RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SILESIA IN KATOWICE

announces the open call for the position of Assistant Professor (post-doc) (F/M)[1] in the group of research staff as a part of the research project NCN SONATA BIS „Enhancing paleoseismological record through multi-methods cave deformation analysis tested in diverse Hellenides tectonic regimes” led by Jacek Szczygieł, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof.

Place of work: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences

Job location: Będzińska 60, 40-41-200 Sosnowiec

Number of available positions: 1

Key words: paleoseismology, finite element method, seismic tremors, natural frequency

Applications to the open call may be submitted by those who meet the conditions specified in Section 113 of the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Law 2024 item 1571).

[1] The open call is conducted in accordance with the principle of equal treatment in employment and it is open to all persons who fulfil the requirements included in the open call announcement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• conducting research in the discipline of earth and related environmental sciences as a part of the research project led by Jacek Szczygieł, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof.:

https://us.edu.pl/instytut/inoz/osoby/szczygiel-jacek/

• participation in the field work in the selected caves in Greece,
• participation in the laboratory works in the Institute of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia in Katowice,
• coordinating and acquiring the output data for the analysis conducted using the Final Element Method as well as carrying out MES modelling of the cave dripstones,
• participation in preparing publications resulting from the research conducted as a part of the project,
• realization of organizational duties in accordance with the Individual Assignment of Duties.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (obligatory):

• minimum PhD in natural sciences or in the related field (in particular in the discipline of earth sciences, physical of geology, geophysics or engineering) granted up to 7 years before the date of employment in the project,
• very good English skills,
• documented experience in modelling using the Finite Element Method or experience in the field of seismological and/or paleoseismological research,
• scientific achievements indexed in Scopus or Web of Science.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (recommended):

• experience in work with the data from the LIDAR point cloud,
• mountaneering or speleological skills,

Additionally we want to inform that the candidate must fulfil the following conditions:

• the candidate received their PhD maximum 7 years prior to employment in the project,
• the candidate has received their PhD in other higher education institution than the University of Silesia in Katowice, or they had minimum 10-month of continual, documented post-doctoral internship in the institution other than the University of Silesia in Katowice and in other country than the country where they received their doctoral degree,
• the project manager/coordinator was neither a supervisor  nor an auxiliary supervisor of the candidate’s PhD thesis,
• during the period when the candidate receives the remuneration for their full-time work in the project, the candidate shall not receive any remuneration from the funds assigned as a part of direct costs in research projects financed by the National Science Centre (NCN),
• during the period when the candidate receives the remuneration for their full-time work in the project, they shall not receive any remuneration arising from the employment contract concluded with other employer, also from the employer with residence beyond Poland.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

1. motivational letter referring to candidate’s fulfilment of the open call requirements,
2. scientific resume (CV),
3. the documents confirming candidate’s qualifications (including the PhD diploma or certificate of granting the PhD degree, MA diploma or equivalent degree diploma)
4. list of publications (we recommend listing the most important publications in order from newest to oldest),
5. candidate’s declaration confirming that during the period when the candidate receives the remuneration for their full-time work in the project, the candidate shall not receive any remuneration from the funds assigned as a part of direct costs in research projects financed as a part of the NCN competitive grant programmes, nor will they receive any remuneration arising from the employment contract concluded with other employer, also from the employer with residence beyond Poland,
6. other documentation defined in the open call requirements.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• full time employment on the basis of the fixed period employment contract for 1 year with the possibility of extension as a part of the research project NCN SONATA BIS „Enhancing paleoseismological record through multi-methods cave deformation analysis tested in diverse Hellenides tectonic regimes” led by Jacek Szczygieł, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof.,
• employment at the University as a primary place of work,
• task-based working time,
• the remuneration for the position is based on the project assumptions and on the funds secured in its budget. The maximum financing for the base remuneration including the seniority bonus for this position is 8986 PLN per month and cannot be exceeded. The final amount of the base remuneration depends on the individual situation of the candidate, in particular on the seniority bonus to which a given candidate is entitled.
• the fixed remuneration component – seniority bonus^[2]   in the amount of 1% of the base remuneration for every year of employment from the fourth year of work, provided that the amount of the component does not exceed 20% of the base remuneration, 
• the variable remuneration components and monetary benefits or benefits in kind (e.g. additional annual remuneration, awards, and other co-financing possibilities), employee pension programme in accordance with the acts and internal regulations of the University of Silesia in Katowice,
• additional, paid options selected at the employee’s discretion on the basis of declaration submitted by the employee (e.g. private life insurance, private medical package of the employee’s choice, group pension scheme),
• opportunity for professional development,
• work environment supporting diversity, equality and inclusion.  

