Islamic Development Bank Merit Scholarships for High Technology (MSP), 2018-2019, for PHD & postdoctoral research

ANNOUNCEMENT

Academic Year 2018-2019

1. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is delighted to announce the “Merit Scholarship Programme for Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral Research�? for the academic year 2018-19. The scholarships will be awarded to successful applicants effective September 2018. 
   
   
2. The Programme is designed to help promising professionals and researchers from IDB Member Countries to pursue a full-time Ph.D. study and/or Post-doctoral research in development-related fields such as:
   

   Sustainable Agriculture:	Food Security, Resilient Crops, Postharvest Technologies
   Education	Quality of Teaching , Pupil/Teacher Ratio , High Level Training
   Education for Sustainable Development	Integration of Sustainability-related issues into national curricula and teaching syllabus documents
   Climate Change	Strategies for Reductions of CO2 Emissions, and Climate Mitigation and Carbon Sequestration Methods
   Energy	Renewable Energy and Green Technologies, Solar Potential and Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, Biogas and Biodiesel
   Sustainable Cities	Insulation Technologies, Transportation and Urban Planning
   Responsible Growth	Reduction of Waste, Serving Communities, Ethics of Growth
   Waste Management	Recycling, Carbon Footprint Reduction, Waste to Energy Technologies
   Population Growth	Urban Sprawl, Density and Epidemics, and Overshoot
   Green Chemistry	Alternative Technologies, Cutting-edge Research, and Limitation of Pollution
   Biodiversity	Loss of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Mass Extinction, and Agrobiodiversity
   Plastic pollution and Micro-plastics	Plastic Incorporation into the Food Chain, Biodegradable Plastics, and Recycling Possibilities.
   Water and Hygiene	Water Purity and Availability, Sanitation and Quality.
   Health	Medicine, Pharmacy and Nutrition, etc.
   ICT for Development	Computer Science, Laser and Fibre Optics, Telecommunication, and Electronic
   Innovation & Infrastructure Development	Build Resilient Infrastructure, Innovation and Industrial Development, Technological Infrastructure and Product Innovation.
   Islamic Economics, Finance and Banking	Mode & Services of Islamic Banking and Finance , Sharia Standards for IFIs, Islamic Insurance & Takaful, Islamic Capital Market, Sharia & Operational Aspects of Sukuk, Islamic Micro-Finance, Zakat Management, Awqaf & Zakat Management.
   Development-related Social Sciences	International economics, Journalism, Law, IP, Political Sciences, Entrepreneurships, etc.

   
           
3. The successful candidate for the PhD programme must secure admission at one of the reputable renowned institutions of study in advanced countries and/or Member Countries. Priority shall be given to Ph.D. applicants who have secured admission at universities that have concluded a cooperation agreement with the IDB such as, University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham, Queen Mary University of London, Imperial College London, and University College London in the United Kingdom, Copenhagen University in Denmark, Princeton University in USA, KAUST in Saudi Arabia and McGill University in Canada.
   
   
4. The scholarship comprises tuition fees, living allowance on single-status basis, health insurance and round-trip air-ticket.
   
   
5. The prospective applicants should visit the IDB website: www.isdb.org to download the application form and read full information about the eligibility requirements, how to apply and the Programme’s benefits and facilities.
   
6. Eligible applicants must complete the application form and send it together with all the requisite documents, as mentioned on the concluding page of the form, through the office of the IDB Governor for the applicant’s country to the IDB Headquarters in Jeddah no later than February 28, 2018. 

RESEARCH DURATION: 

(i) 3-year PhD study/ research, and (ii) 6-12 months of postdoctoral research.

WHAT DOES IT COVER: 

The scholarship covers the following benefits and entitlements:

• All academic expenses
• Living allowances
• Health Insurance
• Round trip air-tickets to and from place of study
• Conference Participation allowance
• Scientific Paper preparation allowance

NATIONALITY:

Guinea Bissau, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Yemen, Tajikistan, Gabon, Indonesia, Gambia, Guinea, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyz, Lebanon, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Mozambique, Cameroon, Niger, Palestine, Chad, Cote dIvoire, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Benin, Sierra Leone, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Albania, Bangladesh, Somalia, Senegal and Comoros

REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must meet the following basic criteria:

• Age not over (a) 35 years for Ph.D. study, and (b) 40 years for Post-Doctoral research;
• Attached to a research/academic/development institution in science and technology in their respective country;
• Must possess the required academic background in the related field of his/her proposed study/research and has some professional/research experience in the respective field;
• Demonstrate that his/her research proposal has development relevance to the country/institution with the objective of meeting the priority development needs of the country;
• Have good command of the language of the institution of study and the ability to conduct scientific work in it; and
• His /her application is nominated by his/her institution and the concerned section of the application form is signed, stamped by the Head of the institution and submitted to the IDB through the Office of IDB Governor for the country.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.

