Joint doctoral campaign of the Université de Lyon & the China Scholarship Council (CSC)

Note: beware of double applications!

The main goal of this program is to enable eligible students selected by the Université de Lyon and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) to complete a thesis in a research unit under the Université de Lyon.

The Université de Lyon and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) have been pursuing an agreement since 2013 which provides for the funding by the Chinese government of 30 Chinese doctoral students per year.

To be admitted into a doctoral program in France, you must have a research subject, a supervisor and a funding. Thesis subjects are provided by the research supervisors.

A PhD program lasts 3 years but can be extended to 4 years if it is scientifically relevant and if there is available funding.

Usually, French is the language of the dissertation and defense. However, it is possible to write and to defend in another language, but in this case, there must be a written abstract in French (and sometimes an oral abstract too).

The doctoral student is attached to a doctoral school (in French, a doctoral school is called "école doctorale -ED"), according to his/her scientific area and registered as a student at a selected higher education and research institution. The doctoral school manages and validates the selection of candidates, guarantees the scientific quality of supervision and provides doctoral students with interdisciplinary training The higher education and research institution decide the admission into a doctoral program and awards the degree.

Each doctoral student has to take a certain limited amount of "doctoral courses" adapted to their scientific and professional aims. This training may consist of participation at a scientific seminar or at short training sessions. The Université de Lyon offers a wide range of training opportunities which seek to provide doctoral students with transferable skills and to help them in ensuring their future employability.

Once they are admitted into a doctoral program, doctoral students pay registration fees as well as the Student Life and Campus Tax (CVEC). This tax of €90 must be paid every year. PhD students have to register on their own to France's social security system. This procedure is free of charge.

The Université de Lyon has 17 doctoral schools which cover all fields of research.

Note: beware of double applications!

Some member institutions of the Université de Lyon (ENS de Lyon, INSA Lyon & Centrale Lyon) have similar agreements with the CSC. Be careful not to apply through both ways as this could have consequences for other applications.

1. Applications opening: July 3, 2023
2. Thesis proposals must be sent to international.office@universite-lyon.fr until September 15, 2023
   
3. Validation Security Defense of thesis offers by the Université de Lyon: September 2023
   
4. Publication of approved thesis proposals: December 2023
   
5. Student applications to thesis directors and doctoral schools: between January & February 2024
   
6. Communication of the names of the successful candidates to the UdL: no later than March 1, 2024
7. Shortlisted candidates should submit their CSC scholarship applications directly via the CSC website between March 10 and March 31, 2024
8. The thesis director, via his laboratory, sends his institution's Defense Security Officer (FSD) the complete file of the candidate selected for authorization of the doctoral student's access to the laboratory (approximately 2 months)
9. The CSC communicates the results of the selection to the University of Lyon, which in turn transmits them to the Doctoral Schools: end of May 2024
   
10. The selected doctoral students will arrive in France on September 1, 2024.

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of China;
• Hold (or be a future holder of) a Master’s degree or equivalent that demonstrates your aptitude for research;
• Be in the 2nd year of a Master’s degree or 1st year of a PhD for a basic grant;
• Be in the 2nd year of a PhD for Cotutelle grants;
• Have a very good level of French or English, depending on your scientific field (a minimum level of B2/C1 is recommended).

STEP #1
If a subject or theme corresponds to your project: send your application to the thesis director (detailed CV and cover letter in the requested language).

or

If you have a thesis subject to propose: send your application (detailed CV and cover letter in the requested language) along with the thesis subject to the director of the corresponding doctoral school.

STEP #2
Your application will be reviewed by a research team. You may be asked to submit more information or to have an interview on line.

STEP #3
The research teams select the candidates. The director of the lab and the director of the doctoral school validate the selection.
 

STEP #4
You will receive a letter of acceptance of your application signed by the director of the host laboratory, the thesis director and the director of the doctoral school. You will attach this letter to your CSC application.

STEP #5
You submit your application file directly on the application portal hosted on the CSC website from March 10 to 31, 2023.

