Pursuant to § 7 sections 1 and 3 of Resolution No. 61/X/2022 of the Senate of the Jagiellonian University of 26 September 2022 on: the rules of recruitment for the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences at the Jagiellonian University in the academic year 2023/2024, the Director of the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences announces a competition for 1 doctoral student with a scholarship financed from the research project funds as part of the PhD Programme in Biology education programme.

Within the NCN Opus 23 project entitled “The combined effect of a homogenous diet, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, and pesticides on the functioning of a wild bee”, the project manager, dr Zuzanna Filipiak offers an opportunity to complete the doctorates in the following area (title):

The combined effect of a homogenous diet, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, and pesticides on the functioning of a wild bee​

After the interviews and the evaluation of the candidates, the Chairman of the committee presents a report to the Director containing a list of candidates recommended for admission to the school as part of the research project.

Project description:

Bees are a key element in many ecological interactions and play an important role as pollinators of flowering plants, including agricultural crops. Unfortunately, bees are threatened by multiple stressors such as habitat loss and transformation, pesticides, and climate change.
The aim the project is to assess the combined impact of three stressors on the functioning of the wild bee Osmia bicornis. Two stressors are associated with the nutritional composition (quality) of pollen: (1) the proportion of specific plant species in the pollen load consumed by larva and (2) changes in nutritional quality caused by elevated carbon dioxide levels, reflected in the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the pollen. The third factor is pesticide use.

Literature & Video:

• Filipiak ZM,etal.(2022)SciTotalEnviron.820,153326.doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153326
• Mokkapati JS,etal.(2021)SciTotalEnviron.775,145588.doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145588
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsNImYspsPo

Scope of work:
Successful doctoral candidate will be responsible for conducting laboratory experiments using the wild bee O. bicornis. By using feeding experiments, the doctoral candidate will determine the impact of the studied factors on various life history traits of the bees. The candidate will have the opportunity to establish cooperation with Polish and international project collaborators, including the Technical University of Munich (Germany) and the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR FACE; UK). Additionally, the candidate will have the opportunity to develop their own research and outreach activities within the research project.

Candidate’s profile:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in the field of exact and natural sciences.
• proficiency in English at least at the B2 level.
• familiarity with basic statistical methods and a willingness to deepen knowledge in this area.
• ability to work independently while also being a team member.

Additional advantages will be:

• experience in laboratory work.
• knowledge of insect biology, particularly bees.
• documented experience in research work or scientific projects.
• documented popular-science activity.
• good organizational skills and creativity.

Schedule of the competition:

1. Announcement on the School's website (the latest): 21.07.2023
2. Opening of the competition (means: opening admission in the Online Application System): 04.08.2023
3. Application submission deadline: (means: closing the Online Application System): 07.09.2023
4. Entrance exams: 20-21.09.2023
5. Announcement of results: 22.09.2023
6. Enrolment: 25-26.09.2023 
7. Expected start date of education: 01.10.2023

Detailed terms and procedures of admission - tailored to the PhD Programme in Biology study programme according to the current Recruitment rules for the 2023/2024 academic year.

Application documents for PhD study programme Phd Programme in Biology

Additional application documents and  resulting from the specificity of the research project:

• transcript of records (B.Sc. and M.Sc. studies)
• average of grades obtained by the candidate (calculated in accordance with the regulations of the university that issued the diploma)

Please upload your application documents into the Online Application System (irk.uj.edu.pl).

Documents required for entry within PhD Programme in Biology.

In particularly justified cases, at the request of the Co-ordinator of the Education Programme, on the basis of a written justification submitted by the Candidate to Doctoral School, the Director of the Doctoral School may waive the requirement to submit an apostille or legalize university diplomas or other documents.

In the event of exposure to harmful, noxious or hazardous factors, the applicant will, at the time of registration, be referred for a medical examination by an occupational medicine physician. The candidate shall be obliged to deliver, within the time limit set by the programme manager, a medical certificate confirming the absence of contraindications to take up education (applies only to some PhD study programmes).

Higher education diplomas awarded abroad should:

1. bear an apostille clause if the issuing country is covered by the Convention abolishing the requirement legalisation for foreign public documents, done at The Hague on 5 October 1961 (Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 112, item 938) or
2. be subjected to legalisation, in other cases.

Any document submitted in a language other than Polish or English must be accompanied by a certified translation into Polish or English.

IMPORTANT:

A person admitted to the doctoral school begin education and acquire doctoral student rights upon taking the oath.