HOW TO APPLY:

The applications must be submitted through the nominating institutions to the Office of the IsDB Governor for the country. It is the Office of the IsDB Governor that will forward the applications to IsDB and not the individual applicants or the nominating institutions.  As for Egypt, applications should be forwarded through the Higher Universities Council, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, instead of Office of the IsDB Governor.

SCHOLARSHIP LINK: 

https://www.isdb.org/irj/portal/anonymous?NavigationTarget=navurl://e6a729183f50b834c13c3abf5cc619ae

APPLICATION LINK: 

https://www.isdb.org/irj/go/km/docs/documents/IDBDevelopments/Internet/English/IDB/CM/ScholarshipAndAssistance/Scholarship/MSP/ApplicationPhd.pdf

Sun Yat-Sen University Scholarships for Southeast Asian Students in China, 2018

• Application deadline: April 31, 2018
• Course Level: Scholarships are available to pursue bachelor’s degrees at SYSU.
• Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded to study the subjects offered by the university .
• Scholarship Award:Liberal Arts, Economics and Managerial Science Majors: RMB 56,000 yuan/person/academic year (including tuition fee RMB 26,000 yuan/person/academic year and living allowance RMB 30,000 yuan/person/academic year)
  Science and Engineering Majors: RMB 63,800 yuan/person/academic year (including tuition fee RMB 33,800 yuan/person/academic year and living allowance RMB 30,000 yuan/person/academic year)
  Medical Science Majors: RMB 78,000 yuan/person/academic year (including tuition fee RMB 48,000 yuan/person/academic year and living allowance RMB 30,000 yuan/person/academic year).

The tuition fee in the scholarship will be deducted directly; thus the scholarship recipient won’t have to pay for the tuition fee. Accommodation fee and comprehensive insurance for international students will be deducted from the living allowance in the scholarship, and the remaining amount will be transferred to the individual bank account of the recipient every month after enrolment and registration. However, the recipient shall be responsible for the fees of visa application, round-trip air tickets and physical examination, and all other fees.

• Number of Scholarships: In 2017, Sun Yat-Sen University provided scholarships for more than 230 students from 10 Southeast Asian countries.

Eligibility for the Scholarship:

• Eligible Countries: Students from Southeast Asia are eligible to apply.
• Entrance Requirements:Applicants should be non-Chinese with a valid foreign passport, and meet requirements in the “Notice of Regulating Admission of International Students in Colleges and Universities” ([2009]83).
  Applicants should be in good health and aged between 18 to 25 (date of birth between 1 stJanuary, 1993 to 30thAugust, 2000).
  Applicants should be friendly towards China, law-abiding, studious and well-conducted, without any records of violation of Chinese laws, regulations or school rules.
  Applicants should be high school graduates, with their grades ranking among the top, or with excellence in social services, sports, music, cultural activities or leadership.
  Applicants should obtain a recommendation letter issued by the recommendation institutions* (refer to Appendix 1 for details) and be responsible for its authenticity.

English Language Requirements:

• Liberal Arts, Economics and Managerial Science Majors: HSK 5 Certificate (with 180 points or above) or other equivalent Chinese Learning Certificates;
• Science, Engineering and Medical Science Majors: HSK 4 Certificate (with 180 points or above) or other equivalent Chinese Learning Certificates;
• Applicants who complete high school education with Chinese as the language of instruction should submit certificates of Chinese language proficiency issued by their schools and can be exempted from providing HSK Certificates after SYSU’s verification;
• Outstanding applicants who apply for the programme without adequate Chinese language proficiency must take a Chinese preparatory course for one academic year. Upon the completion of the course and the satisfaction of the language entry requirements, they can begin their undergraduate studies with Chinese as the language of instruction.

Application Procedure:

All supporting documents and requirements are as follows (Those supporting documents that are not in Chinese or English should be accompanied by a formal certified translation in Chinese or English):

• Passport biographical page
• Graduation certificate of the highest level of education
• Transcripts from the highest level of education
• Language Proficiency Certificate
• Recommendation letter
• Personal statement
• Other supporting documents

How to Apply:

Before March 1, 2018, applicants should submit all application documents to the recommendation institutions in their home countries to obtain recommendation letters.