STEP #6
You are notified of the result of the CSC scholarship by the doctoral school, subject to the access authorization (FSD) to your host research laboratory.

FYI
The Université de Lyon wishes to encourage applications:

• From universities in Shanghai (ECNU, Tongji, Fudan, Jiao Tong Shanghai, New York Univeristy Shanghai) partners of the Université de Lyon,
• As part of an existing program between an establishment in Lyon or Saint-Étienne and a Chinese institution,
• For joint doctorates.

• ED 162 - MEGA Mécanique Energétique Génie civil et acoustique   March 11, 2024 Effects of particle shape and microstructure on the crushing and mechanical behaviors of rockfill materials (pdf - 175 Ko) Rockfill materials (RFMs) are widely used in engineering structures, e.g., rockfill dams, road embankments. Particle breakage has an important impact on the mechanical behavior of RFM. For example, grain breakage may induce an increase in the volumetric strain and a decrease in the peak state friction angle, a decrease of the critical state friction angle, and of the corresponding deviatoric strain. The crushing characteristics of rockfill particles are greatly affected by its shape and microstructure.
• ED 160 - EEA Electronique Electrotechnique automatique   March 11, 2024 Estimation of movements for ultra-fast and high-resolution cardiovascular MRI imaging (pdf - 213 Ko) Movements have an omnipresent impact on cardiovascular MRI imaging. Their presence often makes it difficult to analyze and exploit acquired images and subsequently various properties of cardiovascular structures (vessels, myocardium). The goal of the present PhD thesis aims to estimate various movements for ultra-fast and high-resolution cardiovascular MRI imaging.
• ED 512 - InfoMaths (Informatique et Mathématiques)  March 11, 2024 Mobile-adaptive Fog/Edge Computing System and Overlay Network for Efficient Planetary-Scale Interconnection of the Internet of Everything (pdf - 112 Ko) Recent technological evolutions, including cloud and mobile computing, are turning computing ubiquitously distributed. With 27 billions of devices estimated at the horizon of 2025, building large planetary-scale, efficient and robust distributed systems and communication infrastructures is notoriously challenging. Existing approaches to interconnect data centers across the world rely on in-memory event-based systems with strong, stable connections. Interconnecting Edge/Fog datacenters at the border of the network will raise new challenges: social mobility, service roaming, heterogenous Edge/Fog computing capabilies, different application goals: delay-sensitive data flows, QoS, privacy.
• ED 512 - InfoMaths (Informatique et Mathématiques)  March 11, 2024 Production and transport planning in additive manufacturing (pdf - 139 Ko) The aim of the project is to develop methods and tools to help manufacturers with the digital transition of production activities. We will be particularly interested in additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) technologies.Additive manufacturing is evolving and is currently in its first phase of industrialization. Applications are multiplying and some are starting to have a real impact on the supply chain. The originality and the scientific lock therefore concern the simultaneous consideration of the production and transport of parts in additivemanufacturing machines, the estimation of manufacturing times, the scheduling of launches and distribution.
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   February 29, 2024 A multi-scale study of biopolymer-clay interaction (pdf - 145 Ko) The search for more environmentally-friendly alternative materials in the field of soil science and civil engineering. This investigation is motivated either by the resource scarcity and by the increasing interest for the environment protection. For example, soils are usually stabilized using cement or lime. These hydraulic binders give good mechanical performances however are not biodegradable and pose some durability problems. On another hand, the carbon footprint of these materials is bad. As alternative, more environmentally-friendly approaches are developed.
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   February 29, 2024 Heat and mass transfer numerical modeling of carbonated recycled cement based material microstructure at high temperature (pdf - 126 Ko) The use of recycled materials from demolished concrete contributes to limit landfill and the systematic use of natural resources. Using recycled cement from the deconstruction concrete is an extension of this approach. When used as a partial substitution for cement in cementitious materials, it may also be a solution to reduce the environmental impact of these materials. Recent studies on utilization of CO2 in concrete production have been focused on the CO2 treatment on recycled concrete cement paste [1–3]. In addition to the manufacture of low CO2-emission binders for cement-based materials, works have been done on combining CO2 capture with preparation of cement-based materials, carbonation treatment in cement based material productions [4].
