Call for applications

Six LUOVA fellowships for 2012-2015 have been decided

The board of LUOVA interviewed 14 applicants on 17 November 2011 and decided to grant the fellowships as follows:
Fabritius, Henna	3 years	2012-2014
Gruber, Christina	2 years	2012-2013
Hällfors, Maria	4 years	2012-2015
Jousimo, Jussi	4 years	2012-2015
Meller, Laura	4 years	2012-2015
Tuomola, Aino	4 years	2012-2015

Six postgraduate fellowships for 2012-2015 available in LUOVA doctoral programme

The Finnish School in Wildlife Biology, Conservation and Management (Finnish acronym LUOVA) trains students in the fields of ecology, conservation, and management of natural populations and communities. The doctoral programme is run by the Department of Biosciences at the University of Helsinki in collaboration with the following member institutions:

	Department of Environmental Sciences
	Department of Forest Sciences
	Department of Agricultural Sciences
	Finnish Museum of Natural History
	Lammi Biological Station
	Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
	Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA)
	Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL)
	Metsähallitus (Finnish forest and park service)

LUOVA now offers six 4-year doctoral programme fellowships, starting January 1st, 2012. The salary of the fellowships will be determined according to the university's salary system (YPJ).

Since we are primarily looking for students about to initiate their PhD studies, the applicant should have earned his/her higher academic degree (i.e. Master's degree or equivalent) in 2009 or later. Exceptions to this are applicants who have delayed the start of their PhD studies due to military or non-military service, or parental leave. This delay must be explained in the cover letter of the application (see 'Application documents' below). Graduate students finishing their Master's degree studies in late 2011 are welcome to apply as well. Such applicants' Master's thesis must be approved and graded by November 16th, 2011 and they must be granted a Master's degree by December 31st, 2011.

Successful applicants who are granted admission to LUOVA may start their PhD project at any of LUOVA's member institutions and must enrol as postgraduate students at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences or the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki.

Application documents

Please, submit your application by e-mail to luova-info(at)helsinki.fi as a single pdf-file with the following:

1.	a free-form 1-page cover letter describing your background, your general expectations regarding postgraduate studies, and why LUOVA would be the most suitable doctoral programme for you,
2.	a CV, which clearly states the topic and grade of your MSc thesis, and the grades of your MSc certificate, and
3.	one of the following:
	a)	a research plan (max. 3 pages) from applicants who have already agreed on a PhD project with a supervisor or have already started working on their PhD project,
	b)	a tentative description of a PhD project (max. 3 pages) from applicants who have an idea for a project but have not yet found a supervisor (if granted admission to LUOVA the applicant may start working on the project described in the application or may change the topic), or
	c)	a summary of the applicant's Master's thesis (max. 3 pages) from applicants who do not have a PhD project or an idea for one; this summary must describe the theoretical frame work, implications and scientific significance of the thesis; a mere thesis abstract will not suffice.

If the supervisor named in 3a) is not an official LUOVA supervisor the named supervisor must prepare his/her own membership application to LUOVA according to instructions available here. The supervisor's application must be submitted by the application deadline.

If the student applies with either 3b) or 3c) and is granted admission to the doctoral programme he/she must agree on a PhD project with an existing LUOVA supervisor.

In addition to the above documents, applicants must post a copy of their MSc degree (or equivalent) certificate to the doctoral programme coordinator Anni Tonteri, Department of Biosciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. Furthermore, all applicants must ask two referees to send a letter of recommendation (preferably in pdf format) by e-mail directly to luova-info(at)helsinki.fi.

If the applicant has not been granted an MSc degree (or equivalent) by the application deadline a transcript of credits issued by the applicant's university (unofficial is sufficient) and a letter of support from the student adviser or professor in charge of the applicant's major subject must be included in the application instead of the certificate copy. The purpose of these two documents is to ensure that the applicant's Master's thesis will be approved and graded by November 16th, 2011 and he/she will be granted a Master's degree by December 31st, 2011.

Applicants who were granted an MSc degree (or equivalent) in 2008 or earlier and have delayed the start of their PhD studies due to military or non-military service, or parental leave should explain the reason of the delay in the cover letter of the application.

All documents must be submitted in English except for the MSc certificate copy and transcript of credits which can also be in Finnish or Swedish. The documents must be received by Friday the 16th of September 2011 at 16:00 o'clock. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered!

Application procedure

The call for applications is open between August 15th and September 16th, 2011. The board of LUOVA will review the applications. Please note that incomplete or late applications will not be handled. All applicants will be contacted by October 21st, 2011, and some are invited for an interview. All interviews will take place mid-November at the Viikki campus, Helsinki on a later announced date. Unfortunately LUOVA is not able to cover travel expenses for the interviewees.