Between March 1, 2018 and 30thApril, 2018, they should sign up on http://application.sysu.edu.cn, sign in to fill in the application form under the “SYSU scholarship” programme in an accurate and complete manner, and upload scanned copies of all supporting documents as required (Only PDF, JPG, JPEG and PNG files are acceptable, and each file size should not exceed 2MB).To complete the application, applicants should click the “submit” button.

Online Application

Scholarship Link

Call for 2018 CAS “The Belt and Road” Master Fellowship Programme Applications

Introduction

“The Belt and Road” Master Fellowship Programme is launched in connection with the International Outreach Initiative of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). 

It provides funding opportunities for up to 120 students/scholars from the countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) to pursue Master degrees at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) around China up to 3 years.

Courses and Programmes

For UCAS, please refer to Call for 2018 Master’s Programs for International Students.

Fellowship Coverage and Duration

Coverage:

1. Tuition fee exemption by UCAS;
2. Monthly stipend to cover accommodation, local transportation expenses, health insurance, and other basic living expenses (Reference: RMB 4000 per month, within which RMB 1000 is provided by UCAS faculty/CAS institute).

Duration:

The funding duration of the fellowship is up to 3 years (with NO EXTENSION), divided into:

1. Maximum 1 year study of courses and participation in centralized training at UCAS, including 4 months compulsory courses in Chinese Language and Chinese Culture;
2. Practical research and completion of degree thesis at colleges and schools of UCAS or CAS institutes.

General conditions for applicants:

• Be citizens from the Belt and Road countries other than China;
• Be healthy and maximum age of 30 years on 31 December 2018;
• Hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent educational degree;
• Be with excellent academic achievements, keen on scientific research and have good personal characters;
• Get acceptance by a host supervisor and approval by the UCAS faculty/CAS institute that the supervisor is affiliated with;
• Be proficient in English or Chinese. Applicants whose native language is not English should provide unexpired TOEFL or IELTS scores. TOEFL scores should be 90 or higher, and IELTS scores should be 6.5 or higher. Applicants are not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score only if their:

a) Native language is English, or

b) Major undergraduate courses are conducted in English/Chinese, which should be stated in transcripts, or

c) New HSK Band 5 passed with over 200 scores.

• Meet other application requirements for Master’s programs of UCAS.

Step By Step Guideline

In order to successfully apply for CAS “The Belt and Road” Master Fellowship, applicants arerequested to follow a few key steps that are indicated below:

1. CHECK ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

You should verify that you are eligible and meet ALL the eligibility criteria specified in the “General conditions for applicants” section of this call (e.g. age, bachelor’s degree, etc).

2. FIND AN ELIGIBLE HOST SUPERVISOR AFFILIATED WITH UCAS FACULTY OR CAS INSTITUTETHAT AGREES TO ACCEPT YOU.

See here for a list of eligible supervisors affiliated with UCAS faculties/CAS institutes.

Once you find an eligible professor of your interest, you must contact him/her, send an explanatory e-mail together with your CV, research proposal and any other required documents to him/her, and indicate that you wish to apply for CAS “The Belt and Road” Master Fellowship.

3. SUBMIT BOTH OF YOUR ADMISSION APPLICATION AND FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION VIA THE ONLINE SYSTEM.

Applications for both admission and fellowship shall be submitted via the Online Application System for International Students of UCAS (http://adis.ucas.ac.cn) which would be officially launched around Dec. 15, 2017. Please prepare and upload the following materials to the system. Make sure the electronic version of supporting documentation is in the right format as requested for the online application system.

• Your regular passport which has at least 2 years validity (only pages showing personal and validity details are needed);

• Your recent full-face bust photo with 2-inch;

• Complete CV with a brief introduction of research experience;

• Original copy of Bachelor’s degree certificates；

Applicants who are still in the process of completing their bachelor’s degree upon the application deadline must provide confirmation of degree conferral from their current institutions, including the expected date of graduation.

• Original copy of their undergraduate study;

• Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese;

• Detailed research proposal;

• Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 published academic papers (if available). Please do not provide photocopies of unpublished papers;

• TWO reference letters (NOT the host supervisor) familiar with you and your work (signed, dated and on official headed paper with contact phone number and email address)

• Foreigner Physical Examination Form

    4. REMIND YOUR SUPERVISOR TO COMPLETE THE SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT PAGE OF BOTH ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (Attachment 1) and APPLICATION FORM FOR THE BELT AND ROAD MASTER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME (Attachment 2) AND SEND IT TO THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OFFICE OF UCAS BY THE UCAS FACULTY/CAS INSTITUTE WHICH HE/SHE IS AFFILIATED WITH BEFORE DEADLINE.