• ED 162 - MEGA Mécanique Energétique Génie civil et acoustique   February 29, 2024 Modeling the impact of mineral composition on the hydromechanical properties of rocks: from hydrothermal alteration to the large-scale behavior of reservoirs (pdf - 245 Ko) The analysis of the socio-economic potentials and challenges related to the exploitation and use of the soil and subsoil in the demographic (constructible and exploitable surfaces, transport, etc.) and energy (geothermal, geological storage, etc.) current context is crucial. The current context of energy transition aims in particular to gradually move from the use of limited and polluting energies (fossil fuels, radioactive wastes, greenhouse gases, etc.) to renewable and environmentally friendly energies. This fundamental environmental transition, towards a world with "carbon-free energy", requires an increased knowledge of the processes of formation and exploitation of the mineral and energy resources of the subsoil. This knowledge is necessary in order to better consider their exploration and exploitation.
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   February 29, 2024 Multi-Scale Numerical Approach for Predicting the Mechanical Behavior of Textile Reinforced Concrete Structures (pdf - 109 Ko) Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) has gained significant prominence across diverse fields, particularly in civil engineering, where it offers an effective solution for reinforcing deteriorated concrete structures. Comprising multi- or uni-axial textile reinforcements embedded within a fine-grained cementitious matrix, TRC emerges as a compelling alternative to conventional Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites. This material has excellent mechanical properties, better fire resistance (compared to polymer-based composite materials) and contributes to sustainable development objectives. TRCs, characterized by their highly anisotropic nature and nonlinear hardening behavior, depend on intricate multiscale mechanisms to determine their macroscopic performance
• ED 656 - Cancérologie biologie santé  February 14, 2024 Chalcogenide based materials for photocatalytic applications (pdf - 111 Ko) This project intends to discover new photocatalysts able to collect the sunlight and convert it for diverse applications such as oxidation and reduction for the target species. For this purpose, as was recently stated by Li et al.,1 achieving the quest of discovering the ideal photocatalysts is far from over. An effective photocatalyst must have at least three of the following characteristics: (1) high light- harvesting/absorption, (2) efficient charge carriers’ separation and transport, and (3) fast surface catalytic reactions. In this frame, different classes of materials were suggested; these could be oxides, vanadates, and also metal chalcogenides
• ED 476 - NSCo Neurosciences et Cognition  February 14, 2024 Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying food valuation (docx - 49 Ko) A fundamental component of our decisions in our daily life is the valuation of food. This decision process is performed multiple times a day, and is common to many species including humans. According to an array of studies using diverse methods, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and adjacent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) play a key role in representing the expected value or utility of options at the time of decision making [1–5]. Value signals have been found in this region in response to cues or actions associated with many different types of potential outcomes, such as food rewards, but also monetary rewards, consumer goods and even more abstract goals such as pursuing imaginary leisure activities
• ED 512 - InfoMaths (Informatique et Mathématiques)  February 12, 2024 Asset portfolio optimization under climate risks and credit risks (docx - 46 Ko) Under the Network for Greening Financial System (NGFS), more and more international banks commit themselves to align their asset portfolios with the carbon trajectories of the Paris agreements. The aim of this thesis is to incorporate the carbon emission mitigation impact, such as the SSP pathways or the ESG ratings, into the asset portfolio choice. These climate factors will be considered as supplementary information sources when performing optimization criteria of the portfolio.
• ED 52 - PHAST Physique et Astrophysique de Lyon  February 12, 2024 Attochemistry: Electron-nuclear dynamics in correlation bands (pdf - 92 Ko) The advent of attosecond physics allowed the observation and manipulation of dynamic processes occurring within the intrinsic time scale of the charge motion in atoms and molecules. This has opened the door to the realization of the dream of attochemistry, namely to control chemical reactions through the manipulation of the pure electron dynamics taking place in the first instants after the excitation of the system.
