For this project there are two spots available

1. Conditions and the mode of the admission procedure:
   Candidates will be evaluated according to the Resolution No. 42 of the Senate of the University of Silesia in Katowice passed on 21 January 2025 concerning admission requirements and mode of recruitment https://www.mssd.us.edu.pl/en/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/resolution_42_2025.pdf . The evaluation procedure consists of two stages:STAGE I – preliminary evaluation of candidatesCandidates who have submitted the form of scientific achievements in accordance with the recruitment schedule (until April 17, 2026) are admitted to this stage of evaluation. The form of scientific achievements of the candidate will be made available through the IEDS website.STAGE II – interviews with candidatesRecruitment interview assesses the following: (i) the general qualifications and knowledge of the candidates in the discipline in which the doctoral dissertation will be completed, (ii) English proficiency, and (iii) motivation and ability to conduct scientific work. During the interviews, the candidates will be required to give a 10 minute presentation about their achievements to date and their strengths in the context of the PhD project.The evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Article 3, Point 12 of the Regulations for Awarding NCN Scholarships for NCN-funded project (Appendix to NCN Council Resolution No. 25/2024 dated March 4, 2024: https://ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2024/uchwala25_2024-zal1_ang.pdf ). During the evaluation, the committee will take into account only those achievements that are relevant to the doctoral project for which the recruitment is conducted. Candidates who do not receive at least 50% points cannot be admitted to the PhD program. Therefore, the commission may decide not to accept any of the candidates and announce another recruitment under the same conditions.

On the basis of the submitted list of scientific achievements and the conducted admission interview, the recruitment committee grants:

• the candidate’s scientific achievements, including publications in renown publishing houses/scientific journals (50% of the final assessment):

– 4 points – extraordinary;

– 3 points – very good;

– 2 points – good;

– 1 point – poor;

– 0 points – no scientific achievements.

• achievements resulting from conducting scientific research, scholarships, awards and scientific experience gained at home or abroad, scientific workshops and training, participation in research projects (20% of the final assessment):

– 4 points – outstanding  achievements (including scholarships, internships in leading foreign centers, prestigious international awards or distinctions, workshops or training in leading scientific centers, participation in international or foreign projects);

– 3 points – major achievements (scholarships, internships in good domestic and foreign centers, national awards or prizes, workshops or training abroad or nationwide, participation in domestic or foreign projects);

– 2 points – moderate achievements (local awards or prizes, workshops or training, participation in university projects);

– 1 point – minor achievements;

– 0 points – no achievements.

• competences to carry out specific tasks in the research project (30% of the final assessment):

– 3 points – very good;

– 2 points –  good;

– 1 point – poor;

– 0 points – lack of competence.

2. Conditions for admission to the qualification procedure

In order to participate in the admission process for the IEDS, before the deadline set out in the schedule, the candidate must:

• • create an account in the irk.us.edu.pl system and completed the registration form relevant declarations and consents;
  • pay a recruitment fee of PLN 450;
  • The list of the scientific achievements and documents certifying the achievements, as well as a cover letter, via polarknow@us.edu.pl within the recruitment schedule

A person applying for admission to the IEDS must submit:

• an application for admission to the IEDS (personal questionnaire);
• a cover letter;
• CV
• a list of scientific achievements
• the ORCID number;
• an information about the scientific discipline or disciplines, in the case of interdisciplinary work, in which the candidate intends to prepare a dissertation;
• consents and statements required in the IRK system;
• a copy of the master’s degree diploma together with a supplement or other document entitling to undertake education at a doctoral school in accordance with Section 8 (5) (6) and 8 (5) (7);

3. Admission schedule

• 18 March 2026 — opening registration of candidates through the online registration system (IRK, https://irk.us.edu.pl/ )
• 17 April 2026 — deadline for completing candidate registration in the IRK online recruitment system, including creating an account in the system, paying the recruitment fee (the date of the bank transfer is binding), and entering the required information and documents.
• 20 – 29 April 2026 — Interviews with candidates and assessing their scientific achievements
• No later than 30 April 2026 — Informing candidates about the recruitment results

4. Conditions for granting the scholarship

The scholarship for the 48-month period will be funded under the project entitled “Studying glacier/ocean interactions using a natural laboratory of Hornsund fjord, Svalbard”, financed by the Polish National Science Centre (NCN). The amount of the scholarship will be as follows:

5000 PLN gross (approx. 3690 PLN net) during years I–II
6500 PLN gross (approx. 4800 PLN net) during years III–IV, after mid-term evaluation

The scholarship consists of a doctoral scholarship within the meaning of Article 209 of the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science, and an NCN research scholarship for doctoral students granted in accordance with the Annex to Resolution No. 23/2024 of the NCN Council of 4 March 2024 amending the Regulations on the award of funding for tasks financed by the National Science Centre in the area of research projects. The NCN research scholarship is paid to the scholarship holder on the basis of a scholarship agreement. The agreement specifies the scope of work to be performed within the research project and the period of its implementation, the amount of the NCN research scholarship, as well as the period and conditions of its payment. The doctoral scholarship may be paid only to a doctoral student enrolled in a doctoral school, provided that the doctoral student meets the requirements specified in the relevant provisions of the Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2020, item 85, as amended).

