PhD programs in the life sciences

University of Zurich and ETH Zurich · Switzerland · Life sciences (many PhD programmes under one school, including neuroscience, molecular life sciences, systems biology and more)

Closes 1 Nov 2026 (16 days)

Deadlines are 1 May (23:59 CEST) and 1 November (23:59 CET). The page states no year for the general deadlines (its Neuroscience note names 1 November 2026 and 1 May 2027), so the next one is 1 November 2026 by the cycle.

Duration

Usually about 4 years

Funding

Funded positions; amounts not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English (strong spoken and written English required)

How it runs

Track 1 (the general application platform) has two deadlines a year. Neuroscience, Drug Discovery, Biomedical Ethics and Law (Medical Track) and the MD-PhD programme do not recruit through Track 1.

Eligibility

A university Master's degree or equivalent in natural sciences, computer sciences or engineering (held or expected). Funded positions are open to national and international students, including non-EU applicants.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University · Japan · Cross-disciplinary science and technology

Closes 15 Nov 2026 (30 days)

Deadline for the Admissions Workshop 2027 (online) round: 15 November 2026, 23:59 JST. Interviews are in late January and early February 2027 (from a search summary of the admissions page).

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

Application documents must be in English

How it runs

Applicants may apply at any time before the deadline of the round they target; enrollment can start 1 May 2027, 1 September 2027 or 1 January 2028.

Eligibility

A bachelor's or master's degree, or expected to be completed before the enrollment date.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Institut Pasteur with Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Saclay · France · Biomedical and life sciences: molecular and cellular biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, structural biology, virology, parasitology, epidemiology, neurosciences, systems biology

Closes 16 Nov 2026 (31 days)

The call for October 2027 enrolment is open from 1 October to 16 November 2026 (the page body says the call opens in September, the call notice says 1 October).

Duration

3 years

Funding

Employment contract with the Institut Pasteur: monthly salary of EUR 2,000 including social benefits, a EUR 4,000 gross welcome bonus, one round-trip ticket per year, EUR 750 per year for conferences or summer courses, first-year housing assistance

Lab choice

No rotations: host lab first. Candidates apply to up to four projects and each advisor chooses one candidate; about 15 places a year

Language

English fluency required; no French needed (French classes are part of the programme)

How it runs

Annual call for October enrolment; joint applications are judged in December, interviews in February, results mid-February.

Eligibility

A Master's or equivalent in science, medicine or a related field, from a university outside France for the classic PPU track (a BA or BS with at least 6 months of lab experience may be considered). No age limit (most accepted candidates are 24 to 26). The degree may be finished after the deadline but before registering the following summer. The host lab must be affiliated with a partner university's doctoral school.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (with Harvard Medical School) · United States · Biological and biomedical sciences: genetics, biochemistry, molecular, cellular and mechanistic biology

Closes 1 Dec 2026 (46 days)

Application deadline 1 December 2026, 5:00 pm.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English (TOEFL iBT minimum overall 5 for tests taken after 21 Jan 2026, or IELTS 7)

How it runs

One round a year, fall entry only.

Eligibility

A personal statement, a statement of purpose and personal interviews are part of admissions. GRE General and Subject scores are not accepted. English minimums: TOEFL iBT overall 5 (100 for tests before 21 Jan 2026) with Speaking 4.5 (23 earlier); IELTS overall 7 with Speaking 6.5.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

NIH intramural labs in partnership with universities (for example Johns Hopkins) · United States · Biomedical and behavioural research at the NIH

Closes 1 Dec 2026 (46 days)

Applicant deadline 1 December 2026, noon ET; recommendation letters 3 December 2026, noon ET.

Duration

Not read

Funding

Not read

Lab choice

Not read

Language

English

How it runs

Apply to the partner university, with your research done in an NIH lab.

Eligibility

Rules differ by partner university; for example Johns Hopkins applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents and hold a bachelor's degree by matriculation. A federal background check is required. A separate individual-partnership route exists for students already enrolled elsewhere (no fixed deadline).

NIH's page blocked automated reading; these facts come from search summaries of training.nih.gov. Confirm on the page.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Stanford University · United States · Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Data Science, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Chemical and Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Neurosciences, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Structural Biology

Closes 1 Dec 2026 (46 days)

Deadline Tuesday 1 December 2026, 11:59:59 pm PST; late applications are not accepted.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Applicants can rotate through labs in any of the 14 home programs and submit a rank-ordered list of 8 to 12 faculty of interest

Language

English (TOEFL iBT 90, or 4.5 on the new scale, or IELTS 7, unless waived)

How it runs

One round a year, autumn entry (2027-28).

Eligibility

A US bachelor's degree or international equivalent, held or expected before enrollment. English test scores are waived for US citizens and permanent residents, native speakers and people with a degree from an all-English-instruction university. Application fee USD 125 (waivers available).

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin and partners · Germany · Computational biology

Closes 7 Dec 2026 (52 days)

Written applications due 7 December 2026 (23:59 CET); referee letters due 14 December 2026 (23:59 CET). (Confirmed against the school's page text by the deadline watcher on 15 Oct 2026.)

Duration

Not read

Funding

Not read

Lab choice

Not read

Language

Not stated

How it runs

One application round a year.