• ED 206 - Chimie Procédés Environnement  February 12, 2024 CO2 as a transient directing group for the catalytic remote C-H functionalization of alcohols (pdf - 699 Ko) The catalytic formation of C-C bonds directly from the corresponding C(sp3)-H bonds is a powerful method to quickly improve molecular complexity. The recent advent of photoredox catalysis has opened new opportunities in C-H activation by allowing the generation of free radicals from C(sp3)-H bonds through catalytic hydrogen atom transfers (HAT).
• ED 476 - NSCo Neurosciences et Cognition  February 12, 2024 Deciphering the interactions between food intake, sleepiness, and nighttime sleep quality in patients with type 1 narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia: the NARCOFOOD study (docx - 48 Ko) The mechanisms of regulation of vigilance states and food intake are closely linked. This interaction, as evidenced by numerous epidemiological and experimental studies indicating that insufficient sleep promotes obesity, may involve neural circuits that simultaneously regulate both phenomena. In healthy subjects, sleep deprivation promotes obesity by stimulating food intake, especially of foods with a high glycaemic index (GI).
• ED 340 - BMIC Biologie Moléculaire Intégrative et Cellulaire  February 12, 2024 Deciphering the potential role of kambo to cure acute myeloid leukemia (docx - 46 Ko) This thesis project is part of a research program started in 2022, following the observation of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who get cured after having followed the shamanic ritual of kambo (Heiblig et al, Hemasphere 2021). Kambo is the application of the skin exudate of the frog phyllomedusa bicolor on freshly burnt skin of the patient. The exudate contains hundred of bioactive peptides, among which certain might have antileukemic activities.
• ED 476 - NSCo Neurosciences et Cognition  February 12, 2024 Dynamics of brain rhythms supporting the formation and recollection of episodic memory in rats (docx - 44 Ko) Episodic memory is the ability to mentally reconstruct a specific personal life episode by associating the episode with its context of occurrence. Recent studies in humans have begun to explore the brain networks that support the formation and retrieval of episodic memory1. However, these studies have many limitations. For example, fMRI or EEG lack temporal or spatial specificity. In contrast, intracranial recordings overcome these limitations, but they are rare, constrained by medical aims, and patients suffering from epilepsy often also suffer from memory deficits.
• ED 512 - InfoMaths (Informatique et Mathématiques)  February 12, 2024 Gröbner-Shirshov bases for higher algebras, operadic rewriting and machine learning completion algorithms (docx - 49 Ko) This thesis is part of a research program, at the interface of homotopical algebra, higher algebra and fundamental computer science, aimed at developing constructive methods based on rewriting theory to analyze the homotopical properties of higher algebras.
• ED 205 - EDISS Interdisciplinaire Sciences et Santé  February 12, 2024 Mechanical characterization of medical textile using Elastography (docx - 46 Ko) The topic of this experimental PhD thesis concerns elastography, a medical imaging technic based on elastic wave. Elastography aims at characterizing mechanical properties of soft tissues. It will be used on medical textile membranes. This subject is thus composed of two distinct equal parts made of fundamental science on one side, and applied physics on the other side.
• ED 656 - Cancérologie biologie santé  February 12, 2024 Mechanism of action and role of new regulators of senescence in cancer and aging (pdf - 163 Ko) Applications are invited for a PhD candidate to join the « Cellular Senescence, Cancer and Aging » team led by Dr David Bernard in the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL), located in Lyon, France. The CRCL provides an excellent scientific environment for research, comprising around 500 research scientists and many core facilities and support services (imaging and cytometry platforms, animal house facility,…). The « Cellular Senescence, Cancer and Aging » lab is a young, dynamic and international team of around 20 members.Cellular senescence is an important process regulating different physiopathological processes from embryonic development to aging. In particular, it promotes various age-related diseases, including cancer, and shortens the lifespan.
