Call for 9 PhD fellowships within the MSCA DN project GLYCO-N: GLYCOprotein N-glycosylation from non-life to eukaryotes a Doctoral Network to expand the knowledge on a ubiquitous posttranslational modification of proteins.

• Applicants must have good knowledge and interest in Carbohydrate chemistry, microbiology, (bio)organic chemistry, computational and structural biology, bioinformatics and chemical biology
• Research experience on these topics is considered an advantage but not mandatory
• Applicants must speak and write fluently in English

Research Field: Chemistry, Organic chemistry, Carbohydrate chemistry, Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Molecular Biology, Pharmacy, Biotechnology

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

• GLYCO-N DCs will be employed according to the rules for doctoral candidates in MSCA-DCs (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/…) and the general regulations of each host institution.

• The financial package will include the monthly researcher allowances subdivided into 1) a living allowance of €3,400 (country correction coefficient applies), 2) a mobility allowance of €600 and, 3) a family allowance (€660), if applicable*. Employer costs and other deductions depend on recruiting host.

*If the recruited doctoral candidate has or acquires family obligations during the action duration, i.e. persons linked to him/her by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country or region where this relationship was formalised; or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher, the family allowance must be paid to him/her as well.

• Doctoral candidate will be given an employment contract for 36 months by their host institution and will be entitled to full employee benefits and inclusion in social security schemes of the host country.

• Supported researchers: applicants must be doctoral candidates, i.e., not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
• Mobility rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g., work, studies) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.

• Other eligibility criteria may apply depending on the recruiting beneficiary.

GLYCO-N will select Doctoral Candidates through a 2-step recruitment process (Step 1: evaluation of received documents; Step 2: interviews).

The selection procedure will be open, transparent, and merit-based, fully aligned with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Although the selection will be based on the quality of applications, gender balance will also be considered.

Candidates can apply for maximum three PhD projects and the applications need to be submitted separately. All applications will be checked for eligibility. Ineligible or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Application Procedure

Applications (in English) must include the following documents in a single PDF file:

• Letter of motivation addressed to the contact specified under each project in the Offer Description, including a statement why you are suited for this position;
• Curriculum vitae in EU format, including a photo of the candidate; the CV must be without gaps, in order to easily check the mobility and experience requirements. CVs that either do not clearly show the applicant’s past experience, or have gaps, will be considered ineligible
• Transcripts of B.Sc and M.Sc. courses, including grades.
• Copy of master’s thesis (if available). In case the Master’s Degree has not been obtained yet at the closing date for application, the candidate has to submit a declaration signed by their supervisor or University official stating that the degree will be obtained by the time of PhD enrolment.
• Two references letters from former supervisors, including names, affiliations and email addresses.

Application documents in a single pdf file should be sent by email to the contact specified under the list of each research project in the Offer Description. The subject line of the email must be in the following format: “GLYCO-N: application for Project #_Title of PhD project”.

The candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the received documents (Step 1) against the following criteria:
•    Educational record
•    Scientific quality of the applicant’s CV
•    Expected individual impact and benefit to the fellow and to the project
•    Previous experience in the subject of GLYCO-N research programme

After the Step 1 evaluation, the best 3-4 candidates will be invited for an online interview (Step 2) that will take place in June/July 2024.

A rejection letter will be sent to candidates not selected for the interviews.

The closing date for applications is May 31st, 2024

Planned start date for the doctoral candidates: October, 2024