PhD preparation at INRIA

Version française

Preparing the thesis - Work conditions -
Complementary training - Main steps and follow-up - Funding

A doctoral project and industrial training opportunities for quality doctoral dissertations.
Preparing a doctoral thesis is simultaneously a three-year period of training through research and an initial professional experience. It is an important stage that is often a determining factor in a career. Each doctoral candidate can define this period to a certain extent depending on personal goals.

Preparing a thesis within an INRIA research project-team is an opportunity to get involved in creative work and to acquire state-of-the-art skills in the field of information technology. By nature, research is specialized. It must however be based on a general scientific culture that doctoral candidates must broaden and improve. Preparing a doctoral thesis also provides an occasion to participate in the life of a research team, participate in international exchanges and industrial collaborations.

Doctoral candidates may thus prepare themselves for research or engineering. INRIA encourages both possibilities by offering numerous complementary training opportunities and training periods.

The following document explains the spirit in which a doctoral project is conceived and unfolds. The document describes the possibilities that INRIA offers doctoral candidates and the framework set up to ensure their success. This document is the result of a debate within the research centres. Its implementation is not fixed and may vary from centre to unit, in collaboration with the university graduate programs.

Preparing the thesis

Preparing a thesis involves:
- carrying out an original and personal research in one of the fields of computer science, automatic control and scientific computing, writing a dissertation and defending it publicly,
- demonstrating an ability to write one's work in French and in English and to expound it in public during national and international conferences,
- acquiring a general culture in computer science, automatic control and scientific computing and gaining a solid programming experience.

To achieve these objectives, INRIA offers doctoral candidates:
- a quality research environment in terms of equipment and personnel and quality supervision,
- the opportunity to receive additional training: classes, seminars, thematic schools, etc.,
- an opening to foreign countries through languages classes, colloquia, European projects, stays abroad during or after the doctoral thesis,
- an opening to the industrial world through seminars on awareness of business realities, doctoral work carried out in partnership, training periods during or after the doctoral thesis.

Work conditions and contacts

The preparation of a doctoral thesis is placed under the pedagogical responsibility of a university or engineering school doctoral program. The research work is generally carried out within a project-team of one of the research centres. The work can also be part-time in a French or foreign laboratory or in industry.

Doctoral candidates are full members of the INRIA project-team that hosts them. They participate in the life of the project-team: seminars, work groups, conference and possibly contracts. They are represented in the various committees of the research centre.
A doctoral thesis is prepared under the scientific supervision of a member of the project-team. The thesis advisor is responsible for the work of the doctoral candidate. The thesis advisor guides the candidate during the proposal and development phases of the doctoral project, and remains the candidate's main contact during the whole preparation of the thesis. A successful doctoral thesis depends to a large extent on the quality of the relationship between the candidate and the advisor. Some theses are co-advised by two persons.

The advisor and the relevant INRIA services assist the candidate in looking for an employment that best suits the candidate's aspirations.
In each research centre, a doctoral committee is in charge of following up the preparation of theses in collaboration with the doctoral programs involved.

A doctoral candidate also has the possibility of discussing all questions concerning the development of the thesis with an ombudsperson.

Some organizations independent from INRIA can also help doctoral candidates during the preparation of their thesis and after that in their search for employment. This is in particular the case of doctoral candidate associations and of the Bernard Gregory association.

Complementary training and training periods

Like most doctoral programs, INRIA encourages doctoral candidates to improve their scientific culture by taking at least two Master classes during the preparation of their thesis.
In addition to university courses, courses on company knowledge and English classes are offered by the research centres.
INRIA organizes or co-organizes seminars and thematic schools and doctoral candidates are encouraged to attend them. Thematic schools usually last one to two weeks. They provide an opportunity to take stock of a subject that is not necessarily the thesis subject and to meet other young researchers.
The computer resource services of certain research centres offer assistant systems engineer training.
Doctoral candidates can also make the most of the numerous contacts between INRIA and its French and foreign, academic and industrial partners. Stays in foreign laboratories are encouraged.

Main steps and follow-up

The preparation of a doctoral thesis usually lasts three years. It is punctuated by examinations by the doctoral committee.
The doctoral committee examines the application of doctoral candidates before they are accepted at INRIA. The assessment is based on the candidate's skills, the description of the thesis subject and a letter of presentation by the thesis advisor, including the means of funding.

At the end of the first year, the doctoral committee examines the doctoral candidate's project and issues a recommendation, possibly accompanied by advice.

At the end of the second year, the candidate gives the research context, obtained results and activities carried out (communications in conferences, articles, training periods, implementations and so on) during a preliminary thesis defense. The main work directions for the final year are given.

Doctoral dissertation defenses are organized by the doctoral programs in accordance with the decree of March 30, 1992, concerning graduate studies. The defense is public and takes place in front of a committee, upon the recommendation of two referees.

Funding

There are many ways of funding the preparation of a doctoral thesis, in particular, through fellowships granted by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, the DRET, the CNRS, the large institutions and the regional councils.
CIFRE fellowships make it possible to work in partnership with industry.
INRIA's research teams also finance a large number of research fellowships on self-resources associated with research contracts. This represents around one third of the doctoral candidates hosted by INRIA.

The doctoral committee makes sure that all doctoral candidates receive a research fellowship for the three year period of preparation.
Extensions beyond 36 months must be justified and accepted by the doctoral committee and the doctoral program.

Click for a list of fellowships.