5. Admission Committee

• Dr hab. Oskar Głowacki, IGF PAN (Chairman of Admission Committee/ Reserch Project Leader)
• Dr hab. Mateusz Moskalik, IGF PAN
• Dr hab. inż. Marzena Osuch, IGF PAN
• Dr hab. Agnieszka Herman, prof. IO PAN (Institute of Oceanology PAS)
• Magdalena Makola (Secretary of Admission Committee appointed by the IEDS Dean)

1. Conditions and the mode of the admission procedure:Candidate evaluation is carried out by a recruitment committee, as described in Resolution No. 42 of the Senate of the University of Silesia in Katowice of January 21, 2025, concerning the conditions and procedure of recruitment to the International Environmental Doctoral School (IEDS) at the Centre for Polar Studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice for the 2025/2026 academic year.The evaluation process consists of two stages:STAGE I – Evaluation of submitted documentationCandidates who submit a scientific achievements form within the deadline specified in the schedule published on the IEDS website will be admitted to this stage. The form will be made available via the IEDS website.STAGE II – Interview with candidatesThe aim of the interview is to assess: (i) the general qualifications and knowledge of the candidate in the discipline in which the doctoral dissertation will be conducted, (ii) English language proficiency, and (iii) motivation and aptitude for scientific work. During the interview, candidates will be required to give a 10-minute presentation on their achievements and strengths in the context of their planned doctoral research.

   The scoring of academic achievements, competencies, and qualifications for carrying out the project tasks is conducted in accordance with §3(12) of the National Science Centre, Poland Regulations on awarding research scholarships in research projects funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (Annex to Resolution No. 25/2019 of the NCN Council dated March 14, 2019: link).

   Only those achievements and activities that have demonstrably contributed to the development of competencies relevant to the implementation of the doctoral project, or confirm such competencies, will be considered.

   Candidates who score less than 50% of the available points cannot be admitted. Consequently, the committee may decide not to admit any of the candidates and announce a new call under the same conditions.

2. Conditions for admission to the qualification procedure

In order to participate in the admission process for the IEDS, before the deadline set out in the schedule, the candidate must:

• • create an account in the irk.us.edu.pl system and completed the registration form relevant declarations and consents;
  • pay a recruitment fee of PLN 450;
  • The list of the scientific achievements and documents certifying the achievements, as well as a cover letter, via polarknow@us.edu.pl within the recruitment schedule
  • Applicants who are due to defend their Master’s thesis after the admissions process is concluded, but before the start of the 2026/2027 academic year, are eligible for the admissions process.

3. Admission schedule

1 April 2026 — opening of registration on the online candidate registration system (IRK, https://irk.us.edu.pl/pl/).

17 May 2026 — closure of candidate registration in the IRK system, i.e. deadline for creation of an account in the IRK online recruitment system, payment of the application fee (the date of the bank transfer is decisive) and submission of the required information and documents; deadline for submission of the required documents

18–22 May 2026 — interviews with candidates and assessment of candidates’ academic achievements.

25 May 2026 — notification of candidates of the recruitment results

26–29 May 2026 – acceptance of documents from candidates eligible for admission and enrolment on the list of PhD students.

1 June 2026 – notification of candidates on the reserve list regarding their eligibility for admission.

2–3 June 2026 — acceptance of documents from candidates on the reserve list who have been selected for admission and their inclusion on the list of doctoral students.

8 June 2026 — deadline for the announcement of the results of the recruitment process on the MŚSD website

4. Conditions for granting the scholarship

The scholarship amount is PLN 5,000 gross including employer contributions (approx. PLN 3,690 net) before the mid-term evaluation (1st–2nd year) and PLN 6,500 gross including employer contributions (approx. PLN 4,800 net) after the mid-term evaluation (3rd–4th year).

The scholarship consists of a doctoral scholarship as defined in Article 209 of the Law on Higher Education and Science of July 20, 2018, and a NCN research scholarship for PhD students, in accordance with the Annex to Resolution No. 23/2024 of the NCN Council of March 4, 2024, on amending the regulations for awarding funding for tasks financed by the National Science Centre.

The NCN research scholarship is awarded based on a scholarship agreement, which defines the scope and timeline of tasks performed within the project, the amount of the NCN scholarship, and the terms of payment.

The doctoral scholarship may only be awarded to a doctoral student enrolled at a doctoral school, provided they meet all requirements specified by the Law on Higher Education and Science of July 20, 2018 (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 85, as amended) for receiving a doctoral scholarship for the entire duration of the planned project.

There is a possibility of an increased scholarship for the best PhD students.

5. Admission Committee

1. dr Wojciech Gajek, Institute of Geophysics (Chairman of Admission Committee/ Reserch Project Leader);
2. Prof. Ali Gholami, Institute of Geophysics;
3. Prof. Mariusz Majdański, Institute of Geophysics;
4. dr hab. Grzegorz Lizurek, Institute of Geophysics;
5. Dr hab. Mariusz Grabiec, prof. UŚ, University of Silesia in Katowice;
6. Mgr Magdalena Makola (Secretary of Admission Committee).