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PhD PROGRAM PHYSICS - GRADUATE SCHOOL PHYSICS

The program involves all the PhDs related to the Physics Graduate School. It covers all fields of physics, from fundamental to applied, from theory, modeling and simulation to instrumentation, from laboratory experiments to large instruments placed on large research infrastructures or in space, from the disciplinary core to interfaces. 

It also integrates numerous socio-economic issues at the interface with physics (energy, health, environment, etc.). 

This program is linked with 4 Doctoral Schools: 

  1. EDOM (Waves and Matter Doctoral School), 
  2. PHENIICS (Particles, Hadrons, Energy, Nuclei, Instrumentation, Imaging, Cosmos and Simulation), 
  3. AAIF (Astronomy and Astrophysics for Paris Area), 
  4. EDPIF (Doctoral School for Physics in Île-de-France)

 

Physics (all fields)

 

Program content

Waves and Matter Doctoral School (EDOM) Particles, Hadrons, Energy, Nuclei, Instrumentation, Imaging, Cosmos and Simulation (PHENIICS) Astronomy and Astrophysics for Paris Area (AAIF) Physics in Ile-de-France (PIF) 

Waves and Matter Doctoral School (EDOM)

The Doctoral School Waves and Matter - EDOM - covers quantum physics, dilute matter and optics.

More precisely, the fields covered are quantum physics, optics, atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, plasma physics, nanophotonics as well as the interface fields of these themes such as biomedical imaging or condensed matter. All types of plasmas are represented at EDOM (cold and hot plasmas, stellar, interstellar and fusion), as well as their technological applications. In particular, EDOM is involved in magnetic confinement fusion.

 Learn more about EDOM

 Particles, Hadrons, Energy, Nuclei, Instrumentation, Imaging, Cosmos et Simulation (PHENIICS)

The PHENIICS graduate school (ED N° 576) is the Ile-de-France graduate school whose themes are centered on subatomic physics; its particularity is to federate students ranging from applied physics to fundamental physics in this field. It relies on a unique network of research units on this theme, located in the Paris-Saclay area.

Learn more about PHENIICS

Astronomy and Astrophysics for Paris Area(AAIF)

The "Astronomy and Astrophysics of Ile-de-France" Doctoral School offers graduates from physics and mathematics studies training in and through research in the vast interdisciplinary field of astronomy and all its techniques of observation, measurement and calculation.

The Doctoral School offers physicists and mathematicians training in and through research in the vast interdisciplinary field of astronomy and all its methods of observation, measurement and calculation. It covers a field whose development is considerable and unceasing: discovery of extrasolar planets, renewal of cosmology at the interface with particle physics, development of astrochemistry, in situ exploration of the solar system, space navigation, planetology at the interface with the sciences of planet Earth. Powerful observation tools are being prepared, both in space and on the ground, affirming the place of Europe, using a wide variety of advanced technologies (optics, metrology, cryogenics, automation, etc.).

Learn more about AAIF

Physics in Ile de France(EDPIF)

Its scientific field covers essentially the physics of fundamental interactions, the quantum physics of diluted or condensed matter, statistical physics, the physics of soft or biological matter, but also the fundamental aspects of optics, acoustics and hydrodynamics.

Its scientific position is that of fundamental physics, both theoretical and experimental, and the applications that naturally follow from it.

Learn more about EDPIF

 

PHENIICS

  • Laboratoire de physique des deux infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (IJCLab, UMR 9012)
  • Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS, UMR 8617)
  • Unité de recherche SOLEIL (SOLEIL, UR 1)
  • Signalisation, radiobiologie et cancer     (SCR, UMR 3347)
  • Département de Physique des Particules (DRF/IRFU, DPhP)
  • Département de Physique Nucléaire (DRF/IRFU, DPhN)
  • Département d'Electronique des Détecteurs et d'Informatique pour la Physique (DRF/IRFU, DEDIP)
  • Département des Accélérateurs, de la Cryogénie et du Magnétisme (DRF/IRFU, DACM)
  • Institut LIST (LIST)
  • Département des Matériaux pour le Nucléaire (DES/ISAS, DMN)
  • Laboratoire en Informatique Haute Performance pour le Calcul et la simulation (DAM, LIHPC)
  • Laboratoire Matière sous conditions extrêmes (DAM, LMCE)

External laboratories : 

