PhD 2026-22 KV - ICIQ Fully-Funded PhD Programme 2026 – THIRD CALL

The programme is addressed to highly qualified and talented graduate students with a keen interest in chemical research. Candidates should have an excellent academic record, strong commitment to scientific research and a solid working knowledge of English.

Admission to the programme is on a competitive basis.

The programme is open to graduate students, from any nationality that fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

a. Candidates must have a Master's or an equivalent degree in the areas of Chemistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemical Engineering or related disciplines that must be completed by the time of enrolment in the PhD programme.

When in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria, applicants should contact ICIQ's Human Resources unit at positions@iciq.es prior to submission of the application.

Candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria:

• Curriculum vitae.

• Personal statement.

• Academic marks.

• English level.

• Personal interview for short-listed candidates.

• Background in Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Chemical Engineering or a related field.

• Previous experience in photocatalysis, semiconductor materials, nanomaterial synthesis, colloidal systems or micro/nanomotors would be particularly valuable.

• Experience with optical microscopy, particle tracking, image analysis, spectroscopy or electrochemistry would be advantageous.

• Strong experimental skills and an interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry and active matter.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Experience with data analysis or programming (e.g. Python or MATLAB) is desirable.

• Excellent organizational and communication skills.

• Strong written and spoken English.

1. The awardees of an ICIQ Fully-Funded PhD position will be considered research personnel in training and they will have an employment contract (a pre-doctoral contract) which is regulated in the Spanish Law 14/2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and Education.

2. Pre-doctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4 years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities.

3. The gross yearly salary of the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and distributed as shown below:

   1. First and Second year of PhD: 19.007,22€ /year

   2. Third year of PhD: 20.364,88€ /year

   3. Fourth year of PhD: 25.456,10€ /year

4. The fellowship includes full social security coverage through the Spanish Social Security system, providing access to the Spanish public health care system and pension and unemployment benefits.

5. The grant holder is entitled to temporarily interrupt the fellowship in the following situations: temporary disability, risk during pregnancy, maternity, paternity and adoption or foster care. The time elapsed during this interruption will not be accounted for against the total time.

6. The contract will take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.

7. The Fully-Funded PhD includes the costs of enrolment in the PhD programme. These costs will be paid by each beneficiary to the university, and later they will be refunded by ICIQ. The PhD thesis has to be completed within 4 years.

8. The PhD awardees will work full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship or regular income.

9. The Fully-Funded PhD position is incompatible with any other fellowship with the same purpose.

The Fully-Funded PhD Programme offered by The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) is aimed at exceptional graduate students from all over the world, to support their enrolment in a training and research programme in the field of chemistry, ultimately leading to the completion of a Doctoral Thesis in partnership with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). The programme will also contribute to their professional career development, in the fields of academia and industry.

This objective is achieved by:

• The performance of an individual research project under the direction of an internationally renowned Group Leader, in a creative and stimulating scientific environment.

• Opportunities for short stays in distinguished international research institutions.

• Opportunities for complementary training in both technical and soft skills. The educational framework is designed to ensure a successful career: scientific seminars, hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP management, entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and technology transfer, grant applications, project management, communication skills and career development. ICIQ offers a yearly personalized training programme for PhD students, SHARP, which takes place during the course of 2 weeks, with training focused on their given PhD year.

Description of the project: The project will focus on the development of photoactive micromotor systems capable of generating autonomous oscillatory dynamics and collective behavior. The main objective is to uncover how photocatalytic reactions, chemical gradients and interparticle interactions can be harnessed to create dynamic systems that communicate, synchronize and respond to their environment. The PhD student will design and characterize different types of micromotors, identify the mechanisms governing their oscillations, and develop strategies to control their dynamics using light and chemical stimuli. By combining photocatalysis, materials chemistry, optical microscopy and particle-tracking analysis, the project aims to establish new principles for the design of adaptive and functional active systems.

• Design and synthesis of photoactive micro/nanomotors with controlled composition, morphology and surface properties.

• Structural, optical and physicochemical characterization of the developed materials.

• Study of how light intensity, wavelength, chemical environment and reaction conditions affect micromotor dynamics.

• Identification of the chemical species and gradients involved in propulsion, oscillations and particle-particle interactions.

• Characterization of single-particle and collective dynamics using optical microscopy and particle-tracking analysis.

• Investigation of chemical communication, synchronization and emergent collective behavior in interacting micromotor populations.

• Correlation of material properties, photocatalytic reactivity and dynamic behavior to establish design principles for oscillatory active systems.

• Analysis and interpretation of experimental data, preparation of scientific publications and presentation of results at international conferences.

I. Available positions: See Annex 1

Call opening: October 5th 2026

Call deadline: November 8th 2026

Notification to candidates: As from November 9th 2026

Start of fellowships: 2027

Supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa

Project Title: Light-Driven Oscillatory Micromotor Systems.

Number of positions: 1

Reference: PhD 2026-22 KV