The opening of positions for PhD studies at CUT is decided by each Department and advertised by the University’s Student Services, every academic semester. Interested students can apply to the program by completing an application form and providing all supporting documents according to the regulations of the university.

The following documents are required to be submitted with the application:

• Photocopy of ID card or passport.
• Photocopies of a recognized Master's and Undergraduate Degrees. The former should be fully completed, or a statement must be provided confirming its completion prior to commencing the doctoral program.
• Certificate of proficiency in Greek and English (note: for Greek-speaking programs, it is only required to prove English language proficiency) *
• Transcript for Bachelor's and Master's Degrees.
• Curriculum vitae
• A short report (500 words) with the reasons for selecting the program, the research objectives and the candidate's interests.

* Accepted evidence of English language proficiency is: G.C.E /O-Level with a minimum score of C or ELTS / IELTS of at least 6.5 or TOEFL of at least 580 (paper-based test) / 82 (internet-based test). Graduates of an English-taught university curriculum are exempted from this requirement. For the Greek language, a certificate of aptitude is a bachelor's degree from a Greek-speaking secondary school or a diploma from a higher education institution. https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/admission/

The Student Services run a preliminary check on the applications and forward to the Department all applications that meet the minimum criteria. A three-person committee consisting of members of the academic staff of the Department (chaired by the academic staff who opened the position) evaluates the applications for each position. The committee forwards their decision to the Studies Committee of the Department, which then forwards the decision to the Departmental Council for approval.

Applicants are evaluated based on the quality of their previous studies, the relevance of their studies to the PhD position, and their overall academic and work qualifications.

The Department uses the following criterial for the evaluation of PhD applications.

• Prior education and relevance to the position.
• Content of the two reference letters.
• Personal interview if deemed necessary.
• CV of the applicant
• Quality of the personal statement in support of the application.
• English language competency.

Transfer of PhD students from other universities

CUT accepts the transfer of PhD students from other universities to its doctoral programs if they satisfy the minimum requirements as outlined in Annex 3 of the current application.

The doctoral programme consists of 242 ECTS where at least 62 ECTS concern the teaching part of the programme and at least 120 ECTS concern the purely research part of the programme. The rest of the workload concerns the comprehensive examination, the elaboration and presentation of the research proposal and the drafting of the Doctoral Dissertation as follows:

1. Compulsory courses at postgraduate level    62 ECTS
2. Comprehensive examination and Submission of Research Proposal          30 ECTS
3. Research / Dissertation preparation   120 ECTS
4. Submission of PhD dissertation and public dissertation defense            30 ECTS

A doctoral student who has completed their coursework and carries out research / writes up their thesis is assigned a workload equivalent to 30 ECTS for that particular academic semester.

The coursework for the PhD program is the same as that for the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology offered by the ABF Department (Tables 1-4). The full application for evaluation of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology is attached as Annex 1 of the current application, and details about the coursework can be found in the MSc application.

Applicants with a Master’s degree are exempted from the coursework of the PhD program, with the exception of the course “Experimental Design and Biostatistics” ABF 509 – 7 ECTS, and the course ABF 512 “Post-graduate seminars” – 2 ECTS. Students who took an equivalent Master’s level course can be exempted from taking the “Experimental Design and Biostatistics” course - ABF 509.

Students can be accepted into the PhD program without a Master’s degree, only if they have obtained a BSc with a grade of “Excellent”. Students entering the PhD program without a Master’s must take the coursework of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology (Tables 1-4 and Annex 1). The full application for evaluation of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology is attached as Annex 1 of the current application.

The structure of the PhD program at CUT follows the postgraduate study rules of the Cyprus University of Technology (https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/79/79220_100III_Rules_Postgraduate.pdf and Annex 2 for a brief English translation). The procedures for quality assurance (https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/Quality+assurance+for+PhD+/) are outlined in section 9 of the current application.

Upon entering the program students are assigned a three-person Supervisory Committee. The 3-member Supervisory Committee is appointed by the Council of the Department upon recommendation of the Studies Committee of the Department and the Research Advisor of the student, who chairs the Committee and consists of:  

a) The student's Research Advisor (Chair of the Committee). It is understood that in the case of two research advisors, this provision concerns the principal supervisor. It is further understood that the second research advisor is allowed to participate in the Supervisory Committee as a member.

b) Two members from the academic staff of the Department or from another Department of the University in a related field of study or from another University or Research Center. It is understood that members from another University or Research Center are invited if, at the discretion of the Department, there are no members from the academic staff of the Department or from another Department of the University who are relevant to the subject matter.

