PhD

Doing a PhD means tackling the challenge of becoming a specialist in on specific topic, of learning the exciting profession of being a researcher. It also implies becoming the central figure of a partnership involving the supervisors, the Doctoal School and and research lab that each support the PhD student in different ways.

For PhD proposals that fall within the scope of the PATHS Graduate School at JMU, we strive to provide additional support for candidates and their supervisors, from assistance in procuring funding or establishing partnerships to implement the PhD research, to measures facilitating the young doctor's professional integration after completing their PhD.

Support for PhD candidates

All our PhD candidates receive training within the Doctoral School of Science, Engineering, and Health in Saint-Étienne and are hosted in one of our outstanding research laboratories. The two main laboratories, the Interuniversity Laboratory of Movement Biology (LIBM) and the Health, Engineering, and Biology Laboratory of Saint-Étienne (SAINBIOSE), are distinguished by their multidisciplinary approach, state-of-the-art facilities, and strong reputations.

In French universities, PhD students enrol in a doctoral school, which oversees the administrative and regulatory framework of the PhD as well as providing PhD coursework. Doctoral students at the PATHS Graduate School enrol in the Sciences Engineering and et Health doctoral school (ED SIS 488) in the Health Engineering, Medicine, and Sport area, one of the eight thematic areas of this highly interdisciplinary doctoral school.

The ED SIS 488 brings together PhD candidates from Jean Monnet University, École Centrale de Lyon, and École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne - Institut Mines Télécom, with nearly 250 accredited research supervisors across 24 laboratories and 8 thematic areas. This strongly transdisciplinary approach is a real advantage for PhD candidates looking to enhance or diversify their expertise. For instance, several of our PhD candidates have explored the applications of AI-based algorithms within research projects related to the thematic field of the PATHS Graduate School.

The ED SIS in Saint-Étienne hosts an average of over 350 young researchers pursuing their PhDs, with nearly 100 new doctoral candidates each year. It is a highly international doctoral school, offering a significant portion of its courses in English whereas nearly 40% of the enrolled candidates are international students. The ED SIS school is highly rated, with key strengths including its top-tier scientific environment, supported by several excellence hubs such as EUR or Graduate Schools, associtiing many highlmy attractive research teams generating a high proportion of industry-funded CIFRE PhDs (nearly 20%), and an outstanding professional integration rate, with nearly 90% of its graduates securing employment aligned with their studies within two years of defending their thesis.