We’re thrilled to announce that members of our PhD Students’ Self-Government have joined the KRD teams!

Julia Zając, MSc has been appointed to the Team for communication – we’re delighted that her previous engagement and energy have led to her inclusion in the team’s work and will support its activities!

Monika Lisiecka, MA has taken on the role of chair of the new Team for accessibility – this is a well-deserved continuation of her earlier efforts, and establishing a team aimed at supporting PhD students with special needs is a groundbreaking step toward an inclusive environment for all PhD students!

This is another step in our commitment to self-government’s efforts to build a better future for the PhD community, not just locally but also nationally. Bravo! Thank you for your passion and we wish you spectacular achievements!

The Doctoral School at the University of Silesia in Katowice invites PhD students from across Europe to participate in the second edition of the international Seasonal School “Beyond Barriers: the Role of Social Sciences in Building Accessibility”, which will take place on 8–12 June 2026 at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.

The event has an interdisciplinary character and focuses on accessibility as one of the key challenges of contemporary societies. The programme addresses issues related to access to education, public space, digital technologies, social participation, and cultural resources.

Participants will engage in lectures, workshops, seminars, and collaborative group work. The School provides a stimulating international academic environment fostering intellectual exchange, interdisciplinary dialogue, and lasting academic connections. The programme will be conducted in English.

The Seasonal School 2026 is organised within the framework of the Blended Intensive Programme (Erasmus+) and the project “International from the beginning – support of internationalization” under the NAWA STER programme. Participation is free of charge. Participants may apply for Erasmus+ BIP funding to support travel and subsistence costs and will have the opportunity to obtain ECTS credits and a certificate of participation.

Who can participate?

PhD students in the fields of social sciences and humanities who are interested in interdisciplinary research, social challenges, and international academic collaboration.

Registration

Registration is open until 9 March 2026 via the application form:

https://formularze.us.edu.pl/form/index/7002

The number of places is limited.

As part of the application process, candidates are asked to prepare a short presentation of their research interests and motivation (preferred format: a video recording of up to 3 minutes) by 13 March 2026.

The video should be sent to: seasonalschool@us.edu.pl

or uploaded via: https://ssd.us.edu.pl/index.php/s/ibJmzSwpkIGuWL

Detailed information about the event, programme, and application procedure is available at:

https://us.edu.pl/szkola-doktorska/ster/seasonal-schools/beyond-barriers/

We look forward to welcoming you to Katowice!

Organising Committee:

dr hab. Grzegorz Gawron, prof. UŚ, dr Zuzanna Neuve-Église, dr Ryszard Knapek

We are pleased to announce of the two Junior Labs available to young scientists:

• NEW ARTISTIC FORMS, CULTURAL INNOVATION AND ARTISTIC RESEARCH
  This theme invites PhDs in contemporary art, cultural studies and related fields to explore how new artistic forms are emerging, circulating and gaining significance across Europe.
  ARTISTIC RESEARCH
• PEDAGOGIES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: SUPPORTING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, IDENTITY AND TRANSITIONS – Multidisciplinary  PEDAGOGIES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

All essential information regarding the T4EU PhD Junior Lab can be found on the following website https://transform4europe.eu/t4eu-junior-labs/

We invite you to participate in Junior Lab.

We are pleased to inform you that Magdalena Nowacka-Flakiewicz, a fourth-year doctoral student studying cultural and religious studies at the Doctoral School, served as the production and post-production manager for the documentary “33 Photos from the Ghetto,” directed by Jan Czarlewski, which will premiere on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, on HBO Max (Max Original / HBO). The film tells the story of the only known civilian photographs documenting the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.

Basic Information:

• Title: “33 Photos from the Ghetto”
• Director: Jan Czarlewski
• Production: MWM media Post-production: Bomedia
• Co-producers: TVN Warner Bros. Discovery; City Culture Institute in Gdańsk (operator of the Gdańsk Film Fund)
• Co-financed by: Polish Film Institute
• Premiere: January 27, 2026 – HBO Max

Press materials and information:

https://prasa.wbdpoland.pl/post/premiera-dokumentu-hbo-original-33-zdjecia-z-getta-juz-27-styczn

https://pisf.pl/aktualnosci/premiera-filmu-dokumentalnego-33-zdjecia-z-getta/

https://tvn.pl/filmy/kiedy-premiera-dokumentu-33-zdjecia-z-getta-gdzie-ogladac-znamy-date-st8845973

https://trojka.polskieradio.pl/artykul/3634395,jedyne-takie-zdjecia-wykonane-przez-cywila-premiera-filmu-33-zdjecia-z-getta

link to trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi-BZ7erUnQ

Dear Doctoral Candidates of the First and Second Year,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the second edition of the T4EU PhD Tracks programme. By doing so, we encourage you to strengthen the international component of your research projects by collaborating with our foreign partners in Transform4Europe Alliance.

