“Interdisciplinary NAnoscience School: from phenoMEnology to applicationS” (‘NaMeS’) is a research training programme of the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS (IPC) intended for PhD fellows. The programme, benefiting from former IPC achievements in nanoscience, is designed to employ the phenomenological knowledge concerning nanoscale processes to the creation of new materials applicable in industrial technology, medical diagnostics, and environmental protection.

NaMeS links chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and materials science with business. The programme is aimed at creating a new generation of scientists capable of working in both scientific and business sectors, and becoming  stimulants and intermediaries of knowledge & technology transfer on an international level.

Under the NaMeS project, 22 PhD projects are envisaged, which - while embedded in the state of the art modern basic research - reach beyond academic sector, having good prospects for commercialization. Each PhD project will be collectively supervised by highly qualified, experienced scientists from the IPC and from a foreign research institution.

Additionally, in the course of NaMeS, PhD fellows will be seconded to the partner institutions to gain new knowledge, skills, contacts, and experience coming from working in an international environment.

IPC has the right to confer doctoral degrees in chemical sciences in the discipline of chemistry. The PhD programme is designed to support preparation of PhD thesis and leads to the award of a doctoral degree.

The NaMeS school will run in parallel to the existing IPC doctoral school. It will partly benefit from its structure, with essential modifications in research and educational programmes, securing the required international and inter-sectoral flows. In particular, NaMeS programme will include a collection of specialized lectures, dealing with various aspects of nanoscience – theoretical, experimental, and application-oriented – delivered by internationally recognized experts. It will also be enriched by internships (held at laboratories of research and/or business entities), and by the courses on transferable skills (e.g. IPR, career planning, scientific writing, communication, presentation skills and team working).

For a detailed programme see: here.

The successful candidate will be offered inter alia:

• middle-term employment contract (4 years, supported by MSCA grant) – full time position,
• attractive salary,
• 6 – 18 month secondments to the partner institutions (of co-supervisor(s)),
• access to numerous interdisciplinary professional trainings (incl. specialized and soft skills trainings) and internships - in line with Individual Career Development Plans.

The PhD fellows will be offered attractive remuneration package, incl. monthly gross salary of EUR 2,597 (ca. avg. EUR 1,600* net, i.e. after all deductions). Perks are also envisged.

* Net amount may increase if resulted from specific Polish regulations or bilateral agreements.

The competition is open to early-stage researchers who don't have a doctoral degree and who have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Poland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date.

Expected starting dates of the calls:

1^st Call 1^st November, 2016

2^nd Call 1^st March, 2017

3^rd Call 15^th June, 2017

NaMeS gained support of:

• EUR 2,302,080 from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie, grant agreement No. 711859, and
• PLN 5,793,999 from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, from the funds for science – an international co-funded project, grant agreement No. 3549/H2020/COFUND/2016/2.