Doctoral students need to be successful in their comprehensive examination from the third to the sixth academic semester of study. The nature and process of conducting and evaluating as well as the nature and content of the comprehensive examination are decided by the Supervisory Committee of the Student. The subject matter of the comprehensive examination covers topics in the general area of the student’s specialization, but not necessarily directly relevant to his PhD research.

The Department is responsible for planning its comprehensive examinations.

It is understood that the Department should offer the possibility of a comprehensive examination at least once in the academic year so that each student has at least two opportunities to take the exam up to the sixth academic semester of his/her studies. In the case of an oral examination, the examination board should be the three-member Supervisory Committee and a record should be kept and submitted to the Council of the Department and registered in the Student Register kept by the Academic Affairs and Student Welfare Service. The comprehensive examination is marked with Success or Failure. Each doctoral student has two opportunities to take the comprehensive examination, provided that they take place up to the sixth academic semester of study. It is understood that in the case of a second failure in a comprehensive examination or not taking a comprehensive examination within the specified time period, the doctoral student cannot continue his PhD studies. An incomplete mark is not applicable for a comprehensive examination.

When a student succeeds in their Comprehensive Examination, they can present their PhD Dissertation Proposal to the 3-member Supervisory Committee. The presentation of the proposal must take place within four semesters of succeeding in the comprehensive exam. The PhD dissertation proposal is marked with Success or Failure. Each student has two opportunities to present their proposal. An incomplete mark is not applicable for a proposal.  

After passing their PhD Dissertation Presentation, students start working on researching and writing up the topic of their Dissertation. Submission of a Doctoral Dissertation and then public presentation of the student's dissertation can be completed at the earliest during the 6th academic semester from the student's enrollment in the Doctoral Programme.

The defense of the dissertation takes place before an Examination Board, consisting of 3 members. This Committee is appointed by the Council of the Department upon recommendation of the Studies Committee of the Department and the Research Advisor and consists of:

a) The student's Research Advisor. It is understood that in the case of two research advisors, this provision concerns the principal supervisor. It is also understood that the second Research Advisor cannot be a member of the Examination Board.

b) A member of the academic staff of the University from a related field of study at the academic rank of Professor or Associate Professor. In case there is no academic staff from a related field, a member can be an Associate Professor or Professor from another University or a University Research Center.

c) A member from another University or University Research Center of relevant field at any academic level.

The Chair of the Examination Board (Committee) is appointed by the Research Advisor. The external members of the Committees must have specializations relevant to the subject of the student's dissertation. There cannot be any conflict of interest as defined in the postgraduate study rules addendum between the student and the Examination Committee members.

The PhD dissertation defense process consists of three stages:

1. Presentation of the PhD dissertation in an open lecture.

2. Discussion and clarification of the dissertation at a face-to-face meeting with the members of the Committee.

3. Committee meeting and formulation of the final decision on the dissertation’s quality and adequacy.

Upon the end of the dissertation defense, the Committee submits a written proposal to the Chair of the Department with possible suggestions to the PhD candidate. The Chair promotes the Commission's suggestions to the Senate for approval through the Dean of the relevant School.

In case the decision of the Examination Committee is not unanimous, the Senate may refer it back to the Department and ask the Council of the Department to appoint two other external judges who will be asked to provide their views on the dissertation. The suggestions of the two new external judges are submitted to the Chair of the Department. The Chair forwards their suggestions to the Council of the Department and then to the Senate for final approval. 

In case the Examination Committee recommends changes or improvements, the Senate's final approval for the awarding of the title is given after the Research Advisor assures in writing that the recommendations of the Committee have been implemented. It is understood that improvements and written assurances will be submitted to the Senate within eight (8) academic years (sixteen semesters), which is the maximum attendance period of a PhD student.

If the Doctoral Dissertation is rejected, the Examination Committee may ask the repetition of the process once more. The conditions for re-submission are determined in writing by the Examination Committee. It is understood that the re-submission of the dissertation should take place within eight academic years (sixteen semesters), which is the maximum attendance period of a PhD student.   