Candidates who intend to apply for this programme are kindly asked to submit a motivation letter in English. In the letter, please indicate the specific researchers with whom you would like to cooperate, explain their role in your project, and provide confirmation (for example, an email message) of their preliminary agreement to enter into academic cooperation.

Please send the motivation letter — in electronic form — to the address lidia.jasik@us.edu.pl by 30 January 2026. The next stage of the recruitment process will be interviews scheduled for 17 February 2026. The number of places in the programme is unlimited.

All essential information regarding the T4EU PhD Tracks can be found on the following website https://us.edu.pl/szkola-doktorska/en/t4eu-phd-tracks/.

We introduce a practical guide on applying for a T4EU PhD Tracks prepared by our coordinator:T4EU_PhD_Tracks_Guide 2025

We are pleased to announce the opening of new applications for the “jUSt transition” project. All applications are open until March 12th. Prepared documents, approved by the Doctoral School (Bankowa 14, room 409), must be submitted to the project office in the Rector’s Office (Bankowa 12, room 2.11) by that date.

PhD students whose doctoral projects address the topic of transition, with particular emphasis on the green and digital economy, are eligible to apply. In any doubts please contact the Doctoral School by e-mail (szkola.doktorska@us.edu.pl)

An important change compared to previous announcements: each person can apply for funding once for each form of support (6.1, 6.2, 6.5, 6.7, 6.9), instead of only once for the entire project, as previously. This means that doctoral students who have already received support in a specific category (e.g., 6.7 – conferences) can apply for funding in other categories (e.g., 6.1 – travel within Europe, 6.5 – research-related purchases).

All funded activities must be completed and settled by May 31, 2026.

List of announcements

PhD student mobility:

6.7 ENG

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/announcement-of-the-call-for-proposals-to-task-6-7-co-financing-of-participation-in-a-foreign-scientific-conference-of-doctoral-students-of-the-doctoral-school-of-the-university-of-silesia-9/

6.5 ENG

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/announcement-of-the-call-for-proposals-to-task-6-5-financing-the-costs-of-research-conducted-by-doctoral-candidate-at-the-doctoral-school-of-the-university-of-silesia-6/

6.2 ENG

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/announcement-of-the-call-for-proposals-to-task-6-2-co-financing-of-individual-research-activities-costs-of-foreign-trips-outside-europe-related-to-the-implementation-of-individual-researc-6/

6.1 ENG

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/announcement-of-the-call-for-proposals-to-task-6-1-co-financing-of-individual-research-activities-costs-of-foreign-trips-europe-related-to-the-implementation-of-individual-research-plans-at-the-d-7/

6.9 PL

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/ogloszenie-o-naborze-wnioskow-do-zadania-6-9-wsparcie-dzialalnosci-publikacyjnej-doktorantow-ek-szkoly-doktorskiej-us-oraz-miedzynarodowej-srodowiskowej-szkoly-doktorskiej-przy-centrum-studiow-polar-5/

6.7 PL

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/ogloszenie-o-naborze-wnioskow-do-zadania-6-7-dofinansowanie-udzialu-w-konferencji-naukowej-zagranicznej-doktorantow-ek-szkoly-doktorskiej-us-9/

6.5 PL

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/ogloszenie-o-naborze-wnioskow-do-zadania-6-5-dofinansowanie-kosztow-badan-prowadzonych-przez-doktorantow-tki-w-szkole-doktorskiej-us-7/

6.2 PL

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/ogloszenie-o-naborze-wnioskow-do-zadania-6-2-dofinansowanie-pojedynczych-dzialan-badawczych-koszty-wyjazdow-zagranicznych-poza-europe-zwiazanych-z-realizacja-indywidualnych-planow-badawczych-w-sz-6/

6.1 PL

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/ogloszenie-o-naborze-wnioskow-do-zadania-6-1-dofinansowanie-pojedynczych-dzialan-badawczych-koszty-wyjazdow-zagranicznych-europa-zwiazanych-z-realizacja-indywidualnych-planow-badawczych-w-szkole-7/

6.9 ENG

https://just.fesl.us.edu.pl/announcement-of-the-call-for-proposals-to-support-for-the-publishing-activities-of-doctoral-students-of-the-doctoral-school-at-the-university-of-silesia-in-katowice-and-the-international-environmen-10/

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:

1. Motivation letter describing research interests and career objectives.
2. Curriculum vitae (CV).
3. Copy of the Master’s degree diploma (or official confirmation of degree completion if the diploma has not yet been issued).
4. Letter of recommendation from the Master’s thesis supervisor.
5. 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.