Please note:

• Applicants can ONLY apply to ONE eligible supervisor affiliated with UCAS faculty or CAS institute.
• Please choose major, host supervisor and host institute cautiously before submission. After enrollment at UCAS, applications for the change of these items are seldom considered.
• Applicants CANNOT take up other assignments during application and during the period of his/her fellowship.
• Applicants must make sure that all the information filled and documents uploaded in the online system are authentic and effective, otherwise they should undertake all the relevant consequences.
• All the application documents must be in English or Chinese. If any of these are not available in English or Chinese, original documents must be accompanied by certified English or Chinese translations. All translations must be literal and complete versions of the original documents.
• A lack of application documents or unsatisfactory documents will not be accepted and none of the documents will be returned regardless of the application status.
• Please DO NOT send any of your application documents directly to the International Students Office of UCAS.

Application Deadline

March 31, 2018

Notification of Decision and Visa Application

The admission decisions will be made normally in May to June. The offers of admissions, award letters and other documents will be conveyed afterwards.

Awardees shall take the following documents to the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China, and apply for a student visa (X1/X2 visa):

• Personal passports as used for application
• Admission Notice
• Visa Application Form (JW202)
• Physical Examination Record for Foreigners
• Other original reports from the physical examination

Please keep safe of the original Admission Notice and Visa Application Form (JW202). They are essential in the application for the Permanent Residence Permit upon registration. Please do not apply for visa waiver or other types of visa.

Additional Information

• Awardees must register at the time and place indicated in the Admission Notice. Otherwise, they should apply for extension of their registration.
• Awardees must show the original copies of Bachelor’s degree certificate and transcript to International Students Office.
• The duration of the fellowship is stated explicitly in the Admission Notice.
• The fellowship can be retained for no longer than 2 months since the deadline of the registration.
• Awardees receive monthly stipend from UCAS since the registration day. Those who register before the 15th of a given month (including 15th) receive a full-month stipend, while those register after the 15th of a given month receive a half-month stipend.
• Registered awardees must abide by relevant rules and regulations of the universities, and attend reviews and examinations, such as the qualifying tests on time. Awardees who fail review or examination will be deprived of their fellowship or their fellowship will be suspended.
• Any work produced and published by the awardees during the funding period of the fellowship must be credited to the institute/school and the university where the awardees are enrolled. Awardees are also required to acknowledge “Sponsored by CAS the ‘Belt and Road’ Master Fellowship Program and CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI)” in written dedication.

Contact Information

International Students Office

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

No.80 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China

Coordinator: Ms. HU Menglin

Email: iso@ucas.ac.cn

Tel/Fax: +86-10-82672900

Website: http://english.ucas.ac.cn/

• Attachment1.doc
• Attachment2.docx
• Attachment3.pdf

2018 CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme for Doctoral Candidates

Introduction

According to an agreement between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, up to 200 students/scholars from all over the world will be sponsored to study in China for doctoral degrees for up to 4 years.

This CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme provides students/scholars that are non-Chinese citizens an opportunity to pursue doctoral degrees at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) or Institutes of CAS around China.

Under the terms of the CAS-TWAS agreement, travel from their home countries to China will be provided to the fellowship awardees in order to begin the fellowship in China (one trip only per student/scholar). TWAS will select 80 awardees from developing countries to support their international travel, while CAS will support the other 120. Visa fee will also be covered (once only per awardee) as a lump sum of USD 65 after all the awardees are on site in China. Any awardee on site in China, the host country, at the time of application will NOT be eligible for any travel or visa reimbursement.

Thanks to generous contribution of CAS, fellowship awardees will receive a monthly stipend (to cover accommodation and other living expenses, local travel expenses and health insurance) of RMB 7,000 or RMB 8,000 from CAS through UCAS/USTC, depending on whether he/she has passed the qualification test arranged by UCAS/USTC for all doctoral candidates after admission. All awardees will also be provided tuition and application fee waivers.

Any fellowship awardee who fails the qualification test twice will face the consequences including:

• Termination of his/her fellowship;
• Discontinuity of his/her doctoral study at CAS institutions;
• Being provided with a certificate of attendance for the period of study undertaken in China but not a formal doctoral degree.

All the procedures will adhere to UCAS/USTC regulations and rules.

The funding duration of the fellowship is up to 4 years with NO EXTENSION, divided into:

1. Maximum 1 year study of courses and participation in centralized training at UCAS/USTC, including 4 months compulsory courses in Chinese Language and Chinese Culture;
2. Practical research and completion of degree thesis at colleges and schools of UCAS/USTC or CAS institutes.

