Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape.

The Department of Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences is looking for four full-time

doctoral scholarship holders in the field of Chemistry

Position

• You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of Chemistry.
• You will publish scientific articles related to the research project.
• You will carry out a limited number of teaching, research and service support tasks for the Department of Chemistry.

Profile

• You hold a Master degree in Chemistry, Bio-engineering, in Applied sciences (engineering) or Civil engineering, each time with specialization in Chemistry. Candidates that obtain their master degree before the start of the scholarship can also apply.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results.
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies and the Department of Chemistry.
• You are a motivated person, willing to show commitment for a doctoral project, and to apply for an external fellowship (e.g. FWO strategic research fellowships 2023 and 2024).
• You can communicate fluently in English and Dutch.
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You show a pronounced interest in the research of one of the research groups of the Chemistry department at the University of Antwerp and are committed to maximally support the Department of Chemistry activities.

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of two years. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed once for another two-year period.
• The planned start date is 1 January 2024.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• You will do most of your work at Campus Groenenborger or Campus Drie Eiken in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform until 11 October 2023. Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:
  • a motivation letter
  • your academic CV
  • a letter of acceptance from your promotor including the research topic and a statement that you are willing to look for additional funding.
• The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact prof. Vera Meynen, tel. +32 3 2652368, vera.meynen@uantwerpen.be.

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply

Analytical chemistry, which is one of the basic chemistry subjects, is about the characterisation of samples, i.e., to determine how samples are composed, what chemical compounds they contain and how much of each compound they contain. Research in analytical chemistry aims to develop new analytical techniques and methods. Important application areas are in food, environmental science, biotechnology, bioenergy, medical and pharmaceutical science.

The PhD candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary team at Lund University who over the next 6 years will collaborate to investigate the sublethal effects of commonly used pesticides in different species of insects. The project covers fields such as analytical chemistry, genetics, metabolomics, ecology, and physiology, and includes laboratory as well as field work. Chemical pesticides play an integral role in controlling agricultural pests, however, their sublethal consequences for non-target species are often overlooked. Most of these pesticides are neurotoxins, yet how they affect the brain and its function in among insect species is poorly understood.

The aim of the PhD project is to develop new analytical methods to detect, identify, and quantify pesticides in insects, insect brains, and other relevant samples collected from pesticide high-risk landscapes. Also, lab-raised insects exposed to pesticides will be studied. Synergies across disciplines will allow identification of pesticide high-risk agricultural landscapes, as well as to achieve a sub-brain resolution analysis. The PhD student will develop new analysis methods based on supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The PhD candidate will also gain expertise on spatial modelling in agricultural landscapes, landscape ecotoxicology, and insect neuroanatomy.

Work duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she by the time of appointment:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Analytical chemistry if he or she has:

• A minimum of 120 credits are to derive from chemistry courses, of which at least 30 credits from a second-cycle degree project in the chosen specialisation or a closely related specialisation.
• The specific admission requirement can also be fulfilled through another equivalent programme, which is assessed in each specific case.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Driving license for passenger car.

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
• An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Written and oral communication skills
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria (desired qualifications):

• Approved course in chromatography at advanced level
• Approved course in mass spectrometry at advanced level
• Experience of practical work with different chromatographic techniques and mass spectrometry
• Experience in troubleshooting and repairing analytical instruments
• Experience in statistical analysis
• Good ability to work independently and to formulate and solve scientific questions
• Good ability to collaborate, endurance, stability, and personal maturity, and ability to organize and structure the work
• Numerical and linguistic analytical ability
• Experience of working with biological materials such as e.g. insects
• Has a curiosity to learn new things and increase own knowledge, especially in interdisciplinary environments

Consideration will also be given to how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. The application must contain a letter (1/2 - 1 page) in which the applicant briefly describes him/herself and motivates why the applicant wants to start the doctoral program in analytical chemistry at Lund University, and in what way the specific research project matches his/her own interests and scientific background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, grade transcripts, and other documents you wish to be considered (contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

The Faculty of Law is offering one doctoral student position for a Doctor of Laws Degree in public international law with a specialization in international human rights law. The doctoral student position is connected to the interdisciplinary project ‘Refugee Finance: Histories, Frameworks and Practices (REF-FIN)’ funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant 2023. Intended supervisor and Principal Investigator for REF-FIN is Associate Professor Daria Davitti.