  • Institut de Radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire : IRSN
  • CEA Cadarache/IRESNE/DES/DER/SPRC/LPN
  • CEA Marcoule : DES/ISEC/DMRC/SASP/LAAT

 

EDOM

  • Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS, UMR 8617)
  • Laboratoire Charles Fabry (LCF, UMR 8501)
  • Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO, UMR 8214)
  • Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS, UMR 8502)
  • Laboratoire de physique des gaz et des plasmas (LPGP, UMR 8578)
  • Laboratoire Matière sous conditions extrêmes (LMCE)
  • Optique et techniques associées (DOTA)
  • Unité de recherche SOLEIL (SOLEIL, UR 1)
  • Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé (SPEC)
  • Laboratoire Interactions, Dynamiques et Lasers (LIDYL)
  • Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N, UMR 9001)
  • Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP, UMR 7648)
  • Physique, Instrumentation, Environnement, Espace (DPHY)
  • Institut de Chimie Physique (ICP, UMR 8000)
  • Laboratoire de physique des deux infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (IJCLab, UMR 9012)
  • Laboratoire Aimé Cotton (LAC, FRE 2038)
  • Laboratoire Lumière, Matière et Interfaces (LuMin, FRE 2036)

 

EDPIF

  • Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS, UMR 8502)
  • Laboratoire de physique théorique et modèles statistiques (LPTMS, UMR 8626)
  • Laboratoire de physique des deux infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (IJCLab, UMR 9012)
  • Institut de physique théorique (DRF, IPhT)
  • Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé (DRF/IRAMIS, SPEC)
  • Unité mixte de physique CNRS/Thales (UMPhy, UMR 137)
  • Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO, UMR 8214)·    
  • Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS, UMR 8617)
  • Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N, UMR 9001)
  • Unité de recherche SOLEIL (UR 1)
  • Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique (DES/ISAS/DMN, SRMP)
  • Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (DRF/IRAMIS, LLB)
  • Fluides, Automatique et Systèmes Thermiques (FAST, UMR 7608)
  • Laboratoire de recherche en informatique (LRI, UMR 8623)

 

AAIF

  • Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS, UMR 8617)
  • Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes    (L2S, UMR 8506)
  • Laboratoire Charles Fabry (LCF, UMR 8501)
  • Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO, UMR 8214)
  • Maison de la Simulation - DRF (MdlS)
  • Unité de recherche SOLEIL (SOLEIL, UR 1)
  • UMS IOGS-CNRS (UMS 3676)
  • Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation de Paris-Saclay (DRF/IRFU/DAp, AIM)
  • Département de Physique des Particules (DRF/IRFU, DPhP)
  • Département de Physique Nucléaire (DRF/IRFU, DPhN)
  • Institut de Chimie Physique (ICP, UMR 8000)
  • Laboratoire de physique des deux infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (IJCLab, UMR 9012)
  • Département d'Astrophysique (DRF/IRFU, DAp)
  • Laboratoire ATMosphères, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS, UMR 8190)
     

PhD students admitted to the Phd program will have a public law doctoral contract. The duration of the contract is 3 years. The contractual Phd students are full-time employees with the sole or main mission of carrying out their doctoral project. They may also be entrusted with complementary missions of teaching, scientific mediation, valorization or expertise.

More information

Possible employers* for PhD students under contract to the program are :

  • Université Paris-Saclay (Faculties of Sciences of Orsay, Medicine, Pharmacy, Sports Sciences and Law-Economy-Management)
  • University of Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
  • University of Evry Val d'Essonne
  • Centrale Supélec
  • ENS Paris-Saclay
  • AgroParisTech

* This list remains to be completed or specified

The Doctoral Schools of the GS Physics PhD program supervise the PhD students throughout their thesis, by appointing referents who interact with them regularly.

  • EDOM : During the course of their thesis, PhD students have access to an individual monitoring committee, an advisory body that ensures, through annual meetings with the student, that their doctoral training is going well. This committee monitors the progress of the PhD student in his/her ability to present his/her research work. It helps the PhD student to take stock of the progress of his or her doctoral training, as well as the state of preparation for his or her future career.

  • AAIF : The AAIF doctoral school organizes a post-thesis training during which PhD students can meet the presidents of the A&A sections of the CNRS, CNU and CNAP, meet company managers from the aerospace sector, and work on writing CVs and application letters under the supervision of recruitment professionals. In 2021, the AAIF ED has also established a partnership with PhDTalent to promote the skills of these PhD students on social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), to post job offers selected from keywords adapted to their skills and expertise.
     

