Admission to the LNDS

If you are interested in enrolling in the LN Doctoral School, please follow these steps:

  1. Find a laboratory associated with the LNDS or part of the NeuroLéman Network (*).
  2. Define a thesis project with your thesis director.
  3. Register as a doctoral student at the university where your project will take place.
  4. The Scientific Committee of the Doctoral School will review your application and let you know if you have been accepted into the program.

(*) Students working in laboratories at the EPFL must enroll at the EPFL Doctoral School in Neuroscience (EPFL-EDNE School ).

Note: MD-PhD candidates or PhD candidates with a medical study background who also want to obtain an MD title please contact the LNDS coordinator for guidance before enrolling to your host university!

Details on the university admission and doctoral school enrollment can be found under the links below. In most cases, the PhD candidate applies for admission in the faculty of attachment of her/his thesis director. Please make sure that your prospective thesis director is indeed eligible to direct a thesis in her/his faculty of attachment (e.g. holds a position as professor or MER) ***
Documents you should have ready (apart from your university diploma) are:

  • Your CV (two pages max).
  • Thesis title and brief description of the thesis project (one page max)
  • Acceptance letter from the thesis director***. This letter should include the following information:
    • Start date of the thesis project or work contract.
    • Statement that the thesis director has accepted the student in his/her lab.
    • Statement that for the duration of the thesis the student’s salary will be provided for.
    • Statement that the supervising lab will provide the equipment and materials required for the project.
    • Address of the laboratory where the project will be developed.
  • Thesis co-director’s name (if applicable).
  • Copy of your work contract (if available already).

    The Admission services of UNIGE and UNIL operate very differently, please check
  • UNIGE: Admission and enrollment procedures (change in progress; please submit all documents for UNIGE AND LNDS admission via the UNIGE platform) >>> SwitchEDU-ID needed first … In case you are not sure about your faculty of attachement, please contact the LNDS coordinator (by default this is the host faculty of your thesis director).
    *** For prospective FPSE students @ UNIGE: Please fill and submit the “Thesis attestation” (Encadrement de thèse) with the FPSE header during the application process. Should a co-direction be foreseen, please use the co-direction form to indicate both supervisors.
    *** For prospective MED or SCI students @ UNIGE: Please fill and submit the “Thesis attestation” (Encadrement de thèse), with the logo of the respective faculty of attachment during the application process
  • UNIL: Admission and enrollment procedures . Please also see the website on residence and work permit questions of UNIL (LINK).
  • UNIFR: Please follow point 1 of the UNIL admission procedure above, but for then the rules of your prospective faculty of attachment come into play. UNIFR is not a fully associate member of the LNDS .. please contact the LNDS coordinator for questions ….