Eligibility

Not read.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) · Germany, Spain, Italy, France, United Kingdom · Molecular biology and the life sciences

Next round not open yet

The 2027 Winter round closed on 12 Oct 2026 (references 14 Oct). The 2027 Summer round opens towards the end of January 2027; its deadline is not published yet. Interviews for the Winter round: online 27 Oct to 13 Nov 2026, in person 25 Jan to 4 Feb 2027.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English

How it runs

Two recruitment rounds a year (Winter and Summer); recruiting group leaders pick up to two candidates per open position for on-site interviews.

Eligibility

A university degree that formally qualifies you for a PhD in the country where you obtained it (held or expected before starting, which can be as late as October of the start year). All nationalities are welcome; member-state applicants get priority if equally qualified. Proficiency in English is required; no GRE, IELTS or TOEFL scores are asked for. EMBL charges no application fees.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Karolinska Institutet · Sweden · Medicine and life sciences

Rolling, no fixed deadline

No fixed deadline: each advertisement sets its own closing date, and nothing can be added after it passes.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not applicable: you apply for a specific project

Language

English proficiency (Swedish upper secondary English B/6 or an accepted test)

How it runs

Positions are advertised continuously and you apply to each one in the Varbi recruitment system; each position needs its own upload and email applications are not considered.

Eligibility

General requirement (any one): a degree at advanced level; or courses totalling at least 240 ECTS with at least 60 ECTS at advanced level; or equivalent knowledge assessed by KI. Specific requirement: English proficiency, often shown by an internationally recognised test. Scanned originals of degree certificates and official transcripts are needed; self-certified documents are not accepted. KI makes no preliminary eligibility assessments and does not request missing documents.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Vienna BioCenter (four research institutes collaborating on one campus) · Austria · Life sciences

Next date not published yet

The Autumn Call 2026 was listed as open with a closing date of 15 October 2026 (today, as of this reading). The next call is not announced on the page.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English (the page is in English)

How it runs

Calls are announced on the programme page.

Eligibility

Not stated on the page read.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

A Swedish national initiative with PhD projects at Swedish universities (SciLifeLab and the Wallenberg National Program for DDLS) · Sweden · Cell and molecular biology; evolution and biodiversity; epidemiology and biology of infection; precision medicine and diagnostics

Check the page for dates

The call page lists a primary deadline of 31 October and a final deadline of 28 February, without a year. Individual PhD positions have their own advertisement deadlines.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not applicable: positions are project-based

Language

Not stated

How it runs

Projects are approved in calls (the 2025 call approved 32 projects: 25 academic and 7 industrial); the school will enrol 260 PhD students over the years. Watch SciLifeLab's career page and the universities' own listings.

Eligibility

Not stated on the page. PhD positions are advertised by the university running each approved project and recruited under that university's rules; DDLS funding is then approved separately.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Max Planck and partner institutes in Bonn · Germany · Neuroscience and behaviour

No upcoming deadline listed

The current round closes on 15 October 2026 (today, as of this reading); the next round is not announced.

Duration

Not read

Funding

Not read

Lab choice

Not read

Language

Not stated

How it runs

One application round a year.

Eligibility

Not read.

The programme's site failed a certificate check, so the date is from a search summary of the official page. Confirm on the site.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Max Planck Institutes in Dortmund (with partner universities) · Germany · Living matter: biophysics, chemical biology, cell and structural biology, synthetic biology

No upcoming deadline listed

Winter Selection 2027: applications closed 4 Oct 2026 (references 8 Oct). Online interviews 18 to 20 Nov 2026, on-site visit 14 to 15 Jan 2027. The next round is not announced on the page.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Not stated on the page

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English (the page is in English)

How it runs

A four-month selection process from portal opening to on-site interviews (Winter Selection 2027).

Eligibility

Not stated on the page; it refers applicants to an application FAQ.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and partners (Munich) · Germany · Molecular life sciences

No upcoming deadline listed

The current round closed on 7 Oct 2026, 17:00 CEST. Online panel interviews 23 to 27 Nov 2026, in-person interviews 18 to 22 Jan 2027, acceptance letters early Feb 2027. The next round starts in August 2027.

Duration

Not stated on the page

Funding

Salary not stated; travel and accommodation for interviews are reimbursed

Lab choice

Not stated on the page

Language

English (the page is in English)

How it runs

One application round a year; applications are not accepted outside it.

Eligibility

Not stated on the page read; the page points to a separate eligibility page.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Max Planck-led international school · Germany, United States, Switzerland · Life sciences

No upcoming deadline listed

No applications are accepted in 2026; the next round is expected in October or November 2027.

Duration

Not read

Funding

Not read

Lab choice

Not read

Language

Not stated

How it runs

Applications are accepted in set rounds.

Eligibility

Not read.

From a search summary of the admission page; the page itself was not read.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15

Wellcome, run at UK universities and institutes · United Kingdom · Science within Wellcome's remit

No longer accepting applications

The page says the scheme is now closed.

Duration

Four years per studentship

Funding

Stipend (2025 scale) from GBP 19,919 in year 1 rising to GBP 23,997 in year 4 outside London; GBP 22,278 rising to GBP 26,839 in London

Lab choice

Not stated

Language

English

How it runs

Five annual intakes started in autumn 2020, with three to five students each.

Eligibility

The scheme is closed; do not apply to Wellcome. Programmes could recruit until 2024 and some universities and institutes keep running their own PhD programmes under their own pages.

Programme page ↗ · read 2026-10-15