Phd 2024-20 Jll - Iciq Fully-Funded Phd Programme 2024 – Third Call

20 years leading frontier research and scientific career development   The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia stands as a forefront research centre dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge, with a commitment to addressing social and economic challenges, such as climate change, sustainable raw material supply and energy sources.
Distinguished with two Severo Ochoa excellence accreditations, ICIQ is globally recognized as a benchmark in cutting-edge chemical research.
Our Institute comprises 316 researchers, organized into 18 research groups that specialize in sustainable catalysis, renewable energies, and health.
Excellence is propelled through the seamless integration of computational and experimental research methodologies.
ICIQ researchers have achieved significant success, securing 25 projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC Grants).
Additionally, 8 of our researchers hold ICREA professorships, solidifying ICIQ's position as a premier centre attracting international talent.
Situated in Tarragona, at the heart of Southern Europe's major petrochemical complex, ICIQ actively collaborates with the industry, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and driving the development of innovative applications, with a distinct emphasis on patents and spin-offs.
A cornerstone of our mission is the training of the next generation of scientists through high-level education programmes.
As a CERCA centre and member of BIST, ICIQ is committed to shaping the future of chemical research as a driving force for contributing to a sustainable and equitable development.
For further information, please visit www.iciq.es 2024.
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The Fully-Funded PhD Programme offered by The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) is aimed at exceptional graduate students from all over the world, to support their enrolment in a training and research programme in the field of chemistry, ultimately leading to the completion of a Doctoral Thesis in partnership with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).
The programme will also contribute to their professional career development, in the fields of academia and industry.
This objective is achieved by: The performance of an individual research project under the direction of an internationally renowned Group Leader, in a creative and stimulating scientific environment.
Opportunities for short stays in distinguished international research institutions.
Opportunities for complementary training in both technical and soft skills.
Trainings are designed to ensure a successful career: weekly scientific seminars , hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP management, entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and technology transfer, grant applications, project management, communication skills and career development.
ICIQ offers a yearly personalized training programme for PhD students, SHARP, which takes place during the course of 2 weeks, with trainings focused on their given PhD year.
The programme is addressed to highly qualified and talented graduate students with a keen interest in chemical research.
Candidates should have an excellent academic record, strong commitment to scientific research and a solid working knowledge of English.
Admission to the programme is on a competitive basis.
I.
Available positions: See Annex 1 II.
Application process The entire application process will be completed online.
Applicants must apply by accessing ICIQ's Career Portal.
Applications sent by email or any other means will not be eligible.
Only one application per person will be considered .
In case of multiple applications, only the first application submitted will be taken into consideration.
After completing the online form, applicants must attach the following documents: Required documentation A full Curriculum Vitae (in PDF format).
It should include the academic background, work or research experience, publications, conferences, grants and awards, previous participation in ICIQ programmes, other relevant merits and references.
A personal statement that describes the applicant's academic background, research experience and career goals (maximum two DIN A4 pages, in PDF format).
This is a very important section of the application process.
The candidate must be able to communicate their interests and how these would align with ICIQ and a PhD training.
Candidates should also mention the research group where they would like to carry out their PhD, and the reasons why they are interested in a particular group leader and their research project.
Official transcripts of BSc and MSc studies in PDF format.
A scanned copy of the certified academic record of the studies granting access to the PhD programme (BSc and MSc if available).
In case that the MSc studies have not yet been completed at the time of the application, candidates must include details on the subjects in which they are currently enrolled (subject name and number of credits).
For academic records not issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a certified translation in English should be provided; otherwise, applications which do not include a certified translation of the academic record will be non-eligible and, therefore, not taken into consideration.
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, as well as the hours or ECTS and marks for each subject.
Contact details for letters of recommendation of two University professors or other relevant individuals who can assess the candidate's potential for research.
ICIQ will contact the people listed as references only in the event that a candidate is shortlisted.
We suggest informing your references.
English proficiency level : Applicants must provide evidence of their proficiency in written and oral communication in the English language.
Preferably, by the submission of a B2 certificate, First Certificate, IELTS 6 or equivalent.
This certificate is not mandatory but desirable, and alternatively late stage candidates will be interviewed to assess their English level.
Applicants from Anglosphere (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are exempt from this requirement.