Refugee finance is the term used to refer to new financial instruments aimed at attracting private capital to fund humanitarian responses to refugee flows. Such financial instruments which include refugee bonds, technical assistance funds and concessional loans, are promoted by international organizations, international financial institutions and states as innovative solutions to societal challenges raised by large-scale refugee flows. The project aims to examine, amongst other things, the socio-economic, legal and financial implications of this paradigmatic shift from aid funding to financing and the way in which it impacts on the conceptualization and implementation of the international protection of refugees in international law.

The doctoral project will be developed as part of REF-FIN and will rely on the overall project’s fieldwork to assess the impact of refugee financing on international protection in line with international law and human rights, both in theory and in practice. It is therefore expected that the project description submitted with this application will focus on refugee protection in the context of social impact investments and/or development finance. A project description including an examination of development finance and climate finance as precursors of refugee finance is desirable.

Job assignments

Those appointed to doctoral studentships shall primarily devote themselves to their studies.

Those appointed to doctoral studentships may, however, work to a limited extent with educational tasks, research and administration. Before a doctorate has been awarded, however, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post. (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 section 2)

When engaging in various research activities linked REF-FIN, the doctoral student will collaborate closely with the Principal Investigator, with other researchers involved in the project team and with colleagues in the field of international law and human rights at the Faculty.

The researchers and teachers at the Faculty are expected to contribute to a dynamic research environment as well as to other Faculty activities, and to perform work primarily in the workplace provided by the Faculty.

Eligibility/Entry Requirements

Only those who are or have been admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral studentships. (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 section 3)

A person meets the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

1. Has been awarded a second-cycle qualification,
2. Has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
3. Has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 7 section 39)

The special requirements are fulfilled by those who have completed a law programme and obtained the degree Master of Laws (juris kandidatexamen/juristexamen). The special requirements may also be fulfilled by those who can demonstrate other educational or particular professional experience where this is judged to provide the necessary qualification for doctoral studies comparable to that provided by the degree of Master of Laws (juris kandidatexamen/juristexamen) regarding both the subject for doctoral study and general legal education of importance for that subject.

The applicant must have obtained the degree of Master of Laws or the equivalent no later than 25 October 2023.

Basis of Assessment

For regulations concerning employment of Doctoral Students etc, see Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 sections 1-7.

For regulations concerning admission to third-cycle courses and study programmes, see Higher Education Ordinance chapter 7 sections 34-41.

Admittance of a doctoral student is based on an assessment of the candidate’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 section 5, chapter 7 sections 35, 41).

The applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies and research will be assessed with reference to the selection criteria stated in the general study plan for third-cycle studies at the Faculty of Law, which are given in no particular order of importance.

The applicant's general competence:

• Quality and content of the applicant's previous written work, such as a master's thesis
• Ability to participate actively in the faculty´s research environment
• Relevant educational background and grades/grade average
• Relevant work experience

The scientific quality of the project description:

• Ability to describe, question and discuss the current state of research
• Sufficient clarity and logical coherence in the formulation of the aim and the research questions
• Stringency of legal reasoning and analysis
• Adequate selection of theory and methods
• Capacity for creativity and innovation in the formulation of the research questions and approaches
• Clear expression and sufficient detail.

Appointment Procedure

The application should be submitted through Lund University job application portal.

Your application should contain a curriculum vitae, grade transcripts, project description, a master thesis or similar degree projects, one or two references (manager, supervisor etc.) and other documents that you wish to submit.

The project description, enclosed in the electronic application, must not exceed 15 000 characters (n.b. - any text that exceeds the 15 000 character limit will not be considered) including spaces, footnotes, list of references and must be written in English, Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian (see Guidelines for project description)

The Committee on Doctoral Education will call a limited number of candidates to interviews to be held on 15 November 2023, either by personal meetings or digital. Notification regarding who will be called for an interview is given no later than 10 November. The interview will be based on the project description and is intended to give the committee an opportunity to gauge each applicant's capacity for research and ability to complete the project described.

Type of employment

Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.