CERN provides career opportunities for students and recent graduates through various programs. The summer student program accepts about 300 students annually for 8-13 week placements. The technical student program accepts around 180 students for 4-14 month assignments working on technical projects. The doctoral student program funds about 60 students annually for 3 year placements to complete their PhD thesis work. The fellowship program is for recent graduates, offering 2-3 year placements with an employment contract and career development. In total, CERN has over 14,000 staff, students, fellows and users from over 80 countries. The Netherlands contributes about 1.6% of the total CERN workforce but submits a higher percentage of applications to the summer student program compared to other programs.

2. Career Opportunities at CERN
for students and recent graduates
HBO lectoren visit
SIA/CERN/NIKHEF
Ingrid Haug
Section Leader Students and Associates, HR Department
5 March 2015

3. Agenda
I. Overview
II. Student Programmes
• Summer Students
• Technical Students
• Doctoral Students
I. Fellowship Programme
II. Statistics on NL Representation

4. I. OVERVIEW
STAFF
~ 2500
Recruited from our Member States, paid by
CERN with limited duration or indefinite
contracts.
Fellows
~ 650
recent graduates in physics and engineering,
normally staying two years.
Students
~ 600
Come for a practical training assignment, write
their Diploma or PhD thesis at CERN.
Associates
~ 220
Scientific and Corresponding Associates:
senior scientists coming on leave of absence.
Project Associates: Physicists, engineers and
technicians sent by their home institutes for
periods of up to 3 years.
USERs
~ 11.000
Sent by their universities to „use“ the CERN
facilities
> 80 Nationalities und > 600 Univ. and
Institutes.
Who works
at CERN ?

5. II. Student Programmes
Summer Students 2014

6. Summer Student Programme
Fields
physics (incl. particle physics) =2/3 of
students
engineering, computing
Length
8 to 13 weeks, during the summer
Eligibility
3 years of full-time studies at university level
Features
high-quality lecture programme
visits and workshops
living allowance
accommodation at the CERN hostel
Application & Selection
Deadline January. Web selection by the
supervisors, Offers in March
“Can’t imagine a better way to
spend my summer”
Over 6000 young scientists
have benefitted to date...
Participate in the day to day life of a research team and follow lectures.
~300 positions/year (150 for Member States and 150 for Non Member States)

7. 2015 Summer Student Programme
988 Applications in total from our Member States
13 from NL (3 engineers 10 Phycisists)
Universities:
•Engineers: Twente, Radboud, Delft
•Physicists: Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Radboud,
Quota NL: 9
5 (CERN) + 4 NIKHEF
Pre-selected 665 in total
NL preselected: all13
Selection: 9 – 22 March
First students arrive on 8 June
Lecture Programme: 30.06.2015 – 07.08.2015

8. Technical Student Programme
Fields
Computing (50% of the students)
Engineering
physics (excl. theory and particle physics)
Length
4 to 14 months for technical students
Eligibility
18 months of technical undergraduate
studies
Features
technical project with a CERN supervisor
a living allowance
Application & Selection
2 Committees : June and December
“It’s a great place to start a
career, it’s a great place to
learn new skills, make new
friends…”
For students looking for a practical training assignment or who would like to write
their bachelor or masters thesis at CERN
~180 positions / year

9. Careers website
cern.ch/jobs

13. Candidate
e-recruitment
Completed
application
HR
1 Reference
CV
Academic Records
Eligibility
Experience
Discipline
Nationality
Departments
- Selection tool with electronic applications are
made available to the departments for consultation
-Departmental representatives gather and prioritize
requests from potential supervisors and according
to budget.
-Final decision taken at Selection Committee
Student Application process

14. Technical Student Programme
Applications vs. Selections Students by Discipline
Applications Selections
HRT October 2014

15. Doctoral Student Programme
Fields
physics (excl. theory and particle
physics), engineering, computing
Length
3 years
Eligibility
enrolled on a doctoral programme in a
Member State university
Features
PhD thesis project with a CERN
supervisor & university supervisor
a living allowance
Application & Selection
2 Committees : June and December
“Gave me the opportunity to
meet important people,
especially in the research
fields”
For students who would like to spend 3 years at CERN to work on their thesis
~60 positions/year

16. Doctoral Student Programmes
Students by DisciplineStudents at CERN
HRT extraction on 01/01
HRT October 2014

17. III. Fellowship Programme
Fields
Physics (incl. Theory and Particle Physics), engineering,
computing
Length
Usually 2 years (max 3)
Eligibility
BSc, MSc or PhD (max 10yrs experience)
Features
Employment Contract
Career Development Programme
Project with a CERN supervisor
Application & Selection
2 Committees : May & November
“An ideal place to follow
the most recent ideas in
physics and start new
collaborations”
For recent graduates who would like to spend 2-3 years in a world renowned center of
scientific excellence at the forefront of technology
~220 positions/year
To mention: Marie Curie Fellowships: funded by the European Commission
under the Framework programmes. Goal: training of scientisits.

18. III. Fellowship Programme
By Discipline

19. VI. Statistics NL Representation
NL 2015 contribution: 4.6%
HRT extraction – March 2015
Category Total Dutch % Dutch
STAFF 2,479 69 2.8%
Fellows 635 8 1.3%
Doctoral Students 184 4 2.2%
Technical Students 223 3 1.3%
Summer Students 142 9 6.34%
Administrative Students 37 0 0%
USER 10,746 145 1.3%
Total 14,446 238 1.6%

20. Applications from NL
between 0.4% and 2% of CERN total
applications come from NL

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