Please note that documents sent in hard copy cannot be processed.
Applicants should select only ONE PhD supervisor.
Once the application has been successfully completed, an acknowledgement e-mail will be automatically sent.
Candidates must ensure that all the required documentation is included before submitting the application.
Incomplete applications will not be considered .
III.
Eligibility and evaluation criteria The programme is open to graduate students, from any nationality that fulfil the following eligibility criteria : Candidates must have a Master's or an equivalent degree in the areas of Chemistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemical Engineering or related disciplines that must be completed by the time of enrolment in the PhD programme.
When in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria, applicants should contact ICIQ's People unit at ****** prior to submission of the application.
Candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria : Curriculum vitae.
Personal statement.
Academic marks.
English level.
Personal interview for short-listed candidates.
IV.
Evaluation and Selection Process The evaluation and selection of the candidates will be performed by the project supervisor supported by the People unit team, and following the below procedure: Submitted applications will be checked for eligibility and those not fulfilling all the criteria will be rejected.
It won't be possible to modify the application or to add missing documentation after the application has been submitted.
The selection will be based on the evaluation criteria described in Section III.
At the late stages of the selection process, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for a personal interview.
All applicants will be notified of the final selection decision throughout the month of November 2024.
The name of the awardees will be published on ICIQ's website.
Successful candidates will be requested to inform ICIQ whether they accept or decline the offer within five business days after being notified.
The offer will be considered declined in the event that the applicant does not respond during this time.
ICIQ follows in its selection process a gender equality opportunity policy and a non-discrimination policy on the basis of age, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language and disability.
ICIQ is committed to promoting a work-life balance for its employees and, as such, offers flexible working hours.
V. Grant Conditions 1.
The awardees of an ICIQ Fully-Funded PhD position 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 1 st , of Science, Technology and Education.
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 gross yearly salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and distributed as shown below: First and Second year of PhD: 18.180,41€ /year Third year of PhD: 19.479,01€ /year Fourth year of PhD: 24.348,77€ /year 4.
The fellowship includes full social security coverage through the Spanish Social Security system, providing access to the Spanish public health care system and pension and unemployment benefits.
5.
The grant holder is entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship 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.
6.
The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.
7.
The Fully-Funded PhD 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 ICIQ.
The PhD thesis has to be completed within 4 years.
8.
The PhD awardees will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship or regular income.
9.
The Fully-Funded PhD position is incompatible with any other fellowship with the same purpose.
Calendar Call opening September 30 th 2024 Call deadline October 27 th 2024 Notification to candidates As from October 28 th 2024 Start of fellowships: January 2024 Supervisor: Prof. Julio Lloret Fillol Project Title: Development of CO 2 Reduction Catalysts for fuels, materials and food Number of positions: 1 Description of the project: The research will focus on designing new electrocatalysts to transform CO 2 -to-X in the research group of Prof. J. Lloret-Fillol.
https://www.iciq.org/research/research_group/dr-julio-lloret-fillol/ Greener production methods are critical to ensure future sustainability.
In this context, electrochemical processes can be powered by renewable energy sources (sunlight, wind, etc.)
to transform abundant molecules (water, CO 2 , etc.)
into chemicals.
Still, our understanding of these processes is limited, and mechanistic studies are essential to design more active and selective catalysts.
Training: The project will involve training in synthesis under strictly controlled conditions, analytics (NMR, GC, HPLC), advanced spectroscopy (UV-VIS, IR, SEIRA, EXAFS, EPR), computational chemistry, and mechanistic investigations.
The Ph.D. program at ICIQ also has additional training in technical and soft skills designed to ensure a successful career: weekly scientific seminars, hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP management, entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and technology transfer, grant applications, project management, communication skills, and career development.
Tasks to be performed by the PhD student: This project aims to develop state-of-the-art catalytic systems, guided by rational design and robotics, to catalyze cascade reactions yielding MeOH, HCOH and polyols.
Mechanistic studies with be carried out with the help of advanced spectroscopy, crystallography, microscopy, and reactivity studies.
Computational studies will also be performed.
Preferred skills or background: The candidate must have a degree in chemistry or chemical engineering, and be highly motivated, responsible and creative.
In addition, knowledge on organic, inorganic and computational chemistry will be evaluated.
Good written and oral communication skills in English are required.