Call for applicants:

PhD positions in the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Project SULTAN

Applications are invited for 15 PhD positions ("Early Stage Researchers") to be funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network within the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission. SULTAN is the "European Training Network for the Remediation and Reprocessing of Sulfidic Mining Waste Sites". SULTAN has pooled the interdisciplinary and intersectoral expertise of leading EIT RawMaterials members, world-leading mining and chemical companies, located in Belgium, Germany, Finland, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands. Together these partners cover all the links in the tailings-reprocessing value chain. The 15 SULTAN ESRs will not only receive state-of-the-art science/technology training but will also benefit from a unique soft-skills training programme. This will kick-start their careers as highly employable professionals in the EU’s tailings reprocessing/remediation sector, as well as for geological surveys, teaching & scientific organisations, and public bodies.

Key dates
15-6-2018: Launch 15 ESR positions
15-8-2018: Deadline for on-line application
03-9-2018: Circulation list "preselected candidates"
18-10-2018: SULTAN Recruitment Event
19-10-2018: Circulation list "recruited SULTAN ESRs".
1-1-2019: Targeted starting date for ESR contracts

Key background info

Number of positions available
15 PhD Positions

Research Fields
Geology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgy, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering

Keywords
LCA, extractive waste, tailings, geology, geometallurgy, organic synthesis, mineral processing, biometallurgy, solvometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, ceramics, inorganic polymers, SCMs

Career Stage
Early Stage Researcher (ESR) or 0-4 yrs (Post Graduate)

Benefits and salary
The successful candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Early Stage Researchers. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations and on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). The salary includes a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if married). The guaranteed PhD funding is for 36 months (i.e. EC funding, additional funding is possible, depending on the local Supervisor, and in accordance with the regular PhD time in the country of origin). In addition to their individual scientific projects, all fellows will benefit from further continuing education, which includes internships and secondments, a variety of training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops and conferences.

On-line Recruitment Procedure (see Appendix 1)
All applications proceed through the on-line recruitment portal on the www.etn-sultan.eu website. Candidates apply electronically for one to maximum three positions and indicate their preference. Candidates provide all requested information including a detailed CV (Europass format obligatory) and motivation letter. During the registration, applicants will need to prove that they are eligible (cf. ESR definition, mobility criteria, and English language proficiency). The deadline for the on-line registration is 15 August 2018. The SULTAN Recruitment Committee selects between 20 and maximum 30 candidates for the Recruitment Event which will take place in Leuven, Belgium (18 October 2018). The selected candidates provide a 20 minute presentation and are interviewed by the Recruitment Committee. Candidates will be given a domain-relevant peer-reviewed paper (prior to the recruitment event) by their prioritised Supervisor and will be asked questions about this paper during the interview to check if the candidate has the right background/profile for the ESR position. Prior to the recruitment event, skype interviews between the Supervisors and the candidates are recommended, along with on-line personality tests.
In order to facilitate their travel, preselected candidates (from outside Belgium) receive a fixed, lump sum of 250 euro (paid by the prioritised Supervisor). In order to avoid delays in reimbursements, candidates are asked to keep all invoices and tickets (cf. train, plane, hotel.). The final decision on who to recruit is communicated the day after the Recruitment Event (19 October 2018). The selected ESRs are to start their research as quickly as possible (target: 1 January 2019).

Applicants need to fully respect three eligibility criteria (to demonstrated in the Europass cv):
Early-stage researchers (ESR) are those who are, at the time of recruitment by the host, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate was envisaged.

Conditions of international mobility of researchers:
Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.

English language: Network fellows (ESRs) must demonstrate that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the network training.

Please find the available PhD positions at: http://etn-sultan.eu/home/