REFERENCE NUMBER: 121/PS/WAT/2025

UNIT NAME: Faculty of Advanced Technologies and Chemistry, Military University of Technology

POSITION TITLE: PhD Student

AVAILABLE POSITIONS: 2

Requirements:

• a candidate for a doctoral degree (PhD student) should have a professional title of Master of Science in materials engineering, physics, electronics, or another related technical field* (the candidate must not possess a PhD);
• proficiency in English at a minimum B2 level, enabling comprehension of scientific literature, composition of scientific articles, and presentation of research findings at international scientific conferences;
• basic comprehension of areas concerning metaphotonics, metamaterials, liquid crystals, and terahertz radiation, in addition to experience in laboratory settings related to materials engineering, physics, or electronics, and/or programming expertise will be viewed as an extra asset.
• dedication, effective communication skills, and critical thinking abilities;
• capacity to adhere to the principles of scientific ethics;
• strong organizational skills.

* A related field of study refers to disciplines that cover a considerable amount of coursework in materials engineering, physics, astronomy, or electronics.

The candidate chosen for a doctoral degree (PhD student) through the competitive process will need to achieve the status of a doctoral student at the WAT Doctoral School as part of a specific recruitment procedure that will be announced in August 2026.

Task Description:

The work of the PhD student will involve executing research activities outlined in the project “Tunable and ultrafast terahertz hybrid metamaterials based on plasmon-induced transparency effect” (contract number: UMO-2022/46/E/ST7/00454), which is funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) as part of the SONATA BIS 12 competition. The research activities will be conducted under the scientific guidance of the PI.

Specifically, the PhD student's responsibilities will include:

• electromagnetic simulations of tunable metamaterials at THz frequencies;
• experimental characterization of tunable metamaterials in the THz range;
• preparing scientific publications;
• presenting research findings at international scientific conferences.

As part of the scholarship, the PhD student will undertake research tasks within the project under the supervision of the PI in a full-time capacity at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. We anticipate complete dedication to the execution of these tasks. The research conducted within the project will serve as the foundation for the doctoral dissertation.

NCN competition type: SONATA BIS – ST

Deadline for submitting offers: 17 October 2025, 23:59

Form of submitting offers: email

Employment conditions:

The monthly scholarship for a PhD student is 5000 PLN, which is provided for a duration of 17 months with the option for extension. This scholarship will be granted and disbursed in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Regulations for awarding NCN research scholarships for research projects funded by the National Science Centre ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2024/uchwala25_2024-zal1.pdf

PhD candidates who meet the necessary qualifications for a doctoral scholarship at a doctoral school may integrate the NCN research scholarship with a scholarship from the doctoral school. As a result, after qualifying for the WAT Doctoral School, the monthly scholarship will exceed PLN 8,000 (starting from October 2026 until the end of the project).

We provide:

• employment within a dynamic and ambitious research team;
• work in a well-equipped modern laboratory;
• significant autonomy in task execution;
• opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement;
• the chance to undertake a foreign scientific internship;
• involvement in international scientific conferences.

Additional information:

PI: Eng PhD DSc Rafał Kowerdziej, Associate Professor

phone: +48 261 837 545

e-mail:

Required documents:

• Curriculum Vitae (including details about projects and publications co-authored by the applicant, as well as the applicant's research interests and activities, awards and distinctions, and research internships and fellowships);
• cover letter outlining previous research interests;
• list of subjects and grades from undergraduate and graduate studies;
• scanned copy of diploma or another document verifying the attainment of a master's degree.
• evidence of English language proficiency at a minimum level of B2 (for instance, a grade from an examination taken during studies or a certificate of English proficiency);
• any additional documents that validate achievements, accomplishments, or skills.
• information clause and consent clause – the content of which is given below;

Documents must be submitted in PDF format and should feature a scanned signature.

*Candidates from Poland may submit application documents prepared in Polish.

Assessment criteria:

Candidates who have been selected and have submitted a complete set of documents (to be sent via e-mail to ) will be invited for an interview. The discussion will focus on the scientific achievements presented, the trajectory of previous studies, and their relevance to the project being implemented. Originals of the documents must be available for review during the interview or at a later time.

Candidates will receive notification regarding the date and specifics of the interview. The criteria for evaluating candidates are outlined in the NCN Regulations for awarding scientific scholarships, which is included as an attachment to the NCN Council Resolution No. 25/2024 dated 4 March 2024 ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2024/uchwala25_2024-zal1.pdf

Please incorporate the following clause into the application documents: I consent to the processing of my personal data included in the application documents submitted by me to the Military University of Technology, for the purposes of the recruitment process in accordance with Art. 6, paragraph 1, letter a, and the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2016/679 dated 27 April 2016 regarding the protection of individuals in relation to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data, which repeals Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).