About the Project
A PhD position is offered within the ICIQ International PhD Fellowship Programme. The awarded candidate will join the Urakawa group. The project aims to valorize light alkanes and carbon dioxide by heterogeneous catalysis and advanced chemical engineering approach using unsteady-state operation. Operando spectroscopic investigation of catalytic active sites and reaction mechanisms will be performed to facilitate the design of effective catalysts. This project is suited for an enthusiastic fellow wishing to develop novel catalytic materials and processes by a holistic approach.
The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) establishes the PhD Fellowship Programme with the aim to support excellent students from all over the world to enrol in a training and research programme in the area of chemistry. The programme ultimately leads to the completion of a Doctoral Thesis in partnership with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).
Selected graduate students will be awarded a contract for full-time studies in order to achieve the Doctoral degree.
Requirements
The programme is open to graduate students, from any nationality, that fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
a.- Candidates must have a Master or an equivalent degree in the areas of Chemistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Biological chemistry, Biochemistry or Chemical Engineering, which must be completed by the time of enrolment in the PhD programme.
b.- The successful candidates should have an excellent academic record, strong commitment to scientific research and solid working knowledge of English.
In case of doubts about the eligibility criteria, applicants should contact the ICIQ Human Resources Team at [Email Address Removed] prior to submission of the application.
Conditions
1.- The students admitted in a PhD Programme will be considered research personnel in training and they will have an employment contract (a pre-doctoral contract) which is regulated in the Spanish Law 14/2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and Education. When signing the contract, awardees should hand in a copy of the admission document to a PhD programme.
2.- Pre-doctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities.
3.- The grant holder is entitled to temporary interrupt the grant in the following situations: temporary disability, risk during pregnancy, maternity, paternity and adoption or foster care. The time elapsed during this interruption will not be accounted for against the total time.
4.- The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.
5.- The PhD fellowship includes the costs of enrolment in the PhD programme. These costs will be paid by each beneficiary to the university, and later they will be refunded by the ICIQ. The PhD thesis has to be completed within 4 years.
6.- PhD students will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship or regular income.
7.- The pre-doctoral contract is incompatible with any other grant with the same purpose.
Application process
All the application procedure will be done online. Other means of application will not be considered. Applicants must fill out and submit the application form available.
After completing online the personal data fields, applicants must attach in a PDF file the following documents:
1. A motivation letter with declaration of interests.
2. A scanned copy of the certified academic record of the studies granting access to the PhD programme (Bachelor, Grade and Master if available). For degrees obtained in foreign institutions, the academic record must include the range of marks used in the corresponding countries and the minimum mark to pass. Academic records must show the dates of enrolment, all subjects or courses, units, credits or hours, and grades for each subject. For academic records not issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a certified translation in one of the above mentioned languages should be provided.
3. A Curriculum Vitae, specifying the completed degree and any relevant professional experience.
4. The names and contact data of up to two scientists willing to provide reference letters for the candidate
Please note that documents sent in hard copy cannot be processed.
Indicative Calendar
Call deadline: December 10th, 2016
Notification to candidates: December 15th-30th , 2016
Start of fellowship: December-January 2016