General conditions for applicants:

Applicants must:

• Be maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2018;
• Not take up other assignments during the period of his/her fellowship;
• Not hold Chinese citizenship;
• Applicants for doctoral study should also:
• Meet the admission criteria for international students of UCAS/USTC (criteria of UCAS/criteria of USTC).
• Hold a master degree before the beginning of the fall semester: 1 September, 2018.
• Provide evidence that he/she will return to their home country on completion of their studies in China according to CAS-TWAS agreement.
• Provide proof of knowledge of English or Chinese language.

Please note:

• Applicants currently pursuing doctoral degrees at any university/institution in China are NOT eligible for this fellowship.
• Applicants CANNOT apply for both UCAS and USTC simultaneously.
• Applicants can ONLY apply to ONE supervisor from ONE institute/school at either UCAS or USTC.
• Applicants can only apply to one TWAS programme per year, therefore an applicant applying to the 2018 CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship call will not be eligible to apply for any other TWAS fellowship in 2018.

Step By Step Guideline

In order to successfully apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship, applicants are requested to follow a few key steps that are indicated below:

1. CHECK ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

You should verify that you are eligible and meet ALL the eligibility criteria specified in the “General conditions for applicants” section of this call (e.g. age, master degree, etc).

2. FIND AN ELIGIBLE HOST SUPERVISOR AFFILIATED WITH COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS OF UCAS/USTC, OR CAS INSTITUTES THAT AGREES TO ACCEPT YOU.

See here for a list of eligible schools/institutes and supervisors of UCAS and here of USTC.

You must contact an eligible supervisor and get his/her approval before applying for the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship. Please send him/her an explanatory e-mail together with your CV, research proposal and any other required documents when establishing the contact with the supervisor. 

3. FILE YOUR FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION VIA THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM OF CAS-TWAS PRESIDENT’S FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME.

A. Visit our official website for the fellowship online application system.

Create your own account, and follow the instructions to finish the online application form.

B. Prepare and upload the following supporting documentation to the fellowship online application system:

• Your regular passport which has at least 2 years validity (only pages showing personal and validity details are needed);
• Complete CV with a brief introduction of research experience;
• Originalcopy of the certificate of university degrees held (both undergraduate and postgraduate; graduates having just completed their degree should provide an official pre-graduation certificateshowing their student status and stating the expected graduation date);
• Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese;
• Original copy of transcripts of both undergraduate and post-graduate education;
• Detailed research proposal;
• Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 published academic papers;
• Foreigner Physical Examination Form (Attachment 1)

C. Acquire TWO reference letters:

You must ask two referees (NOT the host supervisor, preferably TWAS members, but not a mandatory requirement) familiar with you and your work to

1) upload their scanned reference letters (signed, dated and on official headed paper with contact phone number and email address) to the fellowship online application system and

2) send the original hard copies to the UCAS/USTC fellowship office before deadline.

Reference letters in the body of e-mails will NOT be accepted! TWAS will not provide any information e.g. e-mail addresses of TWAS members or liaise with TWAS members on behalf of applicants.

Please note:

1. All the above supporting documentation must be in English or Chinese, otherwise notarial translations in English or Chinese are required.

2. Make sure the electronic version of supporting documentation is in the right format as requested for the online application system.

3. If you are awarded the fellowship and are admitted by UCAS/USTC, you MUST present the originalhardcopy of your university certificates (both undergraduate and postgraduate), transcripts AND regular passport to UCAS/USTC fellowship office upon your arrival in China, otherwise you will be disqualified.

4. Your application documentation will not be returned whether awarded or not.

4. SUBMIT YOUR ADMISSION APPLICATION VIA THE ONLINE SYSTEM OF UCAS/USTC:

• For admission application to UCAS, you MUST also submit your information and required documents via UCAS online system following its instructions.
• For admission application to USTC, you MUST also submit your information and required documents via USTC online system following its instruction.

5. REMIND YOUR SUPERVISOR TO COMPLETE AND SIGN THE SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT PAGE (Attachment 2) AND SEND IT TO UCAS/USTC BEFORE DEADLINE.

• For UCAS applicants, please ask your supervisor to send the hard copy of Supervisor’s Comment Page to the institute/college he/she affiliated with.

• For USTC applicants, please ask your supervisor to email the scanned copy to presidentfellow@ustc.edu.cn or send the hard copy to the Office of International Cooperation (229, Old Library).

