General information about the „Chemistry and Moleculare Sciences“ PhD-Program

As of January 2013 the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry cooperates with the University of Zurich in the framework of the PhD-Program „Chemistry and Molecular Sciences“. Together with the University of Zurich the University of Berne will organize

• Lecture Visits
• Summer Schools
• Soft-Skill-Courses

for the PhD-students and Postdocs of both universities. The following text summarizes the various program parts and the responsible contact persons.

Lectures
Contact person: Prof. Philippe Renaud is the contact person in Bern of the "Guest Speaker"-Program of the University of Berne.

The chemistry professors of the DCB ask external professors/experts to hold a lecture at the University of Berne. In exceptional cases the guest speaker might be asked to lecture at the University of Berne and at the University of Zurich as a kind of small lecture tour. During the visit of the guest speaker the PhD-students and professors have the opportunity to discuss their research area with the guest speaker. These discussions will take place in group visits, at luncheons with the guest speaker together with up to 6 PhD-students and during a dinner with professors of the DCB.

Administration: The guest speaker will get compensated with either a honorarium or the actual travel expenses. Lunch and dinner expenses of the University employees will be reimbursed through the student administration office.

Summer School
Contact person: Prof. Philippe Renaud is the contact person in Berne of the "Summer School"-Program.

Each summer 1-2 Summer Schools will be organized at the Eurotel Victoria in Villars-sur-Ollon. The organizers are professors of the University of Bern and the University of Zurich and these Summer Schools will be offered to students of both Universities but also to interested participants of other Universities or the industry.

Administration: The organizer himself is responsible for the announcement of the Summer School, the registrations, the information of the hotel about the details of the stay etc. The financial administration of the Summer Schools organized by the University of Berne is handled through the student administration office.

Soft-Skill-Courses
Contact person: Prof. Jean-Louis Reymond is the contact person in Berne of the "Soft-Skill-Courses"-Program.

Each year the following Soft-Skill-courses will be offered for PhD-students and Postdocs:

1. Communication Skills (best suitable for 1st year students)
2. Management Skills (best suitable for 2nd year students)
3. Leadership Skills (best suitable for 3rd and 4th year students)
4. Writing for Publications in Chemistry and Biochemistry (for all semesters)

There is a total of 24 spots available for the first three courses for the students from the University of Berne and the  same number of spots for the students from the University of Zurich. The courses will be organized based on demand and in each course there will be usually 6 participants. For the 4th course there are 15 spots available in Berne. This course will normally be offered once a year in the spring.

Administration: A part of the costs will be covered by the participating industrial partners. The remaining travel expenses will be covered by the PhD-program and can get reimbursed through the student administration office.