The Chair of the Department sends to the Dean of the School the Examination Committee report together with the other supporting documents, the Document for supporting documentation submission for PhD title award, the Doctoral Dissertation Receipt from the University Library and a copy of the dissertation. A summary of the dissertation is presented in the Chamber of the Senate during the discussion of the Committee report. The Dean of the School, having verified that all the required documents have been submitted and that the correct procedure has been followed, submits to the Senate a summary proposal for final approval on the PhD title award, including the suggestion of the Examination Committee.

The ABF Department has additional prerequisites for the award of a PhD title, namely:

1. The candidate publishes as a first author at least one paper relevant to his dissertation in a referred journal with impact factor.

2. The candidate presents results from their dissertation in an international conference.

3. The candidate teaches as a teaching assistant at least one course from the ABF curriculum.

It is possible to award a Master’s Title to PhD programme students, who for special reasons, either interrupt their studies in the PhD programme or do not meet the requirements of the doctoral degree programme, provided that a relevant request has been submitted by the student and all Department’s requirements for the award of the Master’s title are met.  

The PhD requirements and the postgraduate rules of study are available on the CUT website at  https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/phd-prereq/?languageId=1 and https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/79/79220_100III_Rules_Postgraduate.pdf, respectively (see Annex 2 for a brief translation of the postgraduate study rules). A guide to PhD studies is available at https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/135/135154_1Odigos-PHD.pdf  (in Greek).

Additional information for the Department are available in the Application for Departmental Evaluation electronically in the CD that has been submitted with the current application (Folder “Supplement Departmental Evaluation ABF”).

Studies start in September 2023

Deadline for applications: Tuesday, 16th of May 2023 (2 p.m.)

Submit Application

Information from the Department Secretary:

Contact Form | Tel.: 25002436 | Fax: 25002767

One (1) position in: “Evaluation of phenolic composition and bioactivity of native pharmaceutical plants with the employment of state-of-the-art chromatographic techniques”

Description: The pharmaceutical plants are a boundless reservoir of bioactive compounds that are linked with diverse pharmacological effects. Cyprus is located at the crossroads of the three major flora zones of Europe, Asia and Africa; therefore a significant number of native and endemic plants is grown on the island. The objective of the present thesis is to develop hyphenated techniques where a chromatographic technique is coupled with an on-line spectroscopic technique and/or a biochemical assay for the assessment of bioactivity. The state-of-the-art hyphenated techniques allow the fishing of bioactive compounds in pharmaceutical plants without laborious and time-consuming steps of isolation and structural characterization. The implementation of the thesis will provide an integrated platform of high resolution for the study of possible pharmacological effects of native plants.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related disciplines. Applicants must have an excellent working knowledge of the English language. Previous relevant research experience will be considered. Candidates will have to support interview for the current position.

Funding: The candidate can potentially be employed as a teaching assistant, receive an internal scholarship from the University, based on his/her excellence, while he/she can participate in funded research projects which potentially can secure a scholarship.

Research Advisor: Vlasios Goulas, Assistant Professor, vlasios.goulas@cut.ac.cy

 

One (1) position in: “Greenhouse crops and intensive cultivation systems (i.e. Hydroponics) for the vegetables and Aromatic Plant production”

Required Qualifications: Bachelor and Master from an accredited University in Agricultural Sciences or Biology or related disciplines. Applicants should be fluent in English. Previous relevant research experience will be considered.

Funding: No funding is foreseen for this position at this stage. Chosen candidate may be hired as teaching assistant, or upon his/her performance acquire internal scholarships. The candidate may be funded through external funding sources (research or services).

Research Advisor: Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Assistant Professor, nikolaos.tzortzakis@cut.ac.cy

 

One (1) position in: «Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Fresh Produce/ Alternative processing methods and their effects on quality and safety»

Required Qualifications: Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences, Food Science/Technology or Food Chemistry or other relevant degree in the area. Applicants should be fluent in English. Previous relevant research experience will be considered. Candidates will have to support interview for the current position.

Funding: No funding is foreseen for this position at this stage. Chosen candidate may be hired as teaching assistant, or upon his/her performance acquire internal scholarships. The candidate may be funded through external funding sources (research or services).