SCHEDULE OF THE CALL:

• application submission deadline: the 24^th of April 2026 (11.59 p.m. CET)
• the selection process will be concluded by: the 23^rd of June 2026

OPEN CALL PROCEDURE:

Applications received after the deadline, incomplete applications and applications submitted in any other way than defined in the open call announcement shall not be considered. 

The open call is conducted and solved by the open call committee appointed by the Rector. The open call procedure consists of two stages:

1) the formal assessment of the submitted documents,

2) merit-based evaluation of the candidates.

The formal assessment is preceded by the initial verification of the submitted documents confirming fulfilment of the requirements defined in the open call announcement. In the case of doubts the open call committee may call the applicant to complete the documentation in the defined period of time.

The open call committee prepares a list of persons whose applications fulfil the open call requirements to the greatest extent and invites them for an interview.

The interview may take place in person or by using the electronic means of communication. The invited candidates may be asked to prepare additional materials for the needs of presentation of their candidacy during the interview.

In the case of applications submitted by the persons who already have a history of employment at the University of Silesia in Katowice the selection committee will also take into account the opinions of the candidate’s superiors.

The open call committee may resign from conducting the interview if they state that the applications submitted in the open call do not fulfil the open call requirements.

The open call is solved by way of resolution adopted by the open call committee by secret ballot with the simple majority of votes.

The applicants are notified about the results of the open call. The applicants have a right to appeal against the open call committee’s decision in writing within 7 days from the day they are notified about the result of the open call. The appeal shall be considered by the Rector within the period of maximum 30 days.

The final, binding decision on employment of the candidate selected and recommended by the open call committee is made by the Rector.

The University reserves the right to leave the call unresolved.

APPLICATIONS:

Submitting an application in response to this Call means accepting the GDPR information clause available in the Application form.

The required documents shall be submitted electronically using the application form, available by clicking “Apply”.

[2] Job seniority means the total period of the documented professional activity, which, according to the principles of law, shall be included in the person’s employment period in order for that person to acquire employee rights (e.g. the specific amount of holiday, severance pay, seniority bonus etc.). It includes not only employment on the basis of employment contract, but also other forms of professional activity, such as person’s own economic activity, work on the basis of civil-law contracts (excluding contract for performance a specified task), membership in cooperative, uniformed service or a documented paid work abroad – provided that it fulfils the requirements defined by law. Legal basis: art. 302 and art. 302¹ of the act of 26 September 2025 on changing the act – Labour Code and some other acts (Journal of Laws of 2025, item 1423).  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

The condition necessary for employment of the candidate selected in the selection proceedings is the fulfilment of the obligations arising from Section 265(4), (5), (13) of the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Law 2024 item 1571).

In the case of applying for employment at the University of Silesia in Katowice as the primary place of work, candidates employed in other higher education institutions as their primary place of work, should, as of the day of their employment, fulfil the requirement defined in art. 120, section 2 of the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Law 2024 item 1571), according to which an academic may have only one primary place of work at a time.

 In the case of person selected as a result of the open call selection procedure, who has obtained their academic degree, their degree in arts or their professional title abroad, and whose academic degree, degree in arts or their professional title has not been recognized as equivalent with the adequate Polish degree or title, employment of such person is possible in accordance with art. 116 section 2a of the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Laws 2024 item 1571), in accordance with the procedure in force at the University or on the basis of the nostrification procedure, for which the candidate shall apply. 

The Whistleblower Protection Act

The University of Silesia in Katowice fulfils the obligations arising from art. 48 of The Whistleblower Protection Act of 14 June 2024 (Journal of Laws of 2024 , item 928). Considering the above we want to inform that at the University of Silesia there is a procedure for reporting internal law infringements. The applicants can make themselves familiar with the rules of submitting reports and the personal data protection connected with  the procedure. Detailed information is available on the University website: https://naruszenia.us.edu.pl/ or can be acquired at the applicant’s request. 