• ED 485 - EPIC Education Psychologie Information et Communication  February 12, 2024 Motives and innovation processes in chinese female olympic athlete sponsorship (docx - 47 Ko) In 2014, the Chinese State Council promulgated “Guidelines on Promotion of Sport Industry and Sport Consumption” to promote the growth of the sports industry. These guidelines have become a turning point for considering sport industry as a potential market in China (Liu et al., 2017). The total value of the sport industry in China reached 398 billion euros in 2020, representing 1.06% of the gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the 0.6% share in 2012 (Wang, 2022). However, despite this strong focus from the Chinese Government, the sport Chinese’s sport industry growth has been unbalanced and women sport in China still lags behind its men counterpart
• ED 52 - PHAST Physique et Astrophysique de Lyon  February 12, 2024 Quantum-dot-in-perovskite as single photon sources (docx - 57 Ko) Quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates to serve as single photon sources (SPS) which can be coupled to quantum memories.1 Epitaxially-grown InGaAs QDs represent the state-of-the-art of quantum computing technologies with QDs,2 but they have severe drawbacks: Their growth process is not easily scalable to industrial fabrication as it is complex, slow, expensive and not environmentally friendly. Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs), on the other hand, offer an economical, easy-to-tune, highly fluorescent alternative to epitaxially grown QDs.
• ED 656 - Cancérologie biologie santé  February 12, 2024 Ribosome biogenesis impact on vimentin in metastatic cancer cells (pdf - 236 Ko) It emerges that the ribosome, through the diversity of its composition, is a direct player in translational control. Our team has shown for the first time that ribosome composition is chemically modified during tumorigenesis (Marcel et al, Cancer Cell 2013; Erales et al, PNAS 2017). Alterations in ribosome biogenesis have also been linked to the activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells (Morin et al., Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022).
• ED 52 - PHAST Physique et Astrophysique de Lyon  February 12, 2024 Search for a second low-mass (mh<110 GeV) Higgs boson and measurement of the properties of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, decaying to two photons with the CMS experiment at the LHC Run 3 (pdf - 90 Ko) CMS ("Compact Muon Solenoid"), one of the two general-purpose experiments at the LHC ("Large Hadron Collider") at CERN, has as its goals the search for new phenomena beyond the Standard Model, as well as the precision measurement of Standard Model processes. The thesis supervsion team contributed significantly to the discovery in 2012 [1] of a Brout-Englert-Higgs boson (commonly known as a ‘Higgs boson’) in the diphoton decay channel. Since the Standard Model predicts only one Higgs boson, a natural pathway towards the discovery of new physics is therefore the search for a second Higgs boson.
• ED 206 - Chimie Procédés Environnement  February 12, 2024 Single-Particle-ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma -mass spectrometry) characterization of Nano&Microparticles extracted from the environment (docx - 51 Ko) The fast growth in the production and use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) increases also environment exposure to these new pollutants. New ANALYTICAL METHODS are required to follow this new environment issue. Nano materials, due to their unique properties are employed in many applications including medicine, remediation, cosmetics and foods additives. For example, TiO2 and ZnO in Nano form are extensively used in current sunscreens and their wide use spreads the nano-particles in our environment.
• ED 512 - InfoMaths (Informatique et Mathématiques)  February 12, 2024 Statistical properties of high dimensional dependence structures with Generalized Gamma Convolutions (pdf - 96 Ko) Modeling dependence structures is an important task when studying multi-dimensional data such as (re)insurance losses for example. In this context, risk factor models are often used and the infinite divisibility is a very desirable property. Unfortunately, if many useful distributions are infinitely divisible, computing the distributions of their pieces is usually a challenging task that requires heavy numerical computations.
• ED 340 - BMIC Biologie Moléculaire Intégrative et Cellulaire  February 12, 2024 Studying network-signaling in Pituitary tumors to identify new tumor-microenvironment interactions and actionable therapeutic targets (pdf - 183 Ko) Pituitary Tumors (PiTs) are the second most common adult intracranial neoplasms These tumors account for up to 15% of brain tumors and they represent a major health issue with an incidence of 1 case out of 1500 persons. While patients suffering from Prolactinoma, Corticotroph- and Somatotroph-tumors have seen the development of efficient therapeutic options, Gonadotroph tumors (GoTs) – that originate from FSH andLH producing-cells and account for up to 35% of total PiTs – are still lacking therapeutic treatments. This later point is a major clinical challenge as GoTs are multi-recurrent tumors with an unpredicted time-course following their surgical resection (relapse at 5 years being seen in 10-40% of patients)
