Application

PROGRAM DATES: May 21 – July 30, 2025 (including travel from and to RDU Airport)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 22, 2024, 11:59 pm Eastern

ELIGIBILITY

Candidates for the IRES program in Dresden must be a:

• U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or U.S. national
• PhD student at NC State, Duke, or UNC Chapel Hill

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Complete application packages will consist of:

An online application form to collect:

• Student information
• CV
• Unofficial BS, MS (if relevant), and PhD transcript(s)
• Ranking of applicant’s top 3-4 research projects
• Written responses to short answer questions
• Contact information of 1-2 recommenders

Short Answer Questions

The application will require responses to each of the following questions:

1. Describe your overall progress in terms of your PhD program including progress completing coursework, required exams, joining a research group (i.e., finding a PhD advisor), and progress in your PhD research. There is no preferred stage of the PhD program for participants in the IRES program, and we understand that a student who recently joined a PhD program will have less progress toward the PhD than someone who will soon finish a PhD program (500 word maximum).
2. Describe your interest in the IRES program and how you would benefit from it (300 word maximum).
3. Discuss your interest in the research projects that you have ranked and how they align with your goals for the PhD or beyond your PhD. If the projects list specific desired skills, describe your skills and how they match the project. If you do not have the skills to match the project, discuss your interest in the project and how you think you will be able to make substantial progress in the project (500 word maximum).
4. Select one of the following (300 word maximum):
   • Briefly describe a situation that has required your independent action, how you responded, and the outcomes.
   • Briefly describe a situation where you learned something from people of a different cultural background that has had a lasting impact on you. This does not require experience traveling abroad, since there are many cultures in the US, as well as immigrants and visitors from all over the world.

Letters of Recommendation

Please provide 1-2 letters of recommendation from a current or former instructor, research mentor, or advisor. If you already have a PhD advisor, it is strongly recommended that one recommendation comes from them. Recommendations should be submitted by the recommender via the Google Form below. Be sure that the recommender clearly identifies the applicant in their letter. Applicants should indicate the name of the recommender(s) in their application.

Note: It is the applicant’s responsibility to inform their recommender to submit their letter of recommendation.