Institut Imagine participates in the Pasteur Paris-University (PPU) program for the recruitment of international doctoral students in collaboration with several Parisian universities.
Who is this program for?
It is intended for students who hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) from a university outside France, and who have not worked or resided in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to their recruitment (October 1st, 2026).
The selection of the PPU-IMAGINE program is organized by Institut Imagine and selected students carry out their research in one of Institut Imagine lab.
Why join Institut Imagine?
By joining the program, students gain access to a stimulating and ideal environment for the training and career development of young researchers.
In addition, students can expand their knowledge by taking specialized courses and benefiting from an extensive seminar program with speakers from around the world. Students enrolled in the PPU-IMAGINE program will have access to the following activities or workshops offered by the PPU program:
- Oral presentation workshop
- Journal Club
- Scientific Integrity and Ethics Training courses
- French language courses
- Organization of the annual retreat
- Other PPU social activities (Luncheons)
Students are selected on a competitive basis. Candidates are first pre-selected by the host laboratories and their joint applications are then presented to a selection committee.
Doctoral students selected to follow this program at Institut Imagine will benefit from a specific 3-year employment contract with a net pre-tax monthly salary of ca. €2,200 (including health insurance, mutual insurance and provident funds) and the possibility of accommodation at the Cité International Universitaire de Paris.
At the end of their studies (usually three years), students support their PhD according to European guidelines.
Application process
1. Call for applications: the 2025-2026 call for applications begins on September 1st, 2025, and ends on October 20th, 2025. Please see below for the proposed PhD research projects. Candidates may contact potential host laboratories for further information.
Please note that candidates can only apply for a maximum of 2 PPU-IMAGINE projects.
2. Matching between project leaders and candidates from October 21th, 2025, to November 12th, 2025: the project leader selects 1 candidate from the applications received; the project leader and their candidate finalize their joint application by November 12th, 2025. Please note that to carry on with the selection process (joint application), candidates must choose one single project.
3. Pre-selection of candidates: applications are sent to a jury, which ranks and preselects the applications. Candidates will be informed of the status of their application and any follow-up action as of mid-December 2025.
4. Interview week: candidates will be invited to come to Institut Imagine for interview sessions between February 3rd, 2026 and February 5th, 2026. Candidates will then be informed of the follow-up action to their application.
5. Beginning of the thesis: selected candidates are expected to start their PhD at Institut Imagine on October 1st, 2026. Please note that the selected candidates must be affiliated with the university/doctoral school of their host laboratory.
Projects
2025 PPU-IMAGINE's projects will soon be available.
To apply
Call for applications will be open on September 1, 2025.
If you need more information, please contact the PPU-IMAGINE Team at callapplication@institutimagine.org
Language requirements
The program is run in English and therefore fluency in English is required. Any knowledge of French is not ultimately necessary. French language courses are part of the trainings offered during the first year of the PPU-IMAGINE PhD program.
To see more!
The videos below feature two PPU-IMAGINE students sharing their insights on the PPU-IMAGINE program. It might offer some useful takeaways. We recommend giving it a look!
