Animal physiology, immunology and developmental biology

Admission procedure
Admission board checks the candidates' professional capacities in an entrance interview that is conducted in English. The candidates submit a structured CV and in the course of the interview, they will present a brief proposal of their PhD project, will define the anticipated outputs, and suggest a methodical procedure. Written plan of candidate's suggested research project is also mandatory and will be submitted to the board. Recommended length of the plan is two pages and the structure is as follows: Title, Name of applicant, Name of supervisor, Home institution, Synopsis, Aims, Methodology, Financial covering. In a discussion with the admission board and in the presence of their supervisor they have to demonstrate that their respective thesis topic is scientifically well-grounded and experimentally manageable. A necessary prerequisite for admission is a demonstrable capability of professional conversation in English. The sufficient financial coverage of the candidate's scientific project will be assessed by the admission board within the terms of the entrance interview and further within the terms of the PhD Workshop in the 3rd semester.
The admission board assesses the candidates’ knowledge and prerequisites for the independent scientific work (0-200 points) and the capability of communication in English (0-100 points).

More information about admission process for international applicants in general can be found in the section Admission Process.

Date of the entrance exam
The applicants will receive information about the entrance exam by e-mail usually at least 10 days before the exam.
Please, always check your e-mails, including spam folders.

Conditions of admission
To be admitted, the candidate must obtain at least 120 points in the professional and at least 60 points in the language part of the interview.
Successful applicants are informed of their acceptance by e-mail and subsequently receive an invitation to the enrolment.

Programme capacity
The capacity of a given programme is not fixed; students are admitted based on a decision by the Doctoral Board after assessing their aptitude for study and motivation.

The aim of the program is to prepare top specialists in specific scientific fields developed within the Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology at the Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University. Graduates are prepared for further scientific careers at workplaces of basic or applied research at the international level, but also for possible employment in companies with research background, in medical facilities and as professional lecturers.

The program focuses on the research formation of students in the rapidly developing fields of physiology, immunology and developmental biology. Students are trained to conduct research in the areas ranging from cellular to organ level to models of whole animal organisms from cells to human. Modern molecular biology techniques and state-of-the-art imaging techniques are applied. The program covers research topics ranging from veterinary through biomedical applications to general basic research issues. In particular, the most represented topic is the research of cellular signaling, which is crucial for understanding the processes controlling embryonic development, tissue differentiation and regeneration, as well as processes of carcinogenesis or immune regulation. The program integrates methodological approaches of molecular biology, molecular embryology and cell biology with morphological and behavioral approaches.

The course is designed to motivate prospective students through checkpoints. A greater number of methodologically oriented courses, internships and openness to contacts with biotechnology companies ensure interconnection with the practice of modern biological research. Emphasis is placed on using English as a basic tool for scientific work.

Students are motivated by high professional quality of research in an open and friendly environment. The performance of individual students is appreciated both financially and, for example, through participation in prestigious international conferences.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• Independently and creatively plan and implement scientific and research activities and manage methodologies and models in the areas of animal physiology, immunology, and developmental biology
• To write and prepare a critical scientific text in the form of scientific articles in the field of animal physiology, immunology, and developmental biology
• To present and defend the results of own research at the international scientific forum in the field of animal physiology, immunology, and developmental biology
• To understand and be able to use broader professional and theoretical knowledge in the areas of physiology, immunology and developmental biology of animals
• To know and critically evaluate the latest knowledge and scientific development in the areas of animal physiology, immunology, and developmental biology
• To understand and master fluent professional communication in English
• Use the experience gained from international cooperation
• Transfer knowledge and experience through the teaching experience
• Use the gained experience, such as project planning and management, communication and collaboration, etc.

Graduates of the doctoral study program are entitled to carry out independent scientific and research activities in the field of basic and applied research. In a broader sense, they are prepared to carry out all scientific work activities, and deal with conceptual issues, scientific-organizational activities, and teaching.

In accordance with international practice, the preferred form of dissertation is a collection of articles or manuscripts with an introductory article that logically links the individual articles and places them in the context of contemporary knowledge. In this initial article, the only author, which is a doctoral student, must prove his / her professional overview and orientation in the given field. The dissertation in this form usually contains three, but at least two articles or manuscripts of the author's articles. The best form is to submit the whole work in English.

Formal requirements for the work structure are given on the program website. The dissertation must be based on its own and original scientific results. A necessary condition for its acceptance is that its most important results are published or accepted for publication. The minimum requirements are met if the doctoral candidate is the first author of one work published in a journal of the first two quartiles of periodicals of the relevant focus (according to the Journal Citation Reports). Another article of the same quality (at least one) can be arbitrarily co-authored. If the doctoral dissertation articles are written with co-authors, the doctoral candidate in the dissertation must clearly define his / her specific contribution to each of them (not only the percentage). In cases of shared authoring, the Commission will generally apply stricter standards for publication quality. The work will be judged by 2-3 opponents, whereas at least two of them will have to be from another workplace, preferably foreign.

In accordance with international practice, the preferred form of dissertation is a collection of articles or manuscripts with an introductory article that logically links the individual articles and places them in the context of contemporary knowledge. In this introductory article, the only author, which is a doctoral student, must prove his / her professional overview and orientation in the given field. The dissertation in this form usually contains three, but at least two articles or manuscripts of the author's articles. The best form is to submit the whole work in English.

Formal requirements for the work structure are given on the program website. The dissertation must be based on it's own and original scientific results and a necessary condition for its acceptance is that its most important results are published or accepted for publication. The minimum requirements are met if the doctoral candidate is the first author of one work published in a journal of the first two quartiles of periodicals of the relevant focus (according to the Journal Citation Reports). Another article of the same quality (at least one) can be arbitrarily co-authored. If the doctoral dissertation articles are written with co-authors, the doctoral candidate in the dissertation must clearly define his / her specific contribution in each of them (not only the percentage). In cases of shared authoring, the Commission will apply generally stricter standards for the quality of publications. The work will be judged by 2- 3 opponents, whereas at least 2 of them will have to be from another workplace, preferably foreign.