  • EDPIF : For each PhD student, an individual monitoring committee is set up, independent of the thesis director. A meeting concerning the progress of the thesis and the future is organized with the monitoring committee, the PhD student and the supervisors at the end of each year of the thesis (at least). During this meeting, the monitoring committee must also discuss with the supervisor(s) in the absence of the PhD student and conversely with the PhD student without the supervisor(s). At the end of this meeting, the follow-up committee sends its report on the meeting to the ED and possibly makes recommendations on the continuation of the thesis and on re-registration. Additional meetings of the follow-up committee are organized for any thesis presenting specific problems, whatever their nature, or extending, as an exception, over all or part of a fourth year. For more details see : https://www.edpif.org/fr/parcours/suivi.php
  • PHENIICS : Each PhD student is supervised by a person who follows him/her throughout the thesis. The progress of the thesis work and the training courses followed are reviewed each year at the time of registration. A sponsorship system is also in place in most laboratories. In case of problems revealed either during the annual interview or during the course of the thesis thanks to the sponsorship system, a supervisory committee is set up to understand the nature of the problems and to propose solutions.

PhD students enrolled in the Doctoral Schools of the GS Physics program find employment in both the academic and private sectors.

  • EDOM

Approximately half of our PhDs eventually find a job in the field of research in universities or large research organizations in France (CNRS, CEA, ONERA, etc...) or abroad. Industry is also a very important outlet. Most of our PhDs work in technical or technological fields that allow them to make the most of the skills they have acquired. They are divided between large groups (Thales, Saint Gobain, etc.), SMEs and technological start-ups. 

  • AAIF

Over a 10-year period, about 30% of PhDs enter the world of academic research in France or abroad. Some go on to secondary education. Most pursue a career in the private sector with a very wide range of scientific and management professions in France or abroad. The number of unemployed PhDs is around 3%. 

  • EDPIF

While the historical career outlet of the PhD is higher education and research, a significant and growing number of PhDs are pursuing their careers in the private sector, in many types of functions, and not only in R&D. According to the statistical study conducted in 2017 by the MESR on PhDs who graduated in 2015, 46% of PhDs in physics have a job in the academic sector and exactly as many in the private sector, of which only 20% are in R&D. For more details see : https://www.edpif.org/fr/parcours/poursuite.php

  • PHENIICS

More than half of the PhDs are employed in the academic world in France (universities and research organizations) or abroad. Many PhDs also join the R&D departments of large technology-based groups (Thales, Safran, Areva, EDF, etc.), while others find employment in small and medium-sized companies with high industrial and technological value or in start-ups, of which they may also be founders.

How to be admitted to the doctoral program in Physics ?

Find below the different steps to apply to the Physics Program - Graduate School Physics

Prerequisite 

The student must hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) and have the agreement of the thesis director.

Evaluation criteria

The main evaluation criteria are the quality of the candidate's academic record, the quality of his/her presentation and his/her answers to questions during the audition, as well as the relevance of the candidate's background in relation to the thesis topic and the host team.

Other relevant evaluation criteria are :

  • the results obtained by the candidate in the Master's program (M1 and M2) ;
  • the candidate's research skills, as assessed from the research internship periods;
  • letters of recommendation;
  • the candidate's motivation and ability to integrate into the research team;
  • the professional project expressed by the candidate and its consistency with the doctoral project.

Where and how to apply?

  • Have you found your subject?

  • Identify the doctoral school related to your subject

  • Consult below the application procedures of the doctoral school concerned

  • Submit your application on ADUM

How to apply to ED EDOM?

  • All mandatory sections of ADUM,
  • A one or two page Curriculum Vitae,
  • An opinion from two former research internship supervisors according to a specific form,
  • One or two letters of recommendation,
  • Transcripts from the last year of the Bachelor's degree (or equivalent),
  • Transcripts from the different years of the Master's program (or equivalent),
  • A copy of the Master's degree or certificate of completion if available,
  • A copy of an identity card.

The audition lasts 25 minutes in total.

The candidate has 12 minutes for his/her presentation.

The remaining time is dedicated to questions from the jury.
 
Format
The recommended format for the presentation is as follows

  • 1 sheet of CV,
  • 3-4 sheets presenting a research internship,
  • 2 sheets presenting the thesis project.

