Application

Requirements

Requirement for successful candidates for the PhD program is a Research Master’s (or qualified equivalent degree) in Speech and Language Pathology, Psycho- / Neurolinguistics, Clinical Linguistics or other language-related fields with a very good grade (at least a B or the equivalent and A in the Masters thesis).

Further requirements for successful candidates include:

outstanding academic achievement
excellent oral and written English language skills (please refer to our FAQs)
aptitude for original, independent and creative work
research experience
Master students can apply prior to the completion of degree if they do a 2-years program and have been awarded at least 60 ECTS in the first year; in case of selection for the program the offer will be conditional not only on completing the Master’s but also on grades – both overall and (particularly) of the thesis.

There are a limited number of scholarships available to support IDEALAB students. Currently, the majority of scholarships will have either Macquarie University or University of Groningen as a home university.

There is a single application and selection process for admission to the IDEALAB program. Applications are submitted via the application portal of Macquarie University.

It is highly recommended that applicants write a proposal that fits into one of these research lines (current projects) and applicants contact the potential supervisor(s) prior to application. It is also possible to suggest another project that centres around language and brain (neuroimaging or language impairment). In this case, it is mandatory to contact and get provisional agreement from a potential supervisor prior to application.

Research proposals should be about 2000 words long (excluding references) and should follow the structure provided in this proposal template.

Please contact the IDEALAB director at one of the full partner institutions for further assistance on potential supervisors:

Potsdam University: Dr Barbara Höhle or Dr Natalie Boll-Avetisyan (deputy director)
Macquarie University: Dr Lyndsey Nickels or Dr Lisi Beyersmann (deputy director)
Groningen University: Dr Srdjan Popov
Newcastle University: Dr Christos Salis

Next application period

Applications for 2024 are now closed.

Application procedure (version 2023-Dec)

To apply for IDEALAB, please follow the application procedure below which is via Macquarie University’s online application portal.

If you have any questions or problems regarding the application portal or general enquiries about the IDEALAB program, you can email Leonie Lampe: phd-idealab@uni-potsdam.de.

After you have completed your application, you will receive an email from Leonie Lampe informing you whether your application has been progressed. Preselected candidates receive an invitation to a Zoom-interview. The first application round should be finished by the end of April and you will receive notification regarding your application at this time.

How to submit an application

It is ESSENTIAL that you follow the detailed instructions below to ensure the application is filled in correctly for the IDEALAB scholarship!

Go to the online application form to register as an applicant.
Complete the application form (this will take a while, so you can save your work and come back to it later) and upload the requisite documents (see list below); note you will only be able to submit the application if all mandatory fields are completed and the required supporting documentation has been attached. If you don’t have your documents organised, save the application and come back to it later. If you are unable to upload your documents to the required section please attempt to upload them to the final section ‘Additional Documents supporting your Application (if applicable)’.
Click Submit; an acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to your email.
Email a copy of this receipt to Lyndsey Nickels lyndsey.nickels@mq.edu.au and Leonie Lampe phd-idealab@uni-potsdam.de.
Inform your referees that they will receive an invitation to complete a referee report in support of your application. These referee report must be received one week after the closing date of the application (so you should inform them well before this date).
Once submitted, you can track the progress of your application by logging into your Student ID account in estudent (note: you’ll have to set up a password first).

Required documents (electronic copies)

You will need to upload the following documents:

A description of your motivation for applying to the program
Research proposal (approx. 2000 words long, following the structure outlined in our template)
Proof of Undergraduate study (certificate and transcript including grades, abstract of thesis if included in program, evidence of any university prizes or scholarships)
Proof of Postgraduate study (certificate and transcript including grades [or enrolment if still in progress], abstract of thesis, evidence of any university prizes or scholarships)
Proof of English Proficiency test (if required; note that it is sufficient if you demonstrate the required level of English after being offered an IDEALAB PhD position)
Curriculum Vitae (relevant academic and professional experience)
Proof of Citizenship (copy of Passport or Birth Certificate if no passport available)
Evidence of Publications (published and accepted for publication) and/or other creative works

For all previous academic qualifications, the following documents must be provided:

Academic transcripts for all degrees completed or are currently enrolled in
Academic transcript key (include range of grades awarded)
Certificate/Testamur (year completed)
If there was a thesis as part of your Undergraduate and/or Postgraduate:
- The abstract
- You will also be asked for certain details of your thesis:
  - Word count
  - The % of your degree that the thesis was worth
  - The grade awarded
  - The duration in months of the thesis component of your degree

If any of these documents are not in English you must provide certified English translations.

