Visiting Student

Are you a Masters or PhD/Doctoral student interested in using approaches from complexity science in your thesis research? Would an immersion in the scientific community at the Complexity Science Hub help advance your project? We invite applications from ambitious students who wish to conduct a 2–12-month research visit with us, working in collaboration with one of our resident faculty members on a project of mutual interest. Students should bring an existing research project (doctoral-level) or have a concrete proposal for a new project (masters or doctoral level) and must be able to precisely describe what skills, knowledge, and/or experience they hope to gain from their time at the Complexity Science Hub. In addition, our scientific community is highly interactive and non-hierarchical so we also want to learn from you. What experience, specialized knowledge, or do you want to share with us?

• Enrolled in a Masters/Diploma or PhD/Doctoral program in the natural, physical, or social sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or related disciplines with a strong quantitative foundation. 

• Prior research experience (internship, practicum, or as part of courses) so as to be familiar with the research process

• Comfort with a programming language such as Python, R, Mathematica, Matlab, or Julia; and/or substantial experience with statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, or Stata

• Ongoing research project or new project proposal that aligns with the research themes of the Complexity Science Hub

• Proficiency in English

The Complexity Science Hub hosts a limited number of Visiting Students throughout the year. Visiting Students have access to: 

• mentorship and collaboration with one of the Complexity Science Hub’s exceptional faculty members 

• weekly talks from prominent invited speakers and resident researchers covering a wide breadth of topics

• topical workshops and meetings, allowing a deep exploration of Complexity Science Hub research themes

• immersion in the intellectual and social life of the Complexity Science Hub and the student community

• personal workspace, IT infrastructure and support, daily tea-time, and administrative support 

The Complexity Science Hub does not offer financial support to Visiting Students. Students should seek support through their home universities or other funding sources, such as ERASMUS+.

Please note: Applications that do not provide the information as requested below will not be considered. 

Biographical info include standard fields 

Documents:

CV:

Standard academic CV. No particular format is required, but you are welcome to use this template.

Cover letter:

This should not be a typical cover letter. Instead, we would like a proposal for the visit: 
Outline the ongoing or proposed research project you would like to undertake at the Complexity Science Hub, including 
(1) specifically what skills, knowledge, and/or experience you hope to gain from the research visit; 
(2) the research theme(s) and/or faculty member(s) that you believe best fit your interests and goals; 
(3) what particular experience, skills, or knowledge you’d like to share with us; and 
(4) the desired length of the research stay and, if known, preferred dates. (max. 3 pages)

Additional documents:

(1) Brief letter of support from the thesis supervisor or study director or program chair/coordinator. This is not a letter of recommendation but rather should simply specify that, if accepted, the student would be eligible to undertake a research visit at CSH during their studies.

(2) For Masters/Diploma students: Unofficial transcript or list of relevant coursework