Deadline for submitting all material and applications:

31 MARCH 2018

Where to enquire and submit application

1) Applicants for UCAS, please contact:

Ms. Xie Yuchen

CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme UCAS Office (UCAS)

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China

Tel: +86 10 82672900

Fax: +86 10 82672900

Email: president-fellowship@ucas.ac.cn

2) Applicants for USTC, please contact:

Ms. Lin Tian (Linda Tian)

CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme USTC Office (USTC)

University of Science and Technology of China

96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 China

Tel: +86 551 63600279

Fax: +86 551 63632579

Email: presidentfellow@ustc.edu.cn

Note: It is important to remember that your supervisor can be helpful in providing answers to your enquiries. Please keep in close touch with your supervisor during the whole process of your application.

Relevant information

CAS is a national academic institution in China consisting of a comprehensive research and development network, a merit-based learned society and a system of higher education, focusing on natural sciences, technological sciences and high-tech innovation in China. It has 12 branches, 2 universities and more than 100 institutes with around 60,000 staff and 50,000 postgraduate students. It hosts 89 national key labs, 172 CAS key labs, 30 national engineering research centers and about 1,000 field stations throughout China. As a merit-based society, it has five academic divisions. CAS is dedicated to addressing fundamental, strategic and farsighted challenges related to the overall and long-term development of China. CAS and TWAS have had a close and productive relationship for many years, often involving TWAS's Regional Office for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific (http://www.twas.org.cn/twas/index.asp).

Read more about CAS: http://english.www.cas.cn/

UCAS is a research-intensive university with over 40,000 postgraduate students, supported by more than 100 institutes (research centers, laboratories) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which are located in 25 cities throughout China. Founded in 1978, it was originally named the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first graduate school in China with the ratification of the State Council. UCAS is headquartered in Beijing with 4 campuses and is authorized to grant doctorate degrees in 39 primary academic disciplines, offering degree programs in ten major academic fields, including science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, education, management science and more. UCAS is responsible for the enrollment and management of the doctoral candidates of the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme admitted by UCAS.

Read more about UCAS: http://www.ucas.ac.cn/

USTC is the first university established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958. It is a comprehensive university including science, engineering, management and humanity science, oriented to frontier science and high technology. USTC took the lead in launching Graduate School, the School of Gifted Young, large national scientific projects, etc. It is now a prominent Chinese university and enjoys high reputation worldwide, and therefore is the member of the China 9 Consortium consisting of the top 9 universities in China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C9_League). USTC is one of the most important innovation centers in China, and is regarded as “the Cradle of Scientific Elites”. USTC provides both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. There are 14 faculties, 27 departments, graduate school and software school on campus. According to the world acclaimed university rankings, USTC has always been ranked among the best universities in China. USTC is responsible for the enrollment and management of the doctoral candidates of the CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme admitted by USTC.

Read more about USTC: http://en.ustc.edu.cn/

TWAS is an autonomous international organization, founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, by a distinguished group of scientists from the South to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the South. In 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) assumed responsibility for administering TWAS funds and personnel on the basis of an agreement signed by TWAS and UNESCO. In 2004, the Government of Italy passed a law that ensures a continuous financial contribution to the Academy's operation.

Read more about TWAS: http://twas.ictp.it/

• Attachment1.pdf
• Attachment2.doc

Joint PhD Studentship: DFT-based Simulations of Energy Materials and Quantum Computer Materials, Hong-Kong & Taiwan

Project 1 description (Catalyst):
Metal catalysts applied on fuel cells will be computed by using density functional theory, such as VASP code. The research highlights are :
    1) Oxygen adsorption on bimetallic catalysts
    2) Oxygen reduction reactions; search for transition states
    3) Hammer Nørskov d-band model
    4) catalyst design

Project 2 description (Quantum Computer Materials):
The aim of the project is to develop methods and study paramagnetic color centers in diamond and related wide band gap materials by means of
first-principles calculations. The research highlights are :
    1) Identification and characterization of color centers in diamond and related wide band gap materials.
    2) The electronic structure and the fine magnetic properties of the appropriate color centers will be determined by density functional theory methods.
    3) The effect of surface functionalization on diamond and related wide band gap materials.

Studentship Details:
The student will spend 1.5 years at NTHU, Taiwan under the supervision of Prof TY Chen and HY Chen, who has considerable experience in the field of computational heterogeneous catalysis. In the following 1.5 years at the City University of Hong Kong, the student will work with Dr A Hu and
Dr JP Chou.

Major responsibilities
The main responsibilities are to pursue your doctoral studies. A successful student  is expected to develop scientific concepts and communicate the outcomes verbally and in writing and gain the necessary skills to pursue a career in the future.

