Applicant Information

A summary of our "Program Regulations" can be downloaded here.

Required Documentation

Candidates are expected to hold a Masters degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (e.g., neuroscience, cognitive science, computer science, physics, …) and possess the required advanced mathematical background.

Applications must be uploaded through the BCCN application portal

The deadline for applications is March 15th, 2025, to begin October 2025.

For questions or in case of technical problems with the portal, contact: Lisa Velenosi by email: graduateprograms AT bccn-berlin.de

 

You are required to submit the following documents:

  1. Curriculum vitae (including a list of publications, if applicable)
  2. Letter of motivation
  3. Copies of certificates and transcripts of records
  4. Proof of proficiency in English (same as for the Master Program: see "English" prerequisites for  "Master Program" application at the bottom of page for accepted scores - the other prerequisites (e.g. math) do not apply for the PhD Program
  5. Description of Master thesis or equivalent
  6. Project proposal for future PhD work (recommended approx 1000-1500 words including bibliography).
  7. Names of potential supervisors (candidates are strongly encouraged to contact potential supervisors and discuss potential projects with them prior to application).
  8. Two letters of reference must be sent by the referees by email within deadline directly to: Lisa Velenosi <graduateprograms AT bccn-berlin DOT de>. Please ask your referees to use "Reference letter for PhD applicant <your name>" as a subject line!

 

Selection

Successful applicants of the first round will present themselves to the faculty of the program by giving a short presentation and an interview. The applicants should prepare a 10 min presentation of their master or diploma thesis including a description of their motivation for the future PhD project.

For ECN students, the presentation and interview are not required. If you are affiliated with the ECN, your documents will be forwarded to our selection committee, who will check the suitability of your project proposal for our graduate program.

*Note: Currently, we recommend that students who wish to complete a PhD with the BCCN first contact their preferred supervisors to agree on a project and secure funding. A list of possible BCCN supervisors can be found here, please contact your potential future supervisor if you want to do a PhD with them.

Selection criteria include:

  • competence and research experience in computational neuroscience/machine learning;
  • mathematical background;
  • scientific and educational track record;
  • research interests and motivation;
  • proficiency in English.

 

Scholarships

In 2025 and 2026, the BCCN will select two excellent doctoral student candidates to receive scholarships from the DAAD as part of the Graduate School Scholarship Program (GSSP).

  • The scholarships begin in October (2025 or 2026) à 1,300€/ month, for up to a maximum of 4 years.
  • In addition to the scholarship, health insurance, accident insurance, and liability insurance will be covered by the DAAD
  • Scholarship recipients can also receive assistance for their rent payments
  • Scholarship recipients with families may receive additional funding
  • Scholarship recipients will have access to a country-specific travel budget from the DAAD
  • Scholarship recipients will have access to additional Study and Research grants
  • Can have German courses financed by the DAAD

To be eligible for the GSSP scholarships you must:

  • Have an excellent academic profile and you must have completed your master's (or equivalent) by the start of the funding period (October of the application year)
  • You can not have completed your master's (or equivalent) more than 6 years ago
  • At the time of application (March), you can not have been a resident in Germany for more than 15 months
  • You can not already have a PhD
  • You can not perform more than 25% of your doctoral work outside of Germany, and it can not take place at the start of your doctoral project

To be awarded the GSSP scholarship, you must:

  • Apply to the BCCN PhD program according to the steps outlined above
    • Application deadline March 15th!
  • A member of the BCCN Berlin has agreed to supervise and accept you to their group for the duration of your PhD

 

Additional funding options: You can participate in our structured program with funding from other sources like PhD positions in a lab or fellowships from other institutions (e.g. DAAD scholarship finder, My Stipendium Data Base).

 

 

PhD positions

You can do your PhD in our structured program with a PhD position in one of our member labs. Please contact the labs you are interested in before preparing your application and confirm with the group leader that you will be accepted as PhD student and will receive a PhD position. Please include proof in your application.

 

Questions?

For any questions concerning the application procedure or the doctoral program, please contact the teaching coordinator Lisa Velenosi (graduateprograms AT bccn-berlin.de)

For advice and first-hand experience from current doctoral students at the BCCN Berlin, you can contact:

  • Clémence Bergerot (clemence.bergerot AT charite.de)
  • Noa Hedrich (noa-louise.hedrich AT charite.de)
  • Alessandro Gifford (alessandro.gifford AT gmail.com)
  • Agnessa Karapatian (agnessakarapetian AT gmail.com)