Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, announces a call for applications for four-year doctoral school at the BioPlanet Doctoral School for the 2026/2027 academic year

Date of the interview for the Bioplanet PhD programme

The interview for candidates for the doctoral school at the Institute of Palaeobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, will take place on 16 September 2026 at 11.00 am in the Institute’s library on the first floor.
Candidates are asked to prepare a short presentation consisting of 2–3 slides on their Master’s thesis and 4–7 slides on the doctoral thesis they would like to undertake.
If you have any questions, please contact the School’s coordinator: Dr Barbara Kremer, Professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences, kremer@twarda.pan.pl

Applicants to the BioPlanet Doctoral School should possess a general knowledge of the broadly defined natural sciences or Earth sciences (in the case of selecting a research topic in paleontology/geology), as well as a command of the English language sufficient to undertake doctoral studies (at the time of submitting the doctoral dissertation, candidates are required to provide a document certifying English language proficiency at a minimum B2 level). The doctoral programme lasts four years and culminates in the submission of a doctoral dissertation.

The BioPlanet Doctoral School offers doctoral research topics in zoology, ecology, parasitology, paleobiology/paleontology, biomineralization, and evolution, focusing on invertebrates (primarily insects) and vertebrates (primarily reptiles, birds, and mammals), as well as other interdisciplinary topics at the interface of geology, biology, and environmental sciences.

Application deadline: 1 June 2026 – 10 September 2026

Number of available places: 1

Formal requirements for applicants

The following documents are required as part of the recruitment process:

• Application for admission to the Doctoral School, together with consent to the processing of personal data for the purposes of the recruitment procedure and a declaration confirming that the applicant has read and understood the recruitment regulations.
• A copy of the degree diploma or a certificate confirming completion of the relevant studies. If the applicant does not yet possess the aforementioned documents, they are required to submit them before commencing education at the Doctoral School.
• A curriculum vitae including details of the applicant’s educational background, employment history, and scientific experience, together with a list of publications and a brief description of scientific achievements. This should include, in particular, information on participation in conferences, workshops, training courses, and research internships; involvement in research projects; membership and engagement in scientific societies and student research groups; as well as awards, distinctions, and research scholarships received.
• Certificates or other documents confirming the applicant’s level of English language proficiency, if available.
• A description of a preliminary research project proposal, not exceeding one A4 page in length, excluding the bibliography (which is not included in the page limit), approved by the prospective supervisor.

Evaluation Criteria for Candidates and Recruitment Procedure

§4

1. The recruitment process consists of two stages.

a) During the first stage, the Coordinator conducts a formal assessment of the submitted documents. In the case of applications that do not meet the formal requirements specified in §2, candidates will be requested to remedy any deficiencies within seven days. Applications that fail to meet the formal requirements will be rejected from further consideration, and the candidates will be informed accordingly.

b) During the second stage, the Recruitment Committee evaluates the submitted applications, taking into account the candidate’s academic achievements and research experience, and invites selected candidates to an interview (no more than five candidates per research topic). The interview may be conducted online and may take place in English. During the interview, candidates will be asked to give a brief presentation (approximately 5 minutes) on their previous research. If a candidate proposes their own research topic, they will present the main assumptions of the proposed doctoral research project (up to 10 minutes).

During the evaluation, the Recruitment Committee will assess:

a) the candidate’s academic achievements and research experience, based on scientific and popular science publications, awards and distinctions received for scientific research or student activities, research scholarships, participation in conferences, workshops, training courses, and research internships, involvement in research projects, and engagement in scientific societies and student research groups, taking into account all submitted documents (0–10 points);

b) the candidate’s knowledge in the discipline represented by the relevant Institute (0–5 points);

c) the candidate’s familiarity with the subject area of the planned research related to the doctoral dissertation (0–5 points);

d) the candidate’s motivation and aptitude for conducting scientific research, assessed in particular on the basis of the presentation of the subject of their Master’s thesis and prospective doctoral research, their ability to communicate and present substantive arguments, and their ability to formulate logical statements (including the ability to argue coherently and to use scientific concepts correctly within the discipline relevant to the specialisation chosen by the candidate) (0–5 points).

2. During the second stage of the evaluation, the Recruitment Committee assesses the candidate’s English language proficiency. English language proficiency, as demonstrated by a certificate or during the interview, is a prerequisite for admission to the Doctoral School.

3. The Recruitment Committee prepares minutes of each meeting.

Candidates who obtain a total score of 10 points or fewer are not eligible for admission to the Doctoral School. If none of the candidates obtains a total score of more than 10 points, the application deadline may be extended.

4. The results of the recruitment procedure are made public.

5. The relevant Institute will inform candidates of the recruitment results within 14 days of the date of the interview by publishing the information in the Institute’s Public Information Bulletin (BIP) and on the website of the BioPlanet Doctoral School.

6. Candidates have the right to appeal the decision of the Recruitment Committee to the Director of the relevant Institute within 7 days of the date on which the recruitment results are announced. An appeal may be lodged solely on the grounds of a breach of the recruitment conditions or procedures specified in these Regulations. The Director’s decision is final.

Interview
16 September 2026, 11.00.
Final decision deadline: 1 October 2026

Place and method of submitting documents
Documents marked “Doctoral School” may be submitted by post to the Institute’s address:
Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Twarda 51/55
00-818 Warsaw, Poland

They may also be submitted by email to paleo@twarda.pan.pl or delivered in person to the Secretariat (Room 155, first floor, 08:00–16:00).