Recruitment to the BioPlanet Doctoral School

The BioPlanet Doctoral School announces the call for competition for four-year PhD studies in the academic year 2022/2023.

Application deadlines

Important notice: the deadlines may be extended in case of unfavorable development of the epidemic situation or too few applicants. Relevant information will be posted on the website of the BioPlanet Doctoral School no later than five (5) days before the deadlines given in the current announcement.

Formal requirements for applicants

The following documents are required to apply for admission:

  1. Application for admission  to the Doctoral School along with consent for the personal data to be processed for the purpose of recruitment, and declaration of reading the terms and conditions of admission. A template of the application is to be found in Annex 1 to the terms and conditions of application to the Doctoral School.
  2. Certified copy of diploma or certificate of completion of studies. If the applicant does not have proof of the qualifications, s/he is obliged to provide them before the Doctoral School program begins.
  3. CV including education, employment and research experience with list of publication sand a short description of scientific achievements, particularly information on participation in scientific conferences, workshops, training and internships, participation in research projects, involvement in learned societies and students’ scientific associations, and awarded distinctions and scholarships.
  4. Certificates or other documents confirming knowledge of English, if the applicant has them at his/her disposal.
  5. Draft description of proposed research topic including references cited, no longer than single A4 page (references do not count to length limit), signed by the prospective supervisor.

Proposed research topics

Research topic of applicant’s choice

We offer the possibility of proposing a research topic of applicant’s choice after it has been agreed upon with a prospective supervisor, who should be contacted directly for further guidance.

Number of places available

  • Institute of Paleobiology PAS – 2 places;
  • Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS – 1 place;
  • Mammal Research Institute PAS – 5 places;
  • Institute of Parasitology PAS– 2 places.

Important notice: In the absence of adequate funding, the admission limit to the Doctoral School may be reduced.

Criteria of assessment and procedure of admission

  1. The procedure of admission is two-stage. At the first stage the Coordinator assesses applications formally. In the case of applications that do not meet formal criteria listed in Article 2, the applicants are requested to submit any missing information within seven (7) days. In the event of a failure to do so, such applications are rejected and the applicants shall be notified.
  2. At the second stage the panel assesses applications taking the scientific achievements and research experience of the applicant into consideration. Integral part of the second stage is a structured interview with the applicant, which may be held in English. Applicants should prepare two short presentations (5–8 slides) concerning their Master’s thesis and proposed topic of doctoral dissertation. The interview may be conducted using videoconferencing software such as Skype.
  3. During the interview the admission panel assesses:
    a) applicant’s scientific achievements and research experience, on the basis of scientific/popular science publications, awards and distinctions obtained due to research or student activity, scholarships, participation in scientific conferences, workshops, training and internships, participation in research projects, involvement in learned societies and students’ scientific associations (0-10 pts.);
    b) applicant’s knowledge of the discipline represented by the Institute of applicant’s choice (0-3 pts.);
    c) applicant’s familiarity with research scope of a prospective Ph.D. dissertation (0-4 pts.);
    d) applicant’s commitment and predisposition to carry out scientific research, particularly on the basis of presentations of their Master’s thesis and proposed topic of doctoral dissertation, good communication skills, ability to speak precisely on the topic and to formulate logically valid statements (sound reasoning and correct use of scientific concepts within the discipline of applicant’s choice) (0-3 pts.).
  4. Knowledge of English confirmed by a certificate or demonstrated during the interview is a necessary condition for admission to the Doctoral School.
  5. Admission panel invites applicant’s prospective supervisor to a structured interview.
  6. A ranking list of applicants is drawn up on the basis of the total number of points scored at the second stage of admission procedure.
  7. Applicants with the total score not exceeding 10 points cannot be admitted to the Doctoral School. When no applicant passed the threshold of 10 pts., the deadline for application may be extended.
  8. The results of the admission procedure are non-confidential.
  9. Each Institute informs respective applicants of the results of admission procedure within 14 days of the interview date by announcing this information in the Public Information Bulletin (BIP) of the Institute and on the web page of the BioPlanet Doctoral School.

Deadline for the competition

  • 16.02.2023 for candidates applying to the project “Phylogeny and biogeography of the ladybird beetle genus Rhyzobius – an integrative approach based on molecular, morphological and fossil data analysis” in Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS,
  • 06.09.2022 for candidates applying to the project “Effects of predator-prey interactions on ecological stoichiometry in a temperate forest ecosystem” in Mammal Research Institute PAS,
  • 16.09.2022 for candidates applying to the project “Influence of food resources on the level and synchrony of reproduction in European bison populations” in Mammal Research Institute PAS,
  • 06.09.2022 for other candidates applying to Mammal Research Institute PAS,
  • 30.09.2022 for candidates applying to other institutes; for Museum & Institute of Zoology PAS delayed until 20.10.2022.

Important notice: the deadlines may be extended in case of unfavorable development of the epidemic situation or too few applicants. Relevant information will be posted on the website of the BioPlanet Doctoral School no later than five (5) days before the deadlines given in the current announcement. The terms of the competition may vary depending on the topic of the project.

Appealing procedure

Admission panel’s decision denying admission may be appealed by the applicant to the Director of respective Institute within seven (7) days of its service. The sole basis for appeal may be a breach of terms and conditions of the admission procedure contained in these regulations. Director’s decision is final.

Place and method of submission of documents

You can submit the documents either by:

  • posting them to the selected Institute address (see below); or
  • sending them by email to the addresses given below; or
  • in person.

Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

(1) Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, with a note “Szkoła Doktorska”

(2) sekretariat@miiz.waw.pl

(3) Wilcza 64, Warszawa, sekretariat, room 100 (1st floor), open 08:00-15:30;

Institute of Paleobiology PAS

(1) Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, with a note “Szkoła Doktorska”

(2) paleo@twarda.pan.pl

(3) Twarda 51/55, Warszawa, sekretariat, room 155 (1st floor), open 08:00-16:00

Institute of Parasitology PAS

(1) Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, with a note “Szkoła Doktorska”

(2) iparpas@twarda.pan.pl

(3) Twarda 51/55, Warszawa, sekretariat, room 536 (5th floor), open 08:00-16:00.

Mammal Research Institute PAS

(1) Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, with a note “Szkoła Doktorska”

(2) rekrutacja@ibs.bialowieza.pl

(3) ) Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, sekretariat, room 1, open 08:00-16:00

Contact

In administrative matters, please call or send an email to one of the addresses below:

  • Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS- phone+48 22629 32 21; sekretariat@miiz.waw.pl
  • Mammal Research Institute PAS–phone +48 85 682 77 50; mksobocinska@ibs.bialowieza.pl
  • Institute of Paleobiology PAS – phone+48 22 697 88 50; paleo@twarda.pan.pl
  • Institute of Parasitology PAS–phone +48 22 620 62 26; iparpas@twarda.pan.pl

Files

Annex 1 to the Terms and Conditions of Admission (Application form)

Terms and Conditions of Admission