Note: you will also need to provide contact details for two academic referees. Please contact these referees yourself and ask them to send a reference letter (in English) when they receive an email, and no later than one week after the closing date of the application period.

Detailed instructions for your submission via the online application portal

a) Fill in all of your personal details on the first page to register. Enter ‘Overseas Student Residing Overseas’ under ‘Nationality’, then continue to course selection.

b) Step 1: Select a Course
To select the correct PhD program, Type in ‘PhD;PSYS’ and then select ‘Doctor of Philosophy in Psychological Sciences’ for Session 2 and click ‘Add to Application’.
Note: If you have any problems searching for the program, you can leave the search field blank and simply scroll down through the options until you find it. Moreover, the displayed end date of the online application will differ from the one displayed in the screenshot below – that’s fine!

c) Step 2: Select a Scholarship
To select the Scholarship, type ‘IDEALAB’ in the scholarship search box, and select ‘Macquarie University IDEALAB Scholarship’ and click ‘Add to Application’.
Note: If you have any problems searching for the scholarship, you can leave the search field blank and simply scroll down through the options until you find IDEALAB. Moreover, the displayed end date of the online application will differ from the one displayed in the screenshot below – that’s fine!

d) Step 3: Applicant Details
Then fill in the Application Details section:

Personal Details
Contact and Address Details
Nationality and Cultural Details: select ‘Overseas Student Residing Overseas’ under ‘Nationality’ (unless one of the other options apply to you)
Disability Details

e) Step 4: Educational Background
This section is optional and given that it is targeted at the Australian schooling system (and may therefore be confusing for overseas applicants), we recommend that you leave it blank and make sure that you submit the appropriate educational documents in ‘Step 5: Requirements’ of the application portal. Proceed to Step 5 by clicking ‘Next’.

f) Step 5: Requirements
Fill in all questions in the Requirements section.
Note, you will need to click save on each subsection and return to the Requirements section to fill in the next question (there are 23 in total).
If you have any problems uploading multiple forms in a section, you can upload documents in the subsection ‘Additional Documents supporting your Application’.