Position summary:
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of 3 years of studies.

Qualifications
The successful candidates should have:
(1) Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, i.e., TOEFL (over 79, internet based) or IELTS (6.5 or above); or other test scores (like band 6 in the Chinese mainland's College English Test, with a minimum score of 490) that may be regarded as equivalent.
(2) Master of Science in Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science
(3) Able to work independently and take responsibility for progress and quality of the projects
(4) Experience in computational/theoretical physics or chemistry or Material Science
(5) Basic concepts in quantum mechanics

Application procedure
Application materials should be sent electronically and be attached as compressed (zipped) pdf-files, as below:
• (Required) CV
• (Optional) Personal Statement (1-3 pages where you introduce yourself, motivation of applying for this position, present your qualifications, future goals...)
• (Optional) Research Plan/Focus.
• (Optional) Previous research fields and main research outcomes. Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• (Optional) Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, eg. TOEFL test results.
• (Optional) Two references that we can contact.

Starting Term: Spring 2018 or Fall 2018
Funding Notes: Contact Employer
Supervisor(s):
Dr. Jyh-Pin Chou jpchou@cityu.edu.hk
(Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong)
Prof. Tsan-Yao Chen chencaeser@gmail.com
Prof. Hsin-Yi Chen, Tiffany hsinyi.chen@mx.nthu.edu.tw
(Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)

Interested candidate please send your CV directly to jpchou@cityu.edu.hk and hsinyi.chen@mx.nthu.edu.tw

For more jobs and scholarships Join us @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1685338968416560/

CAS President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI)

