PhD fellowship opportunities in physics, mathematics and related fields
Through its Sandwich Training Educational Programme (STEP), ICTP and its UN partner, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offer fellowships to PhD students from developing countries in the fields of physics, mathematics and related fields.
STEP's goal is to strengthen the scientific capability of young scientists and researchers from developing countries to better contribute and serve the scientific, technical, and economic development of their home countries. STEP fellowships enrich their doctoral studies by giving students access to ICTP's and the IAEA's international community and world-class research and training facilities.
With a STEP fellowship, PhD students study at their home universities but have the financial support to visit ICTP or a collaborating institute for a three- to six-month stay each year for up to three successive years. Fellows work on their PhD theses with their advisors at their home institutes and co-advisors at the hosting institutes. Their PhD is awarded at their home institutes.
Fellowships are awarded on the merit of a thesis project proposed by students and their home country advisors. The STEP fellow is assigned to an appropriate host institute with a designated co-advisor.
IAEA fellowships: Financial support is provided by the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation through the IAEA Technical Cooperation Fund. Candidates should be from an IAEA member state The IAEA must receive an official endorsement for the fellow from the fellow's country. Fields of research include:
- Environmental Radiation and Monitoring
- Medical Radiation Physics
- Nuclear Sciences and Applications
- Research and Applications with Neutrons
- Synchrotron Radiation and Applications
ICTP fellowships: Fellowships are also provided by ICTP, within its scientific and technical competence, to candidates from developing countries in the fields listed below:
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics
- High Energy, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
- Mathematics
- Earth System Physics
- Science, Technology, and Innovation
- Quantitative Life Sciences
NEW: Arab Fund fellowships: ICTP and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development have launched a support programme for advancing the capabilities of Arab researchers and students in science and technology. The ICTP-Arab Fund Programme supports 10 new STEP fellowships for PhD students from Arab-Fund countries to visit ICTP for a total of 11 months in the period of 2024 to 2026. The fields of research are those listed above for ICTP fellowships plus the field of Medical Physics. Training takes place at ICTP. For more details and to apply, click here.
STEP training Locations
Training and/or research work may take place in one of the following institutions located in the Trieste geographical area:
- ICTP
- Elettra Synchrotron Light Facility
- Trieste Laser Laboratory
- University of Trieste
- Advanced Technology and Nanoscience National Laboratory (IOM-CNR TASC)
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN)
- Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA)
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS)
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Hospitals of Udine and Trieste
Training and/or research may also take place at the IAEA laboratories at Seibersdorf, Vienna, and the IAEA Marine Laboratory in Monaco.
Applications are welcome from students in developing countries who are enrolled in a PhD course at their home university. PhD students who are supervised by an ICTP Associate are encouraged to apply.
The programme aims at an equitable participation of fellows, and therefore especially welcomes applications from women scientists. Priority will be given to young researchers.
The STEP fellowship includes a stipend of EU 1,400 per month during each stay at the host institute as well as the costs of travel and medical insurance.
It is understood that, during all other periods not covered by the STEP fellowship, i.e. when at the home institute, all support needed for continuing and finishing the fellow’s research work is provided by other funding sources.
STEP fellowships are assigned on the merit of the thesis proposed by the student and the home country advisor, as decided by the STEP selection committee. Once a STEP fellow is selected, ICTP will assign the fellow to the appropriate host institute with a designated co-advisor. The advisors from both the home and the host institutes will jointly supervise the fellow's research. The two advisors are expected to coordinate the research and training work of the fellow, which is concluded when the fellow student obtains the PhD at his/her home institute.
The fellowships are awarded for a period of at least three months to be spent by the fellows at host institutes during the first year. Pending the approval of the host institute and the two supervisors, the fellowship is renewable for up to two additional successive years.
Applications are welcome from students in developing countries who are enrolled in a PhD course at their home university. PhD students who are supervised by an ICTP Associate are encouraged to apply.
The online application window is 15 November to 22 April.
The online application form is here.
Applicants should complete the online form (Part I). Once this form is submitted with also the contact details (email) of the applicant's PhD supervisor at the home institute, the home supervisor will receive a link to fill the second part of the application (Part II). Only complete applications with both online forms (i.e., Part I & Part II) submitted by the deadline will be considered.
Applications and supporting documentation are accepted during the application window only via the ICTP online application system. Applications, supporting documents and additional information arriving by other means (email or regular post) will not be considered.
The online application form requires the following information:
PART I - Candidate's application
The online application comprises two parts where information must be entered:
Student's Profile - The first part is a profile of the applicant themselves. Once completed, it is saved (but may be updated whenever needed) and is thus available for all applications to ICTP.
Student's Application - Once the profile is completed the application for a STEP fellowship will become available. Students will be asked to:
- provide the title of their PhD project (this could also be a thesis title);
- describe the research proposal or training programme to be supported by this fellowship (please note that the area of research must be of relevance to the list of sub fields as in the announcement of this programme): this includes a summary of the research activity/project to be supported by this fellowship (one page minimum), reference to previous work/publications relevant to this project done by the applicants or his/her PhD supervisor and a time outline of the proposal including specific objectives to be achieved and dates;
- suggest the name of a co-supervisor and host institution (candidates should suggest co-supervisors in their applications, as best practice);
- list any possible previous participation in IAEA activities;
- upload a copy of their English proficiency certificate in pdf format (this can be any certificate or document, which gives proof of their ability to follow advanced level courses, to study and to write scientific articles in the English language);
- upload an acceptance letter from a suggested co-supervisor or host Lab (recommended).
PART 2 - Home Supervisor's part
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This part comprises two sections where information must be entered:
- Home Supervisor's Profile - The first section is a profile of the home supervisors themselves. Once completed, it is saved (but may be updated whenever needed) and is thus available for all applications to ICTP.
- Home Supervisor's supporting information- Once the profile is completed the part regarding the student (Fellow)'s application becomes available. The supervisors will be asked to:
- explain how the experience gained by the Fellow's participation in the STEP fellowship will directly benefit scientific research at their Institute;
- provide specific information regarding potential European collaborators and institutes with expertise relevant to the Fellow's research project;
- give a justification of the applicant´s research plan;
- provide a list of recent publications on ongoing research work;
- provide the titles of the Ph.D. theses already supervised in the last 5 years;
- upload a recommendation letter for the applicant's participation in the programme.
ICTP-IAEA Sandwich Training Educational Programme
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Strada Costiera, 11
I-34151 Trieste, Italy
Ms. Sandra Alimanovic
LB Room 118
Telephone: +39 040 22 40 362
Telefax: +39 040 22 40 388
e-mail: step@ictp.it