Application for Higher Degree Research Scholarship: select ‘no’ under ‘Are you currently enrolled in a Macquarie Universty HDR program?’ and under ‘Do you have a valid offer for an HDR program issued less than 6 monts ago?’. Then click ‘Save’.
IDEALAB: select ‘yes’ under ‘Are you applying to undertake an IDEALAB PhD Degree’ and attach your one page explaining your interest in the program. Then click ‘Save’. [NOTE: if this section is missing, please attach your letter of motivation under Step 5.20 ‘Additional Documents supporting your Application’]
Proof of Citizenship: fill in your citizenship information, and upload proof e.g., copy of your passport or birth certificate. Then click ‘Save’.
Australian Visa Details: select ‘no’ under ‘Do you currently hold an Australian Visa’ and ‘yes’ under ‘Will you need to apply for an Australian Student Visa for your research studies?’ (unless another option applies to you). Then click ‘Save’.
Preferred Start Date: Select October of the year that you are applying for (or February of the year after). Then click ‘Save’.
Location Whilst Studying at Macquarie University: select ‘In Sydney, Australia’ as your location (even if you do not intend to be based there). Then click ‘Save’.
Cotutelle or Joint PhD Degree: Select ‘No’ (as IDEALAB already captures that). Then click ‘Save’.
Research Proposal: enter your proposed title (don’t worry, this can change!). You will also need to upload your research proposal (again, this can be changed later). Then click ‘Save’.
Supervisor Details: Enter your principal supervisor’s details. Then click ‘Save’.
Note: if they are not from Macquarie University you can select ‘Cognitive Science’ as the discipline. If you have not yet contacted a potential supervisor, you can put ‘Lyndsey Nickels’ as the principal supervisor.
Undergraduate Qualification: fill in the details of your undergraduate qualification and upload an official transcript from your university showing that you have obtained the degree and an official document showing completed courses and grades. Then click ‘Save’.
Postgraduate Qualification: fill in the details of your postgraduate education and upload an official transcript from your university showing that you have obtained the degree and an official document showing your completed courses and grades. Then click ‘Save’.
Note: if you have not yet finished your Masters at the time of application, please select ‘Yes’ under ‘Do you have a Postgraduate Qualification’, there is then a follow up question which asks if you have completed this yet. You can upload proof of enrolment and any courses completed.
English Language Proficiency: if you have completed an approved English proficiency test in the last two years or have studied for at least five years in an English-speaking country listed on the application portal, you can select ‘Yes’ to Language Proficiency. Provide the details. Then click ‘Save’.
Note: You do NOT need to have this at the time of application. However, if you are offered a place on the IDEALAB program, you will need to do an IELTS or TOEFL and satisfy the English requirements before you are able to take up this place.
Curriculum Vitae: submit your CV which contains any relevant professional or academic experience (publication list, information on relevant positions helt, past research experience, relevant awards or prizes). Then click ‘Save’.
Publications: fill in details of any peer-reviewed academic publications and upload proof of publication (please do not submit the whole paper). Then click ‘Save’.
Creative Works: provide information on any creative work equivalent to published work and upload proof. Then click ‘Save’.
Funding Arrangements: select ‘no’ (regardless of your situation). You can then type in that you are applying for the IDEALAB scholarship in the response box. There is no need to upload any supporting documentation. Then click ‘Save’.
Working with Children: answer whether you are planning to work with children or not. Then click ‘Save’.
Transfer: select ‘no’ (unless you are in fact transferring from another Australian University). Then click ‘Save’.
Information About Education Agent: select ‘no’ (unless you did use a private education agent). Then click ‘Save’.
Additional Documents supporting your Application (if applicable): Upload your Motivation letter in this section. Here you can also submit any other documents which you were unable to submit earlier (you may have already successfully uploaded everything). Then click ‘Save’.
Academic Referee Details: Fill in the contact details of your two academic referees. Then click ‘Save’.
Note: DO NOT FORGET TO CONTACT YOUR REFEREES AND INFORM THEM THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL AND THAT THE REFERENCE IS DUE 1 WEEK AFTER THE APPLICATION DEADLINE.
Declaration: answer the declaration question. Then click ‘Save’.
Terms and Conditions: confirm that you have read and understood the HDR Application Terms and Conditions. Then click ‘Save’.

Then click ‘Next’.

g) Step 6: Review and Submit
Ensure all of the necessary details are filled in and the required documents have been submitted. Then click ‘Submit’.

You should have submitted (if applicable):

A description of your motivation for applying to the program
Research proposal (approx. 2000 words long, following the structure outlined in our template)
Proof of Undergraduate study (certificate and transcript including grades, abstract of thesis if included in program, evidence of any university prizes or scholarships)
Proof of Postgraduate study (certificate and transcript including grades [or enrolment if still in progress], abstract of thesis, evidence of any university prizes or scholarships)
Proof of English Proficiency test (if required)
Curriculum Vitae (relevant academic and professional experience)
Proof of Citizenship (copy of Passport or Birth Certificate if no passport available)
Evidence of Publications (published and accepted for publication) and/or other creative works

h) Once you have clicked ‘Submit’, you will receive a confirmation email. Please remember to send a copy of this email to Leonie and Lyndsey (phd-idealab@uni-potsdam.de and lyndsey.nickels@mq.edu.au).

i) Remember: We require reference letters (in English) from two academic referees. They will be contacted automatically via email from the section you have filled in in the form, but you need to contact them and inform them that the reference is due 1 week after the closing date.

Further information regarding the application procedure can be found here.