PhD Training at Karolinska Institutet

The NIH-KI Collaborative Doctoral Program in Neuroscience bridges U.S. and Swedish PhD requirements in a flexible manner and is open for students to apply from both the NIH and KI side. For additional inquiries on intake through the KI side please contact the KI Partnership co- Director Dr. Sarah Bergen to understand the requirements.

NIH intake Process

For the NIH-intake pathway, applicants (US Citizen or Permanent Resident) must identify mentors at NIH and KI who will accept them as a PhD student. Prospective applicants must apply to the NIH graduate application database and prepare a brief (1-2 pg) description of the proposed thesis research and identify a mentor pair (at NIH and a supervisor at KI) with whom they envision doing their research. In doing so, this initiates communications between both potential supervisors and gives a better sense to the student of whether the intended mentor pair will support them upon admission into the graduate program. Once accepted into the NIH-KI program, and with the active involvement and concurrence of the two supervisors, the student should work with their mentors to establish a plan with an estimated timeline for research and required KI coursework. For additional inquiries on this pathway please contact the NIH Partnership co- Director Dr. Janet Clark.

Language of Training and Thesis

English is widely and often excellently spoken by Swedes; hence, there is no real language barrier in the program. Almost all classes at KI are taught in English. The thesis must be in English.

Summary

The joint PhD program at NIH and KI offers unparalleled opportunities for training and productive dissertation research in neuroscience. The program is designed so that students and supervisors can create an individual study plan for each student that supports personal scientific growth and an international scientific experience.