Research Advisor: Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Assistant Professor, nikolaos.tzortzakis@cut.ac.cy; 

One (1) position in: “Adaptation of Cypriot agriculture to the new framework of the Farm to Fork Strategy”

Description: The new EU “Farm to Fork” Strategy aims at the development of a sustainable food production system. One of the main targets of the “Farm to Fork” Strategy is the reduction in pesticide use by 50% through 2030. However, there is still a long way to achieving the target, as most agricultural production relies heavily on pesticides for plant protection. The goal of the current project is to assess and develop novel crop protection practices, based on agroecological principles, to reduce the reliance on chemical pest control, in key crops. Results from the project can aid the design of public policy, as well as the uptake of greener pest control methods by farmers.

Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from an accredited University in Agricultural Sciences or Ecology or related disciplines. Applicants must have an excellent working knowledge of the English language. Previous relevant research experience, especially on modelling, is highly valued.

Funding: Qualified candidates could be funded as teaching assistants, receive internal scholarships based on excellence when and if available participating in funded research grants.

Research Advisor: Menelaos Stavrinides, Associate Professor, m.stavrinides@cut.ac.cy

 

One (1) position in: “Investigating the role of ACC in plant defense against the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae”

Description: Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne pathogen that affects a wide range of hosts including many economically important crops. The management of the disease caused by V. dahliae is particularly difficult, as no curative measures exist once the plants are infected. The investigation of plant defense responses against the pathogen can provide knowledge for the development of solutions for sustainable agriculture. The aim of the PhD thesis is to investigate the role of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the interaction of plants with the pathogen Verticillium dahliae and in the induction of plant defense mechanisms.

Required Qualifications: Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from accredited Universities in Agricultural Sciences/Biological Sciences or other related scientific fields. Candidates should perform very well in English (writing and verbal skills). Previous relevant research experience is highly valued. Evaluation includes a personal interview of the applicants.

Funding: The qualified candidate will be funded from existing funding sources of the research advisor. Moreover, depending on his/her field of expertise and qualifications, the candidate may be offered a teaching assistantship for lab-based courses of the Department, receive internal scholarships of the University based on excellence and participate in funded research grants.

Research Advisor: Iakovos Pantelides, Assistant Professor, iakovos.pantelides@cut.ac.cy

One (1) position in: “Investigation of suppressive soils against vascular wilt pathogens in Cyprus”

Description: Vascular wilt diseases are caused by soil-borne pathogens that infect plants and induce significant losses in many crops of economic importance. Vascular wilt pathogens are difficult to control because they can survive in the soil for extended periods of time and there are no effective chemical treatments to inhibit their growth once the plants are infected. The research aims to study the suppressiveness of agricultural soils in Cyprus against vascular wilt pathogens, the factors that impact the robustness of the suppressiveness and the practices contributing to its onset. The overall objective is to develop alternative crop management strategies making plants more resistant to vascular wilt pathogens.

Required Qualifications: Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from accredited Universities in Agricultural Sciences/Biological Sciences or other related scientific fields. Candidates should perform very well in English (writing and verbal skills). Previous relevant research experience is highly valued. Evaluation includes a personal interview of the applicants.

Funding: The qualified candidate will be funded from existing funding sources of the research advisor. Moreover, depending on his/her field of expertise and qualifications, the candidate may be offered a teaching assistantship for lab-based courses of the Department, receive internal scholarships of the University based on excellence and participate in funded research grants.

Research Advisor: Iakovos Pantelides, Assistant Professor, iakovos.pantelides@cut.ac.cy

One (1) position in: “Potential applications of novel engineered nanomaterials in plant-microorganism interactions”

Description: the doctoral study aims to develop and evaluate plant priming technologies coupled with advanced nanomaterials, with the goal to achieve improved growth and production under biotic stress conditions (such as bacterial infection) and to examine potential interactions with plant beneficial microorganisms. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the supervisor for further information.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from an accredited University in Agricultural/Biological Sciences. Fluency in English language is required

Funding: Qualified candidates could be funded as teaching assistants, receive internal scholarships based on excellence when and if available or by participating in funded research grants.

