I would have a look at Lund also, especially for biochemistry. It has a very good reputation, and publishes a lot of papers.

Is this generally the case? Findaphd team?

FindAPhD Team replies:

There is some truth in older new lecturers costing more than young ones, but you'd better start a new thread to start discussing age related issues

Dear Sarah
If you would like to come to Sweden then maybe you would be interested in the universities of Uppsala or Lund. Also, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm is good at biomedical research.
I'm not sure what kind of biochemistry is done, but their general reputation is very good.

Unlikely. Most unis do telephone / video conferencing interviews for candidates who can't travel. Why do you want to know?

I suppose I should have mentioned I'm in biochemistry (thanks), but apart from that, I stick with my original question. My knowledge of international unis is very poor (I'm sorry to say), and so I'm not looking for the perfect PhD position, just an overview of what is available. That's why I was kind of hoping that someone could just name a few universities with good reputations so I can see if they are for me or not. If they seem interesting I will continue by asking myself all of Karen's questions.

Thank you so much! It has been very interesting to read your advice. If anyone else has additional opinions, please post them.

The thing is, your question is rather open-ended and finding the right university/institute would really depend on the answers to questions such as the ones I mentioned before. You haven't even mentioned which subject area you'll be studying! You'd have to be a bit more specific in order for people to be able to offer their advice.

I'm sorry to disappoint you Karen, but I think I prefer my own question. I'm not stupid - of course I realize that there are many things to consider carefully, but what I was looking for was just a few names of unis worth checking out. It would be really great if someone could help me with this.

I had industrial experience and it made no difference. Age is very important because there is a (false) belief that phds only have so many creative years. The older they are the less you will get out of them .Its rubbish but thats what a lot of people think. And universities don't want to employ first time lecturers in their mid 30's plus. (have to pay them too much money)

Am I old-fashioned? I was always told that prospective PhD students with industrial experience are valued by admissions selectors because of their maturity, and because of the lesser likelihood that they're wanting to do a PhD on a whim (and there does seem to be a number of such people). It seems from reading some of the messages on this forum though that this doesn't apply anymore. Maybe I'm wrong, but if anything, given the strong competition for funded PhD places, having industrial experience would be something that is more desirable to have than before.

Elli, would you like to give me your email ? Because I have a lot of question to ask you .

I think for people who are interested in a career in research, the age issue isn't really that important.

I also meant to say - apply for any you are unsure of too if they come with good funding. You won't get a good idea what the project is like til interview and you can make a more informed desicion then. Plus don't be too fussy - lots of people spend years trying to get a place so if you get an offer you are very lucky.

It is a bit late for on-spec applications but check out available posts and apply for them.

yes but rare. Unless you are applying within your own university.