Call for scholarship applications
Position: PhD candidate in the discipline of Physical Sciences
Project host institution: Faculty of Science and Technology, August Chełkowski Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice
Doctoral training unit: Doctoral School at the University of Silesia in Katowice
PhD candidate responsibilities: The PhD candidate will conduct low- and high-pressure dielectric investigations of hybrid materials that are the subject of the grant project, including analysis, interpretation, and presentation of the obtained research data in the form of scientific publications and oral presentations.
The research will be carried out under the supervision of prof. dr hab. Sebastian Pawlus within the project entitled: “Geometry vs. Dielectric Permittivity: Exploring First-Order Phase Transition Dynamics in Switchable Dielectrics”, OPUS 28 (NCN), project no. 2024/55/B/ST3/01250.
Duration of doctoral education: 48 months
Scholarship amount: PLN 4,269.81 gross before the mid-term evaluation / PLN 5,550.81 gross after the mid-term evaluation
Requirements: A Master’s degree in physics, chemistry, materials engineering, or a related field.
Required documents:
- Motivation letter describing research interests and career objectives.
- Curriculum vitae (CV).
- Copy of the Master’s degree diploma (or official confirmation of degree completion if the diploma has not yet been issued).
- Letter of recommendation from the Master’s thesis supervisor.
- List of scientific achievements (e.g. participation in scientific conferences, publications – if applicable).
The required documents should be submitted by 9 January 2026 to the following e-mail address: sebastian.pawlus@us.edu.pl.
By the same deadline, candidates are required to register in the IRK recruitment system and select the option “Recruitment to the Doctoral School of the University of Silesia in Katowice – RECRUITMENT FOR PROJECTS”, and then choose the project “Geometry and dielectric permittivity…” from the list.
Direct link:
https://irk.us.edu.pl/pl/offer/SD-GRANT-2025/programme/20-S3SPIT_ST301250/
If you have any questions prior to submitting a formal application, please contact the grant project leader at the e-mail address provided above. For technical questions regarding registration or doctoral training at the Doctoral School, please contact: szkola.doktorska@us.edu.pl.
The documentation submitted by candidates will be evaluated by a selection committee chaired by the project leader. The recruitment process will be conducted in accordance with the relevant NCN regulations. The recruitment procedure may be carried out in Polish or in English.
The online interview will take place on 16 January 2026. The committee’s decision will be communicated to candidates via the IRK recruitment system by 23 January 2026.
Offer description: As part of the implementation of the OPUS 28 grant project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland, the PhD candidate will have the opportunity to participate in research on metal–organic hybrid materials belonging to the class of so-called switchable dielectrics. These materials are currently at the forefront of modern scientific research due to their application potential, for example in electronics and photovoltaics, particularly in thin-film systems with micro- and nanometer-scale thicknesses. In such systems, mechanical stresses, induced for example by temperature variations, can dramatically alter system parameters, such as the temperature at which switching of electrical properties occurs.
Within the scope of the project, the PhD candidate will stimulate the formation of such stresses by generating controlled high-pressure conditions, in order to determine how the properties of the investigated materials change. The primary experimental technique will be broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The PhD candidate will also have the opportunity to become familiar with and apply unique high-pressure research techniques available at the Institute of Physics of the University of Silesia.
The obtained results will be disseminated in scientific articles and presented at international conferences in Poland and abroad.
As the project is conducted in consortium with Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the PhD candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers and doctoral students from that institution.