Research Advisor: Vassilis Fotopoulos, Associate Professor, vassilis.fotopoulos@cut.ac.cy

One (1) position in: “Research on the use of alternative forage plants, and by-products, in ruminant nutrition with the scope of improved quality of the end product”

Description: The purpose of the research project is to study the use of alternative forage plants and by-products in ruminant nutrition both for the improvement of the end-products (eg halloumi) and for the multiple effects this has on the environment, the soil and the local community. Thus, a part of the research concerns the use of pastures and forage pastures, as applied today in Cyprus, while the main part of the research concerns field experiments with new cultivation practices (e.g. no-tillage), with alternative plants (forage legumes, mixtures) adapted to dry climates for forage production and use in ruminants. The use of alternative feeds in animal nutrition, as well as by-products rich in beneficial fatty acids and phenols (eg olive oil by-products), have been investigated in our laboratory and have attracted the interest of industry and producers. As a continuation, this PhD investigates (a) possible alternative forage plants and their cultivation methods in Cyprus, (b) their use for feeding ruminants, in combination with by-products, to create special products (eg grass-fed halloumi) (c ) the effect they may have on their digestive physiology, the quantity/quality of milk, as well as on the expression of genes involved in metabolism, and (c) the overall effect that this use of alternative plants has on social, economic and environmental level (quality local products, reduction of feed imports, increased forage production and carbon sequestration, soil health and improved water retention, etc.).

Required Qualifications: Applicants for the above post must possess a Bachelor's and Master's Degree (or only a Bachelor's Degree with a grade above 8.5/10) from a recognized University in one of the following fields: General Agriculture or Animal Production or Crop Production or Veterinary Medicine or Biology or other related field and want to carry out research on alternative forage plants and ruminants. In addition, candidates must have a very good knowledge of the Greek and English languages (level C1-C2), while previous research experience is considered an additional qualification.

Funding: The candidate may potentially be employed as a teaching assistant, receive merit-based internal scholarship from the University or other source, and may participate in funded research projects or fieldwork that may earn them a scholarship.

The candidate will receive funding of €1200 per month from external funding secured within the framework of the research project, and may potentially be employed as a teaching assistant, or receive, based on excellence, an internal scholarship from the University or other source.

Research Advisor: Ouranios Tzamaloukas Associate Professor, ouranios.tzamaloukas@cut.ac.cy

One (1) position in: “Proteomic and expression analysis of genes involved in ruminants lipid metabolism”

Description: Fat quality of dairy products is correlated to consumers’ health. The research aims to study the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolic pathways at both transcriptional and translational level and illustrate the molecular processes determining the content of milk fat in fatty acids related to human health. The research requires a particular interest in the subjects of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and will be conducted in collaboration with Universities and Research Institutes abroad.

Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from an accredited University in Agricultural, Animal or Veterinary Sciences or Biology or related disciplines. Applicants should be fluent in English. Previous relevant research experience is highly valued.

Funding: Qualified candidates could be funded as teaching assistants, receive internal scholarships based on excellence when and if available or by participating in funded research grants or provide technical and/or administrative support when needed.

Research Advisor: Despoina Miltiadou, Associate Professor, despoina.miltiadou@cut.ac.cy,

Two (2) positions in: “Agricultural Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology”

Description: The proposed research will be in the field of Agricultural Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology with indicative topics such as studies of microbial communities in various agrifood systems, agroindustrial fermentations (development of new products, study and optimization of current), biosensors for microbial detection, antimicrobial resistance in agrifood and environmental ecosystems.

Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from an accredited university in Agricultural Sciences or Food Science and Technology or Microbiology other relevant fields. Special emphasis in Microbiology or Biotechnology or Molecular Biology as well as practical (laboratory or field/industry) experience will be considered an advantage. Applicants must have a very good knowledge of the English language. Candidates will be interviewed for the current position. Applicants are advised to submit a letter of their interests in the field of Agricultural Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology showing independent thinking and ideation capacity.

Agricultural Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory is an equal opportunity, motivational and inspirational team for all applicants and its members.

Funding: Qualified candidates could be funded as teaching assistants, receive internal scholarships based on excellence, when and if available, and participate in research grants.

Research Advisor: Dimitris Tsaltas, Associate Professor, dimitris.tsaltas@cut.ac.cy

Further information can be obtain by contacting either the Research Advisor of each position or the Department's Secretary (Tel.: 25002436, Fax: 25002767)