EHESP School of Public Health-Rennes - EHESP Doctoral Network

EHESP Doctoral Network

With a PhD contract from the network, you will receive at least 1,758 EUR gross per month for 3 years. This contract runs for up to 6 years if you are studying for your PhD on a part-time basis whilst in employment. It is a paid contract, awarded once a year on a competitive basis. The network is coordinated by EHESP (School of Public Health) in Rennes and brings together 12 partner doctoral schools across France. In addition to your salary, you will receive travel grants for research stays abroad and network events, interdisciplinary seminars and annual academic conferences, as well as a certified seal of quality for your completed doctoral thesis. Furthermore, over the course of the three years, you will complete an additional continuing professional development programme in public health worth 30 credits.

Who can apply

• Degree: You hold a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
• Where you study: You are enrolled (or have been admitted) in the first year of your PhD programme at one of the 12 partner doctoral schools in France.
• Field: Your research focuses on public health in the broadest sense: epidemiology and biostatistics, health and the environment, health economics and management, health law and policy, or social and behavioural sciences.
• First PhD: This is your first enrolment on a PhD programme, and you do not yet have an employment contract.
• Languages: You can work in both French and English.
• Age and nationality: Applicants of all ages and nationalities are welcome to apply. If you are not a French national, you must comply with the residence requirements for France.

How to apply

Your doctoral school will nominate you, with each school permitted to nominate a maximum of three candidates. To begin with, you must submit an online application by the deadline set by your school. The school will then send its shortlist to the network by 29 June. Selected candidates will be invited to an interview on 7 and 8 July, during which you will present your research project to a panel for approximately 10 minutes in French and English.

How realistic are your chances?

Each doctoral school can nominate only three candidates for the funded places, so competition is fierce and begins right at your own university. If your project clearly falls within the field of public health, is genuinely interdisciplinary and you can present it confidently in both French and English, you will meet the jury’s requirements. The network also offers a basic membership with training and travel grants – though without a salary – for those who already have their own funding. This route is easier to follow.