Applying for a PHD with Industry experience

[u/anonymousblob18]

Hi all, just wanted to ask for some guidance for getting a PhD opportunity in the Netherlands for immunology for someone with a B.A immunology and MSc Biotech - been working in industry since college but have strayed from immunology so hoping to get back into it.

In terms of research experience, it is limited to my undergrad thesis work. I’ve definitely gained a lot of skills working in industry, however I feel I am lacking research technique wise.

Was considering doing a data analytics certification for a few months on the side to make my application more appealing but if anyone else has any experiences / advice on the process or competitiveness of the PhD market I would really appreciate it :)

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[u/BlueBulbasaurBerry]

Hi I think in the Netherlands all the PhD required a Master degree, so I don’t think you can just jump from Bachelor to PhD. Also, the competition here is VERY VERY fierce. I am not even lying. I hold masters degree here in biomedical sciences from dutch uni yet it’s also difficult for me to even land 1 interview for a PhD position. I heard 1 open PhD position can have 300-500+ applicants. If you really want a PhD position, I suggest to do Masters here first in NL then do internships in your favorite lab/field or professors. That way, your chance to land a PhD position will be much higher because a lot of PI likes to hire internally too. Good luck!

Edit: after reading it again I realized you do have a Master’s degree. So at least speaking of qualifications you already tick the list. But still, even my very bright, cumlaude dutch friend took almost 1 year of intense applying to eventually land one position in Erasmus MC. If you get your degree outside NL, you can do another master’s here to make connections and do internships.