Start your PhD with us
As a PhD student at Research Luxembourg, you will contribute to our dynamic and successful research.
One of the main advantages of choosing to do your PhD with Research Luxembourg is the access you will have to a wide range of well-equipped laboratories and facilities available at the University of Luxembourg, LISER, LIH and LIST.
There is also a vibrant academic support network with regular seminars, research group meetings and informal get-togethers, giving you plenty of opportunities to discuss your research interests with your supervisors, peers and other researchers and academic staff.
Fundings for PhD candidates
Several fundings from the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) are available for PhD candidates (with Masters).
The main instrument for PhD candidates is the AFR Individual Grant. The AFR PhD grant scheme is divided into two sub-categories:
- AFR PhD in Luxembourg (AFR Incoming): Candidates from any nationality may apply for a doctoral position in an eligible Luxembourg host institution. Candidates will have to spend >50% in Luxembourg under an employment contract with the host institution;
- AFR PhD abroad (AFR Outgoing): Luxembourg nationals, or residents in Luxembourg for more than 5 consecutive years, may apply for a doctoral position in a public higher education institution abroad. The rule for this type of AFR grants is an employment contract with the institution abroad, but in exceptional cases, grants without a work contract can be awarded.
In 2022, 5 MEUR will be committed to support this funding scheme.
Useful and practical information on AFR grants
- The contribution to the annual salary costs of a PhD candidate amounts 44.322 € / year (salary index as of Oct 2021; in case the official Luxembourg salary index changes, the above-mentioned FNR contribution will be adapted automatically by the FNR). A topping-up by the employer is possible up to a maximum gross salary of 62.461 €/yr.
- The salary contribution will be paid until the PhD degree has been awarded with a maximum duration of 4 years. Alternatively: beneficiaries of an AFR PhD fellowship without employment contract will receive a monthly stipend of 1,500 € (in exceptional cases as specified above). The topping-up of the stipend up to a maximum amount of 2.100 € per month is possible.
- Employment contracts shall be the rule. AFR PhD grants are aimed at host Institutions to employ AFR beneficiaries to conduct their research projects. Stipends (i.e. fellowships without employment contracts) are only awarded outside Luxembourg in exceptional cases).
- A one-off travel lump sum, to be paid to the PhD candidate at the start of her/his AFR grant, based on the airline distance between the beneficiary’s residence at the application deadline or start of the grant, and her/his host Institution.
- A fixed training and mobility allowance of 6.000 € per PhD candidate. The training allowance is available to cover costs related to the candidate’s training and mobility activities: i.e. scientific/transferable skills training, scientific conferences or summer/winter schools, field work or travel between scientific contacts involved in the project as well as international research stays.
Discover the University of Luxembourg’s doctoral schools
Doctoral School in Science and Engineering
The Doctoral School in Science and Engineering offers seven programmes including Mathematics and Applications, Physics and Materials Sciences, Civil Engineering Sciences, Mechanical/Electro and Communications Engineering, Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Systems and Molecular Biomedecine, and Computational Sciences.
Doctoral School of Law
The Doctoral School of Law fosters an open-minded approach to legal analysis, going beyond the boundaries of national jurisdictions, to promote comparative cross-disciplinary research, within a multilingual environment (English, French and German) and an international academic team.
Doctoral School in Economics, Finance and Management
The Doctoral School in Economics and Finance focuses on two main topics: Economics (regional development, economic integration, environment policies, international economics, labour economics, macro finance, macroeconomic growth and dynamics) and finance (quantitative finance, risk management and financial governance, corporate finance, behavioral finance, law and finance, Islamic finance).
Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences
The Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences offers four research programmes in Humanities, Education, Social Sciences, and Psychology.
Discover the University of Luxembourg’s research centres
SnT – Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) conducts internationally competitive research in information and communication technology (ICT) with high relevance creating socio-economic impact. In addition to long-term, high-risk research, SnT engages in demand driven collaborative projects with industry and the public sector.
LCSB – Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine
The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine develops and applies systems-level approaches to gain insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of human diseases. Experimental and computational approaches are combined to analyse the complexity of biological systems underlying disease pathogenesis. The LCSB is pioneering the way for a predictive, preventive and personalised medicine. Neurodegenerative diseases, especially Parkinson’s disease are major targets within LCSB’s research activities.
C2DH – Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History
The Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2 DH) is a research centre of the highest academic excellence for the study, analysis and public dissemination of contemporary Luxembourgish and European history. It promotes an interdisciplinary approach with a particular focus on new digital methods and tools for historical research and teaching.
Discover the Luxembourg research institutes
Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)
The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is a public biomedical research organisation focused on precision health and invested in becoming a leading reference in Europe for the translation of scientific excellence into meaningful benefits for patients. Find out PhD open positions.
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a missiondriven Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) that develops competitive and market-oriented product/service prototypes for public and private stakeholders. Its mission consists of pushing the frontiers in research for high-impact innovation. Discover the PhD positions.
Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)
The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is devoted to the advancement of knowledge in economic, social and spatial sciences. In the particular context of Luxembourg and in the heart of Europe, it is committed to contribute in a proactive and targeted manner to the sustainable and inclusive development of societies at the national and international level. Explore the open positions.
