Research

The MEME programme has been designed for providing students an optimal training for a subsequent PhD project and eventually a career in academic research. Students in the MEME programme will spend at least half of their time (60 EC) doing research, carrying out at least two different projects. During this time, MEME students are embedded in research groups and participate in all (scientific and social) activities, including research seminars, literature clubs and group discussions. Each student is individually supervised by an experienced researcher who will ensure that the student learns how to do research. At the end of their project, students are expected to produce a Master’s thesis which is tangible proof that the student is able to tackle a research problem and report the results in line with common scientific practice.

Finding a Project

Although research projects are key elements of the MSc programme at all partner universities, the exact regulations concerning these projects differ slightly between these universities. Please refer to the MEME Study Guide for exact details regarding the regulations.

• For Groningen, check the research projects overview of the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES).
• For Uppsala, check the research page of the Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC).
• For Munich, check the Faculty of Biology website for an overview of research groups and opportunities.
• For Montpellier, check the Research page for an overview of research groups and institutes within the Université Montpellier.
• For Harvard, check the website of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB).

Research at Harvard

Harvard University is an associated partner of the MEME programme. Per cohort, a maximum of eight students gets the opportunity of spending one semester at Harvard for conducting a research project. Students interested in this option contact potential Harvard supervisors (not before April or May in their second semester!) in order to discuss potential research projects. Based on a brief research plan, the student’s CV, and an invitation letter of the host group, our colleagues at Harvard make a selection among the applying students.

All Harvard projects are co-supervised from one of the four European partner universities, and the project counts as a degree project at that university. In other words, MEME students studying at Harvard do not receive a Master’s degree from Harvard, but from the European partner university co-supervising the Harvard project. However, the MEME academic transcript issued upon graduation clearly describes that part of the research has been conducted at Harvard.

MEME students with a Category A scholarship should be aware that they can study outside the European partner universities for a maximum of 3 months. This implies that they either have to reduce their time at Harvard to 3 months or lose part of their scholarship. In contrast, Category B scholarship holders have to spend a whole semester (6 months) abroad if they are admitted to Harvard.