The decision on acceptance will be based on the applicant's:

	previous study success (Master's thesis and MSc certificate grades, and CV),
	motivation for postgraduate studies (cover letter, and interview),
	potential for scientific thinking and to develop into an independent scientist (research plan/tentative description of a PhD project/summary of Master's thesis, and interview), and
	presentation skills (interview).

 

Further information

For further information please contact the doctoral programme coordinator Anni Tonteri, tel. +358-(0)9-19157743, e-mail luova-info(at)helsinki.fi, or director Prof. Ilkka Hanski, tel. +358-(0)9-19157745, e-mail ilkka.hanski(at)helsinki.fi. See also the frequently asked questions and their answers below as well as LUOVA's code of practice.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Master's or equivalent higher academic degree?
The duration of a Master's degree (including undergraduate and graduate studies) is at least four to five years of full-time study. In a two-cycle degree system, the student first completes a Bachelor's degree in about three years. After the Bachelor's degree, it usually takes two years for the student to be awarded a Master's degree. The Master's degree must include a Master's thesis.

Do I need to be granted with the right for postgraduate studies by my faculty when I apply?
No, this call is open to all who have or will be granted with a Master's degree between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011. You don't have to be an accepted PhD student when you apply. If you are succesful and selected for one of the open positions you may apply for to right for PhD studies at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences or the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry afterwards.

I'll finish my MSc studies in November 2011 and thus cannot send a copy of my MSc degree as I don't have it yet. Can you please explain what the transcript of credits and letter of support from student adviser or professor are?
The transcript of credits is a document issued by your university showing the completed studies and their grades. This is needed to assess your previous study success which is one of the evaluation criteria. Students at the University of Helsinki can order an unofficial transcript through the WebOodi information system. The letter from student adviser should explain when your Master's thesis will be graded, the current status of your studies, and whether graduation is feasible by the end of the year.

I still need to take two courses and write up my thesis during the autumn term 2011 and will graduate after that in January 2012. May I apply?
No, this call is open to applicants who have been or will be granted a Master's or equivalent higher academic degree between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011. All applicants' Master's thesis must be graded and approved by the time of the interviews, and the applicants must graduate by December 31st, 2011. In most cases this means that we consider applications only from those already holding an MSc or equivalent degree, or alternatively, from those who have completed their degree studies but are lacking the formal qualifications due to administrative steps at their university.

I graduated in May 2008, had a baby in September 2008 and was on parental leave until April 2009. May I apply?
Yes, we consider applications from those who received their Master's degree (or equivalent) in 2008 or earlier if the reason for the delayed start of PhD studies is military or non-military service, or parental leave. Please explain the reason for the delay in your cover letter. In general, it is also good to mark these kind of gaps in your employment/study history in your CV.

I got my Master's in 2007 and after that a Licentiate degree in 2009. May I apply?
A Licentiate degree is a postgraduate degree. If the higher academic degree that gives eligibility for postgraduate studies in Finland (i.e. Master's or equivalent degree) has been completed in 2008 or earlier you are not eligible to apply.

I got my Master's in December 2009 and started my PhD studies in January 2010. May I apply?
Yes, as long as the higher academic degree has been or will be awarded between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011. However, if granted a postgraduate fellowship in LUOVA, the board may decide to shorten it so that the total time for PhD studies will be four years.

I got my first Master's degree in 2007 and will get another one from a Master's programme this autumn. May I apply?
If the second Master's degree includes a Master's thesis and provides you with sufficient knowledge and skills needed for postgraduate studies in the fields of science represented by LUOVA you may apply.

I did not quite understand if I have to have a project for the PhD thesis already when I apply. Can you clarify this?
You don't have to have a project when you apply. LUOVA wants to give equal chances for all applicants and the positions are granted to the most talented ones. If a fellowship is granted to a student who does not have a project by the time of applying he/she may contact LUOVA supervisors and look for an interesting project.

I have already started my PhD studies. Can I ask my supervisor to write me the letter of recommendation?
Your supervisor may write the letter but only if he/she is not one of LUOVA board members. Board members will not write reference letters.

Can I ask the referees to email the reference letters to me and then send them to LUOVA together with the rest of the application documents?
No, the referees should send the letters directly to the doctoral programme coordinator. The coordinator will connect the letters with the corresponding application.

I got my Bachelor's and Master's degrees at different universities. Do I have to send copies of both diplomas?
No, copy of the Master's diploma is enough.

Do the diploma copy and the transcript of credits have to be certified copies?
No, a normal copy is enough.

How many applications does LUOVA usually receive for this kind of call?
LUOVA fellowships are very competitive and in recent years the acceptance rate has been between 9% and 14%.