Supervision of the thesis

Besides working with the university supervisor defined in the proposal, each thesis student will work with an ILL supervisor. The ILL supervisor will be responsible for ensuring that, from a practical and technical point of view, the thesis progresses under the appropriate conditions during the student’s stay at ILL. He/she shares responsibility for the scientific aspects of the student's work with the university supervisor. The university supervisor has ultimate scientific and administrative responsibility for the thesis.

Thesis work at ILL

Thesis work should be carried out mainly at the ILL. The thesis student will be given the opportunity to conduct experiments on scheduled instruments, within the available limits, and can process the data and results at the ILL. In addition, the thesis student may be involved in the technical development of instruments or infrastructure.
As far as co-financed projects are concerned, part of the thesis work may be carried out at the student’s home university or laboratory. This and other specific arrangements may be specified in the contract.

Employment conditions

PhD students are employed for a period of up to three years, subject to the probationary arrangements of the university involved. They receive a gross salary of around 2350 €/month, together with other benefits depending on the student’s social status. No additional funds are provided for fees or the cost of consumables at the host university, but the student will be able to apply for support for travel to conferences and other activities associated with their research during the time they are at ILL, as well as for consumables at ILL.

What the ILL pay for

The ILL will pay the student’s salary (only partially in case of co-financing). No additional funds will be provided to cover fees or the cost of consumables at the host university. However, the student will be able to apply for support towards the cost of travel to conferences and other activities associated with his/her research during the time he/she is at ILL, as well as for consumables at ILL. The ILL will allow the student to teach a reasonable number of hours at the host university, but will not cover the associated travel expenses.

What the ILL can offer

The excitement of working at a large-scale facility in an international environment on a multi-institutional scientific campus.
Unrivalled hands-on experience leading to future employment opportunities in some of the world’s leading research centres.
World-class science!
The attractions of living in the heart of the French Alps, with excellent opportunities for skiing and other outdoor activities, one hour from Lyon, and only three hours from Paris, the Côte d’Azur and Provence.