Candidates will be recruited internationally following a stringent and transparent procedure. After initial eligibility test of the applicants by the program coordinator and a short online test, suitable candidates will be identified and interviewed by a selection committee consisting of at least two project PIs as well as one external PI. The best candidates are then proposed to the international program committee who will make the final recruitment decision. Subsequently, a supervision team comprising of supervisors from the German and the Canadian side as well as an optional mentor will be assembled. Together with the doctoral students this supervision team will create a supervision agreement in which the qualification program as well as the rights and duties are defined. Finally, the students of one cohort will elect student representatives who will be part of the international program committee.