Nextstep will open 18 PhD posts in March 2025 for PhD projects starting in autumn 2025. There will also be a second cohort of 18 PhD posts to be advertised from February 2026. Nextstep PhD projects are currently under selection at the host research infrastructures and the first job offers will be published on 3 March 2025 via the ESRF recruitment portal (https://www.esrf.fr/Jobs). The first cohort deadline for application is 02 May 2025. We expect first cohort projects to be located at ESRF and ILL in France and at FZJ in Germany.

PhD projects will cover a wide range of disciplines including physics, materials science, chemistry, biochemistry and engineering. The successful candidates will study a hot topic related to sustainable development or industrial competitiveness and they will learn to use some of the most advanced and exciting analytical techniques available at their host research infrastructure facility.

The successful candidates will be employed at one of the five Nextstep host institutes (listed below) and will register for PhD at the university partner specified for each project. Secondment opportunities are an important feature of the programme and each student can expect to spend at least two months working in the laboratory of an academic or industry partner. 

PhD projects will typically start around 1 October 2025. Candidates should have completed their qualification relevant for registration in time for this start date. Please consult the minimum registration requirements at the registering university specified for each project. Masters students currently in their final year of study are ideal candidates.

Nextstep is a Horizon Europe supported MSCA cofund doctoral programme. This programme expects the candidate to change country to take up employment at the PhD project host institute. See the Nextstep website FAQ (https://nextstep-programme.eu/frequently-asked-questions/) for more details on the Marie Sklodowska-Curie mobility rule.

About Nextstep

Nextstep will train 36 young and enthusiastic researchers to exploit the unique and transversal capabilities of analytical research infrastructures (RIs) in tackling the challenges associated with sustainable development and industrial competitiveness in the areas of “Health”, “Digital, Industry & Space”, “Climate, Energy and Mobility” and “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment”, which are at the heart of Horizon Europe.

Research infrastructures hosting Nextstep PhD projects

ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France (www.esrf.fr)

ILL - Institute Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France (www.ill.eu)

FZJ - Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany (https://www.fz-juelich.de/en)

NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway (www.ntnu.edu)

AREA - Area Science Park, Trieste, Italy (www.areasciencepark.it)