How to apply

How to apply

Application procedure

Please submit all your regular application documents as one PDF-document to irtg-transtip(at)tu-braunschweig.de before the application deadline!

You should prepare the following documents:

  • Cover letter including motivation and research interests for selected thesis topics (candidates may apply for a primary and secondary choice) (in English, approx. one page)
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Resume
  • Copy of Bachelor and Master (or equivalent) certificates, title and abstract of your thesis, and copy of MSc transcript (list of courses/lectures)
  • Contact details of two independent referees (academic teachers/supervisors) willing to provide reference letters. Reference letters are sent to us directly via email from your chosen referees and must reach us before the application deadline.
  • Please provide any additional information which you consider important for your application (e.g. publications, job references, certificates of workshops etc.).
  • certificate to prove English language proficiency (e.g. TOEFL), if possible.

PostDoc candidates should also submit:

  • short one-page proposal in the topical area of the proposed project
  • Copy of doctoral certificate, title and abstract of thesis
  • Information on publications

Application documents that are neither in English nor German must be translated into one of these two languages. During the application, unofficial translations serve well. Upon admission and to register as a doctoral researcher at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Leibniz Universität Hannover, or the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, officially certified translations are required.

Selection procedure

The TransTiP selection committee (project PIs) prescreen the applications and select promising candidates.

Promising applicants will be invited to a Candidate-Colloquium in Braunschweig (2-3 days). International applicants will be interviewed by video-conference. Skype interviews will possibly be held prior to invitation.

During the Candidate Colloquium the applicants

  • will have to present and discuss their MSc-thesis work in English (10 min + discussion)
  • will be interviewed by the project supervisors and members of the TransTiP selection committee

The final selection is made in mutual agreement with the Chinese partners by video-conference, as those are also the responsible persons during residence of the German doctoral researcher in China. A timely selection procedure is crucial for the application of field work permits by our Chinese partners. The selection committee will also decide twice a year about the acceptance of doctoral researchers funded by other sources than TransTiP.