoratsprogramm (PDF, 107 KB)

For PhDs starting after 1 June 2022 the updated regulations apply:

Ordnung zum Doktoratsprogramm (ab 2. Juni 2022) (PDF, 152 KB)

Doctoral Program Regulations (PDF, 93 KB)

Admissions to Promotion - Useful links and documents:

Admission to Doctoral Studies at the University of Zurich

Factsheet Admission to a PhD Program at the Department of Astrophysics (PDF, 621 KB)

Checklist for PhD students

"Confirmation of Supervision for Doctoral Students" (PDF, 242 KB)

"Acceptance Confirmation Structured Doctoral Program" (PDF, 225 KB)

Annual committee meeting minutes (PDF, 1 MB)

Confirmation Sheet - TA Hours (PDF, 224 KB)

Fact sheet PhD Defence (EN) / Merkblatt (DE)

Program Director Prof. Dr. Jan Dirk Wegner [email protected]

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Phd programme, doing a phd at the zhaw school of engineering.

The ZHAW School of Engineering offers students with a Master’s degree the opportunity to do a doctorate in cooperation with its partner universities. While studying for your PhD, you work on applied research projects at the university of applied sciences and are supervised jointly by professors from the ZHAW and its partner university.

You thus benefit from the strengths of both types of university and, with your dissertation project, also contribute towards raising the profile of research at the School of Engineering. The School of Engineering, for its part, creates favourable conditions and prerequisites for supporting high-quality research.

As a doctoral student, you are enrolled in a regular PhD programme at a partner university and are required to go through its admission process. After completing the programme, you will receive a doctorate from the partner university in question. Most PhD networks are also open to students with a Master’s degree from a university of applied sciences. They are, however, required to complete the processes (specific to each faculty) that are necessary for admission to the partner university. In addition to formalised PhD programmes, it is also possible for individual agreements to be concluded between partner universities, doctoral students and ZHAW.

https://www.zhaw.ch/en/jobs/vacant-positions/

Formal PhD programmes with partner universities

ZHAW is part of the PhD Network Data Science . We thus participate in the University of Zurich’s PhD Programme in Data Science . A broad selection of topics is available for doctoral studies in data science and these explicitly include data-intensive areas of Industry 4.0, such as predictive maintenance, data analytics and risk management, and cloud computing.

ZHAW graduates with a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) are also eligible for the joint doctoral programme run by ZHAW and the Università Ca' Foscari in Venice. They can complete their doctoral studies in data science over a period of four years. They spend one year in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics at the University of Venice and three years at the ZHAW School of Engineering. MSE graduates from ZHAW can participate directly in the programme without having to catch up on additional ECTS from the Master’s degree programme.

Important to know

The doctorate is always awarded by the partner university. It is therefore the regulations of the partner university that are decisive.
In most cases, doctoral students at ZHAW School of Engineering are employed as scientific assistants; the dissertation is normally embedded in a fairly large research project (Innosuisse, SNSF, Horizon Europe).
ZHAW School of Engineering supports dissertation projects that are related to one of its main research areas.
The dissertation topic is agreed on directly by the doctoral student and their supervising professors from the university of applied sciences and the partner university.
Doctoral students are expected to display a high degree of independence and discipline and to actively exchange ideas with the contact persons in the institutes and centres.

How will the ZHAW School of Engineering support me with my dissertation project?

Financial support through PhD programmes and internal calls
Time support, including for caregivers
Networking within the PhD community
Access to foreign universities and networks (e.g. Horizon Europe Doctoral Network, PhD networks)

ZHAW employees and students will find further information in the Intranet .

Interested? Then venture to take the next step

A dissertation project requires careful planning and preparation in both the professional and private environment. We will be happy to offer you a consultation.