During the questions, the main focus is on the research internship presented by the candidate. The audition can be done by videoconference. The future thesis director is invited to the audition as an observer.

The eligibility jury (examination of the files) is made up of the EDOM office (director and assistant director).
 

The audition jury is made up of members of the doctoral school's board. It meets in the form of 2 sub-juries. No member of the jury auditions a candidate from his/her own laboratory.

Thesis topics open for applications will be published from November 2022 on ADUM.

  • Monday 2nd May: deadline for submission of thesis topics
  • Wednesday 11th May: deadline for submission of applications 
  • Friday 27th May: date before which the ED decides on eligibility for the competition
  • Monday 13th June and tuesday 14th june : date of auditions
  • Monday 27th June : date of results of the competition

More information

How to apply to ED PHENIICS?

All sections of ADUM.
 

If applicable, the most recent MASTER grades or transcripts

Exchange of about 20 minutes with the jury, no slide presentation is required.

The candidate first briefly explains his or her doctoral project (Why this thesis? What is the interest? What is the context? etc...)

then the discussion continues in the form of questions and answers.

The jury is made up of members of the board of directors, supplemented by members of the council in order to ensure the thematic coverage of the competition.

The elected representatives of the PhD students on the board are invited as observers.

The ranking is established by the jury after the auditions.

Thesis topics open for applications will be published from November 2022 on ADUM.

  • Monday 2nd May: deadline for submission of thesis topics
  • Wednesday 11th May: deadline for submission of applications 
  • Friday 27th May: date before which the ED decides on eligibility for the competition
  • 7th to 9th of June : date of auditions
  • Monday 20th June : date of results of the competition

How to apply to ED AAIF?

All sections of ADUM.

A transcript of grades from a MASTER's degree or recent equivalent.

The audition lasts 20 minutes.

A 10-minute presentation should outline the candidate's previous research experiences (their scientific objectives, methodologies used and results obtained) and should show that the candidate understands the issues at stake in the proposed topic and how he or she is capable of making a significant contribution to it.

The candidate may spend 1 to 2 minutes introducing him/herself, 4-5 minutes describing his/her research experience (mainly the M2 internship) and 4-5 minutes on the thesis topic and its issues.

This presentation is followed by 10 minutes of questions.

The admissibility jury (examination of the files) is made up of the ED office (director and deputy director).

The audition jury is made up of members of the doctoral school's board.  

A first jury of the competition (beginning of June) reviews the applications, and is likely to attribute at most 1/3 of the available doctoral contracts. The selected candidates are notified directly by e-mail.

The final jury of the competition (beginning of July) allocates all the remaining available contracts and creates a waiting list. The selected candidates are asked to respond to this proposal within a week in order to allow a good management of the withdrawals.

  • January 30: deadline for submission of thesis topics
  • April 22: deadline for submission of applications 
  • June 2 : jury results

How to apply to ED PIF?

Applications are made online at : https://www.edpif.org/fr/recrutement/candid.php

Candidates have ten minutes to introduce themselves with particular emphasis on their past research activities.

A maximum (indicative) of two slides should be devoted to the presentation of the thesis topic.  

The eligibility jury then asks questions for approximately five minutes.

Candidates may speak in English or French, as they wish.

The competition is managed by a competition committee made up of the four members of the doctoral school's board of directors and four teacher-researchers or researchers from the ED's laboratories, from each of the supporting institutions.

The competition jury is made up of the members of the competition committee, as well as researchers or teacher-researchers designated by the competition committee. The board and the jury, renewed in whole or in part each year, are composed in such a way as to best represent all the themes of the ED.

Their composition is submitted to the ED council.

The steps:

  1. The competition office carries out a pre-selection of candidates who will be selected for an audition.
  2. The selected candidates are then auditioned by the competition jury, divided into 4 sub-juries.
  3. The competition office finally establishes a ranking consisting of a main list and a supplementary list. This ranking is based on the evaluation of the academic file and on the audition. It takes into account the number of doctoral contracts awarded by each institution.
  4. Finally, the ED council validates the distribution of funding on the basis of the ranking established by the jury
  • April 22, 1pm: deadline for submission of thesis topics
  • April 29, 00h: deadline for the submission of applications 
  • May 20: date before which the ED decides on the eligibility to the competition
  • June 7, 8 and 9: date of the auditions 
  • June 13 : Provisional results of the competition

THE EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL PHYSICS PHDS AS OF DECEMBER 1, 2019