• ED 484 - 3LA (Lettres Langues Linguistique & Arts)  February 5, 2024 The language of identity construction and representation among ageing populations, a cross-cultural approach (docx - 54 Ko) Linguistic research has made significant contribution to the manner in which age and ageing are understood. This is demonstrated by the recent emergence, in China and elsewhere, of gerontolinguistics (Zhang Yan & Guo Yin, 2020; 泰行, 2008, Makoni et Grainger, 2002).
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   January 25, 2024 Characterization of memory immune responses at mucosal surfaces (docx - 47 Ko) The development of immunological memory is the basis of the persistent protection afforded by the resolution of viral or bacterial infections. Following a first exposure to an antigen, T and B cells can differentiate into antigen-specific memory populations which may display faster response to antigen re-exposure.
• ED 476 - NSCo Neurosciences et Cognition  January 25, 2024 Circadian disruption and aberrant light exposure as compounding factors for photoreceptor degeneration (pdf - 612 Ko) Circadian rhythms are a fundamental hallmark of every cellular and physiological process throughout the body. These rhythms are programmed by molecular clocks widely distributed in mammalian tissues, including the retina.
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   January 25, 2024 Crossmodal impact of underwater noise pollution on multimodal communication and social interaction in fish (pdf - 209 Ko) Elucidating how environmental and social constraints shape the evolution of communication in vertebrates is a major challenge in science. Natural and anthropogenic factors can affect communication and behavior in fish (Ferrari et al., 2010; Duarte et al., 2021; Vieira et al., 2021) For example, chemical cues can inform of the presence of a predator or a male rival (Ferrari, M.et al., 2010; Chabrolles et al., 2017a).
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   January 25, 2024 Deciphering the bioelectric code of cell differentiation (pdf - 200 Ko) Several teams have highlighted how inflammation plays a key regulatory role in the resolution of a trauma, and how an altered inflammatory response can lead to delays or increased rates of complications.
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   January 25, 2024 Development of an innovative organizational solution for resilient and sustainable hospital logistics (pdf - 311 Ko) The evolution of logistics systems and the development of new information and communication technologies have led to the need to restructure, relocate and consolidate hospital logistics flow management centers. The objective is to facilitate the services and activities of healthcare institutions and the actors involved, such as nursing staff, transportation services (of patients, medications, wastes, etc.), catering, etc. To this end, this research work focuses on the development of an innovative and sustainable organizational solution for setting up logistics equipment centers (or hospital logistic hubs).
• ED 488 - SIS Sciences Ingénierie Santé   January 25, 2024 Effect of nacre supplementation on phosphocalcium metabolism during aging: contribution of an aged rodent model (docx - 53 Ko) Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a decrease in the amount and quality of bone. It weakens the skeleton and increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis and the resulting fractures are an important cause of disability and loss of autonomy. The overall cost of osteoporotic fractures in France is estimated at €86 million per year (hospitalization and re-hospitalization). These fractures can have serious consequences: only ¼ of patients fully recover their functional abilities while 20% of them die within a year of this event.
• ED 486 - SEG Sciences Economiques et de Gestion  January 25, 2024 Farming and urban land fragmentation (pdf - 592 Ko) Urbanization leads to a large pressure on farmlands through different means. Directly by taking land out of agriculture to build houses, industrial zones and infrastructures. Indirectly through increased operating costs through land fragmentation, increased market power to buyers and suppliers, and potential conflicts with urban population.
• ED 492- Droit   January 25, 2024 The emergence of a global data law (docx - 46 Ko) Data, taken as the digital representation of acts, facts or information, and any compilation of these acts, facts or information, particularly in the form of sound, visual or audiovisual recordings, are the object of all kinds of covetousness. They are at the heart of the Internet and the business models of its major players.