GDPR information clause for the candidates

1. Personal data controller

The University of Silesia in Katowice is the controller of your personal data. You can contact the controller in the following manner:

1. by post to: Bankowa 12, 40-007 Katowice
2. by e-mail: [email protected]

2. Data protection supervisor

You may contact the Data Protection Supervisor in all matters concerning the processing of your personal data and the exercise of your rights relating to the processing of data as follows:

1. by post to: Bankowa 12, 40-007 Katowice
2. by e-mail: [email protected]

3. Purposes of the processing and legal basis of the processing

We will process your personal data to:

1. assess your qualifications, abilities and skills required for the position you are applying for,
2. select the right person to work with us.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Article 6(1)(a), (c), (e) and (f) and Article 9(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation):

1. Your consent to the processing of personal data provided in your CV and the cover letter, if you provide us with data other than your: first names and surname; date of birth; contact details; educational background; professional qualifications; your employment history to date.
2. Your consent to the processing of your personal data in order to use it in the next recruitment processes conducted by the University of Silesia in Katowice for the next 9 months.

Your personal data which cannot be processed pursuant to legal provision will be processed when the candidate expresses his/her voluntary consent thereto.

3. Your explicit consent to the processing of special categories of personal data i.e. sensitive data, as referred to in Article 9(1) of GDPR (inter alia health data), provided on the applicant's own initiative;
4. fulfilling the legal obligation resting upon the controller, resulting from Article 22¹ paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Labour Code, with regard to the personal data which the employer requires from the candidate, i.e. first and last names; date of birth; contact details; and in case it is necessary to perform a specific type of work or on a specific position, it also requests information on education; professional qualifications; history of previous employment. The processing of your personal data for purposes and within the scope exceeding the aforementioned personal data requires your voluntary consent (Article 221a of the Labour Code).

The provision of personal data is a statutory requirement, necessary for participation in the recruitment process. If you do not provide the data, it will not be possible to accomplish the aforementioned purpose.

5.  *to comply with the legal obligation resting upon the controller, resulting, in particular, from the Act on Higher Education and Science, and implementing provisions issued on the basis thereof. Processing of your personal data for the purposes of and within the scope exceeding the personal data necessary for the purposes of the competition procedure requires your voluntary consent.

The provision of personal data is a statutory requirement, necessary for the purposes of the competition procedure. If you do not provide the data, it will not be possible to accomplish the aforementioned purpose.

6. fulfilling the task executed in the public interest, resulting in particular from Article 11(1) of the Law on Higher Education and Science;
7. our legitimate interest as regards the data collected during the recruitment process in order to verify your skills and ability to work on the position you apply for.

The Act on Higher Education and Science, on the one hand, imposes public tasks on higher education institutions which they must carry out (Article 11(1)), and, on the other hand, guarantees them autonomy in all areas of their operation on conditions laid down in the Act (Article 9(2)), which allows higher education institutions to define their own detailed objectives and forms of activity within the framework of the status defined by law. A higher education institution as an academic community composed of staff, students and PhD students, exercising the tasks set forth in the Act, enjoys the autonomy granted and is guided by the European academic tradition. .

4. Period of storage of personal data

Your personal data collected in the current recruitment process will be stored until the end of the recruitment process. In case of expressing additional consent to the use of personal data for the purposes of future recruitments, they will be processed for a period of 9 months, but no longer than until the withdrawal of your consent.

5. Data recipients

Your personal data will not be transferred to any third parties.

6. Rights relating to the processing of personal data

You have the following rights in relation to the processing of personal data:

1. the right to withdraw your consent to data processing, see below;
2. the right of access to your personal data;
3. the right to demand the rectification of your personal data which are incorrect and supplementing incomplete personal data;
4. the right to have your personal data removed, in particular if you withdraw your consent to the processing, when there is no other legal basis for the processing;
5. the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data;
6. the right to object to the processing of your data, due to your specific situation, in cases where we process your data on the basis of our legitimate interest, including for direct marketing purposes, or for the fulfilment of a public task. NOTE: in the case of processing data for direct marketing purposes, objections may be raised at any time regardless of the specific situation,
7. the right to transfer your personal data, i.e. the right to receive your personal data from us, in a structured, machine-readable, commonly used IT format, You may send the data to another data controller or request that we send your data to another controller. However, we will only do so if such a transfer is technically feasible.
7. You only have the right to transfer your personal data if we process the data in an automated way, i.e. in electronic form, on the basis of a contract with you or on the basis of your consent;
8. the right not to be subject only to automated decision making, including profiling
9. the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority, i.e. the President of the Office for Personal Data Protection,

The right to withdraw consent

To the extent that your data are processed on the basis of your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent to data processing at any time. The withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing that was carried out on the basis of your consent before it was withdrawn. You may withdraw your consent by sending a statement of withdrawal to our postal address or e-mail address: [email protected].

* concerns only the candidates applying for academic positions