Description
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) offers a package of international fellowships, collectively called the “CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI)”, to support highly-qualified international scientists and postgraduate students to work and study at CAS institutions and strengthen their scientific collaboration with CAS researchers. The PIFI program is available for four categories of international researchers and students: distinguished scientists, visiting scientists, postdoctoral researchers and international PhD students.
Fellowships
♦ Category A: PIFI for Distinguished Scientists
The CAS President’s International Fellowship for Distinguished Scientists supports leading international scientists to conduct a lecture tour at CAS for 1-2 weeks. Each professor is invited to visit at least two CAS-affiliated institutions (research institutes or universities) to lecture and interact with CAS researchers and postgraduate students. He or she is also expected to host CAS postdoctoral researchers at CAS expenses at his or her lab for a research stay of 1-3 months.
This fellowship provides each awardee with a stipend of ￥50,000 per week, to cover all expenses for this lecture tour, including a round-trip international airfare, accommodation, meals, transportation and honorarium.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates should be well established and internationally recognized scientists in their respective research fields, having obtained outstanding scientific accomplishment and prestigious international honors, awards or prizes.
♦ Category B: PIFI for Visiting Scientists
The CAS President’s International Fellowship for Visiting Scientists supports high-caliber international scientists to carry out cooperative projects at CAS-affiliated institutions for 1-12 months. The fellowship aims to create or strengthen partnerships between CAS host institutions and the recipients’ home institutions.
The fellowship provides a monthly stipend to cover living expenses, health insurance in China, and economy-class round-trip international travel. Awardees of full professor or equivalent title, associate professor or equivalent title, and assistant professor or equivalent title will receive stipends of ￥40,000, ￥30,000 and ￥20,000 per month respectively.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates should have:
1.  Academic title of at least assistant professor or equivalent;
2.  A record of outstanding scientific accomplishment;
3.  Five years’ work experience in a well-known university, research institution or multinational corporation;
4.  A collaborative research proposal prepared in cooperation with the CAS host institution.
* Successful UK applicants for category B is supported by CAS-Royal Society exchange programs under the “UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund”.
♦  Category C: PIFI for Postdoctoral Researchers
The CAS President’s International Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers supports promising young international scientists to conduct research at CAS-affiliated institutions for 1-2 years.
CAS offers an annual salary to postdoctoral researchers to cover living expenses and health insurance in China. Each selected awardee will receive a pre-tax stipend of ￥200,000 per year. In addition, the fellowship provides an economy-class round-trip international travel.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates should:
1.  Be citizens of a country which has diplomatic relations with China
2.  Hold a PhD in natural or technological sciences;
3.  Be under the age of 40;
4.  Have a recommendation from a CAS host researcher;
5.  Be able to communicate well with the CAS host researcher;
6.  Present a collaborative research proposal prepared in cooperation with the CAS host institution.
* Successful UK applicants for category C is supported by CAS-Royal Society exchange programs under the “UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund”.
♦ Category D: PIFI for International PhD Students
The CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship for International PhD Students supports 200 international graduates each year, to pursue their PhD degrees at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) or CAS institutes around China.
International students will take regular training courses at UCAS/USTC for about a year and carry out research and dissertation at CAS institutes. In addition to tuition waivers, this program will provide travel support and visa application fees for selected awardee, as well as a monthly allowance to each awardee.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates should:
1.  Be citizens of a country which has diplomatic relations with China ;
2.  Be under the age of 35;
3.  Have no other assignments during the period of his/her fellowship;
4.  Meet the admission criteria for international students of UCAS/USTC;
5.  Hold a Master’s degree before the start of the fellowship period;
6.  Have working proficiency in either English or Chinese;
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
1.  Applications for categories A, B or C must be submitted through the main host institution affiliated to CAS. Applications submitted by individuals will NOT be accepted.
Before applying:
► Identify an appropriate CAS host researcher working as a faculty member at a CAS-affiliated host institution. (For a full list of CAS-affiliated host institutions, please refer to http://english.cas.cn/institutes/research_bodies/.)
► Work out a short-term visitor’s program or research proposal with the CAS host researcher before completing the application form.
Before submitting, the following documents should be prepared:
► Application form in English (Please download the application form from http://english.bic.cas.cn/AF/Fe/201507/P020150723556104375165.xls)
► A recent passport-sized digital photograph (in color)
► Copy of passport data page
► Personal CV in English (including education and work experience)
► Copy of the highest obtained educational diploma/degree certificate, and/or professional qualification certificates
► Research proposal(except applicants for distinguished scientists), including objective, detailed description of project, timetable and reasons for the collaboration
► One recommendation letter from CAS host researcher, in Chinese
► For postdoctoral researchers, two recommendation letters from two professors in relevant fields (one of whom should be the applicant’s former PhD supervisor)
Submission:
► Send your application form and all material to your CAS host researcher and he/she will take responsibility to submit your application via our online application system
► If the applicant intends to cooperate with more than one CAS institution, it is the responsibility of the main host institution to submit the application.
Notice:
The deadline for submitting all material and applications is 1st, September of every year.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Bureau of International Cooperation
Chinese Academy of Sciences
52 Sanlihe Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100864, China
Tel: +86-10-6859 7521
Fax: +86-10-6851 1095
Email: casfellowship@cashq.ac.cn
Website: http://english.bic.cas.cn/
2. Applications for category D must be accepted by your CAS host supervisor. Application CANNOT be submitted to both UCAS and USTC at the same time.
Before applying:
► Identify an eligible host supervisor affiliated with UCAS/USTC universities, schools or CAS institutes, and send him/her an explanatory e-mail together with your CV and research proposal.
Please visit UCAS or USTC to get the list of eligible schools/institutes and supervisors.
Before submitting, the following documents should be prepared:
► Admission application form for International Students
► Supervisor’s comment page with your host supervisor’s signature and CAS-affiliated institution’s stamp
► Two recommendation letters from two referees familiar with you and your work (Preferably TWAS members, but not a mandatory requirement)
► Notarized photocopy of the certificate of university degrees held (both undergraduate and postgraduate; graduates having just completed their degree may provide a pre-graduation certificate)
► Proof of knowledge of English and/or Chinese
► Notarized photocopy of transcripts of both undergraduate and post-graduate education
► Complete CV
► Detailed research proposal
► Copy of passport data page
► Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 published academic papers;
► Foreigner physical examination form
Submission:
► Visit the official website of UCAS (http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Pages/default.aspx) or USTC (http://en.ustc.edu.cn/) for the Call for Applications. Each applicant should follow the instruction to file his/her application.
► Please DO NOT send any of your supporting documentations directly to UCAS or USTC Fellowship sub-office.
Notice:
Applicants currently pursuing PhD degrees at any university/institution in China CANNOT apply for the CAS-TWAS President’s fellowship.
    The deadline for submitting all material and applications is 31st, March of every year .
For further inquiries, please contact:
► Applicants for UCAS, please inquire:
CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme UCAS Office (UCAS)
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
19A Yuquanlu, Beijing, 100049, China
Tel: +86 10 88256424/6206
Fax: +86 10 88256207
Email: president-fellowship@ucas.ac.cn
► Applicants for USTC, please inquire:
CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship Programme USTC Office (USTC)
University of Science and Technology of China
96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 China
Tel: +86 551 63607981
Fax: +86 551 63607982
Email: presidentfellow@ustc.edu.cn 

Attachment：

• PIFI Program Application Form.xls