Call for applications to the fifth edition of the CATSUS PhD Program
The fifth edition of this Program will start in February 2018.
To join this edition, follow the procedures indicated below.
Applications to the CATSUS program (fifth edition)
The call of applications for the CATSUS program opens on October 6th, 2017.
To be considered for the fifth edition of this program, admission procedures will be closed by October 27th, 2017.
Grants
For this edition, six grants are available. The award of grants should comply to the FCT regulations and is subject to its approval.
Required documents and selection criteria are indicated below.
Please submit your APPLICATION FORM online.
The CATSUS target population concerns national or foreign graduate students preferably with a Master degree (or equivalent) in sciences such as chemistry, chemical engineering, materials, pharmacy, biochemistry or related areas, and have special interests in Catalysis topics. These will include candidates with professional experience, especially those involved in R&D activities.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (pdf) to be uploaded for a valid application:
Curriculum Vitae (detailed)
Course(s) Certificate(s)
Statement of purpose with indication of the preferred up to three (3) PhD projects proposed by CATSUS members, within the available list
List of disciplines of the academic course(s) with their respective marks
Recommendation letter(s) (optional)
SELECTION CRITERIA
The selection of PhD candidates will be in accordance with the PhD regulations of the partner institutions and complying with FCT regulations. A requirement will be that the degree of the candidate allows him/her to follow a doctoral degree in the country where he/she got the former degree.
Particular importance will be given to previous involvement in research related activities in Catalysis (e.g., scientific publications, presentations at conferences, participation in research projects, etc.).
Further criteria for admission are: motivation; academic performance; and knowledge of English language.
The CATSUS Executive Committee (EC) will assess all the applications.
The process will involve two main steps:
A) Validation of the application, which should account for the pre-established deadline, the required mandatory documents and the admission criteria;
B) Academic and scientific evaluation, whereby the eligible applications will be assessed and ranked upon a combination of factors (see above): merit of the academic and scientific components of the CV (including academic performance, previous involvement in research activities and scientific output mainly in Catalysis); statement of purpose; relevant work experience; and knowledge of English.
The EC will also take into consideration the suitability of the applicant goals to the CATSUS program and to the research interests of the participating institutions.
A short list of the top-ranked candidates may be invited for a live or video-conference individual interview whenever decided by the EC. This is mandatory in the case of the non-EU candidates.
The EC will submit to the CATSUS Directive Board (DB) the results of the evaluation, for approval. After selection, the DB will submit the admission proposals to the Scientific Councils of the partner institutions to which the students apply (IST-UL, FC-UL, FCT-UC, and FCT-UNL).
The admission of a student will become official after final acceptance of the Scientific Council of the corresponding institution.