The Polymers and Soft Matter Group (PSMG, http://www.sc.ehu.es/sqwpolim/PSMG/) of the Materials Physics Center (joint centre of CSIC and the University of the Basque Country) at San Sebastián (Spain) is offering a PhD Grant associated to the national Project “Dynamic Networks in Soft Matter: From Small Molecules to Complex Polymers (DYNANET)”.

Application period: 12 -26 January 2023 (please contact us before 15th January). Starting of the Grant: Second half of 2023 (see details below).

The Grant has a duration of 4 years. If the student obtained his/her PhD degree before the end of the 4th year, the remaining time of the Grant would have a postdoctoral character.

There are several possible PhD projects to be performed in the PSMG, of experimental or computational character, and focused on physics or chemistry. In all cases the project will investigate structural and dynamic aspects of soft-matter networks with reversible bonds, in systems as water, polyalcohols, polymers or biopolymers.

Depending on the PhD project, some of the techniques to be used are scattering (neutron, X-ray, light), dielectric spectroscopy, calorimetry, rheology, molecular dynamics simulations, or polymer synthesis, among others. Therefore, candidates of very different profiles, experimental or computational, can apply to the Grant.

The Grant is offered within the call ‘Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores 2022’, which will be open from 12th to 26th January 2023 (unfortunately instructions are only given in Spanish: https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/ayudas-contratos-predoctorales-formacion-doctores-2022-0).

The selection of the awarded candidate is expected to be officially announced by June 2023, so he/she would start the PhD project in the second half of the year (incorporation is flexible within the first 3 months after the announcement). The awarded candidate must have an MSc degree by the time of the incorporation to the PSMG, in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Engineering or related areas. Background in soft matter topics and/or in some of the aforementioned techniques will be highly esteemed.

Please note that, though the call ends at 26th January, the application procedure is not fully trivial and needs some clarification (in particular for non-Spanish speakers). Therefore, candidates who are interested in applying to the Grant should send their CV (including marks of their BSc degree, and their MSc if it is the case) to Angel Moreno (angeljose.moreno@ehu.es) before 15th January. Recommendation letters are not essential but will be esteemed. We will made a pre-selection of the candidates and contact them for further information on the steps to follow in the application.