Recruitment for the Doctoral School

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Molecular geometry – pre- and post-synthetically modified shape-persistent macrocycles of great chiroptical response, for molecular tectonics and chirality sensing

Details
Code SD-NChem-G63
Organizational unit Doctoral School of Exact Sciences
Area/discipline Chemical sciences
Form of studies Full-time
Level of education Third cycle
Language(s) of instruction English, Polish
Admission limit 1
Duration 8 semestrs
Recruitment committee address Wydział Chemii UAM ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, Poznań mgr Agnieszka Kurzajak
Office opening hours 9.00-14.00
WWW address https://amu.edu.pl/doktoranci/szkola-doktorska/rekrutacja/rekrutacja-20252026
Required document
  • Documents entitling to study
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There is currently no active phase.
Past phases in this registration:
  • Phase 1 (13.10.2025 00:00 – 29.10.2025 23:59)

Additional recruitment to the Doctoral School of Exact Sciences beyond the limit of places

Project description:      

In this project, we intend to prove that intentionally designed selected group of chiral polyaza macro- and gigantocyclic compounds of periodical and symmetrical structure, may act as tunable and highly responsible sensors and tectons. The molecular and supramolecular systems designed and studied within this proposal will resemble macroscopic geometric objects such as figures, solids and helixes of natural origin. The mechanism of action of these compounds will be based on some fundamental processes, namely, molecular recognition, enantiodiscrimination, aggregation and assembly.

We intend to demonstrate the versatility of macro- and gigantocyclic (over 50-membered) derivatives as molecular receptors and chirality sensors. The change of the size of internal cavity and/or the possibility of formation of the receptor pocket allows for selective encapsulations of guests. The use of chiral but conjugated macrocycles of planar or tubular structure for recognition and in tectonics will be an important novelty. A simple change from dialdehyde to diketone will lead to formation of tubular-shape the “isosceles macrocycles”, where two sides are chemically and geometrically distinct from the third.

The presence of internal cavity makes rigid macrocycles good candidates for designing nanoporous molecular solids (cooperation with Stellenbosch University, SA). In this context, the antagonistic effects between shape non-complementarity and the presence of structure-forming supramolecular synthons will allow for obtaining materials characterized by the presence of “chiral pores” and capable of solid-state enantiodiscrimination.

Both, pre- and post-synthetic approaches will be used for synthesis and modifications of macro- and gigantocyclic compounds. To save time and resources, theoretical calculations will constitute the first stage of research followed by the stage of synthesis and verification of the theoretical results by comparing them with the experiment. These preliminary theoretical studies are essential for compounds that will be tested for their suitability as systems that are characterized by specific structural and/or spectroscopic properties. In order to design multicomponent crystals, the theoretical calculations seem to be a prerequisite for choosing suitable objects that are capable of noncovalent interactions. The bottom-up design strategy will be utilized in the design and solid-state synthesis of hierarchical non-intertwined ring-in-ring structures.

The introduction of polar substituent capable of hydrogen bonding formation to the macrocycle core will stabilize the structure. On the other hand, the substituent(s) not involved in XH…N interactions will constitute supramolecular synthon(s), important for further construction of supramolecular entities. The initially obtained macro- and gigantocyclic structures may constitute a starting point to the synthesis of molecules impossible to obtain by kinetically and/or thermodynamically controlled reactions. Post-synthetic modifications will include, among others, transformation of polyamines into polyamides. This type of chemical transformation, in relation to the chiral polyazamacrocycles, remains largely (or even at all) unexplored.

 

 

Principal investigator:  Kierownik projektu: Prof. dr hab. Marcin Kwit; 2023/49/B/ST5/00574

Recruitment 

Selection Committee             

            1.    prof. dr hab. Marcin Kwit – chairman

            2.    prof. UAM dr hab. Magdalena Rapp

            3.    dr Agnieszka Czapik

            4.    prof.  dr hab. Przemysław Niedzielski 

            5.    prof. dr hab. Michał Zieliński

            6.    mgr  Agnieszka Kurzajak   – secretary 

Schedule of  the Doctoral  School enrolment procedure: 

·         acceptance of documents: from 13 to 29 October, 2025
 ·        admission process: 4 November, 2025
 ·        announcement of the list of candidates qualified for admission: 5 November,  2025   

Recruitment fee

The recruitment fee is 75 EUR.

Form of the selection procedure

One stage procedure.

Language of the selection procedure, including interviews:

Polish or English language. 

Required documents:

             An applicant for admission to a doctoral school shall register in the IRK (Internetowa Rejestracja Kandydatów – Candidate Internet Registration) system and submit documents in electronic form.
          Candidates are required to:  
1. Complete the registration form and upload a digital photograph sized 20 mm x 25 mm with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. 
2. Indicate the academic discipline in which they intend to conduct their doctoral research. 
3. Consent to the processing of personal data for admission purposes. 
4. Submit a CV. 
5. Upload a motivation letter specifying the academic discipline in which they aim to earn their doctoral degree. 
6. Provide a scan of a diploma confirming higher education qualifications at Level 7 of the Polish Qualification Framework, along with a diploma supplement. For 2024/2025 graduates who have not yet received their diplomas, a certificate confirming Level 7 qualifications, along with academic records, must be submitted, subject to section 3. 
7. Attach a statement of documented achievements and supporting documents (for documents in languages other than Polish or English, a certified translation must be included). Applicants should indicate: 
a) Up to three scientific achievements. 
b) Up to three additional accomplishments, as defined by the criteria in § 11. 
8. Submit a research project proposal, or in the case of admission tied to a research project, a detailed plan for grant project implementation, including a bibliography (up to 8 pages of standard text, max. 15,000 characters with spaces). 
9. Upload an application for admission to the doctoral school, generated from the IRK system. 
10.Pay the admission fee. 

Candidates applying based on exceptional academic achievements must include a scan of the following:  

1) For first-cycle graduates: the diploma and supplement. 

2) For students completing the third year of a unified master’s programme: a certificate indicating their academic average from years 1 to 3, along with a transcript. 

Candidates educated outside Poland must additionally submit: 

1) A scanned copy of their higher education diploma and supplement for both first- and second-degree qualifications (Bachelor’s and Master’s), in the original language and a certified translation into English or Polish.

2) A scanned copy of their passport (for foreign applicants). 

 Evaluation criteria

The following shall be taken into account during the admission procedure:        

 1. A minimum grade of "very good" or equivalent from a second-cycle (master’s) or unified master’s degree diploma (5 points). Candidates applying on the basis of exceptional scientific achievements (e.g., grant awarded under the “Pearls of Science” competition) will also receive 5 points. 

2. Evaluation of up to three documented scientific achievements submitted during registration in the IRK system, assessed according to the detailed criteria of the candidate's accomplishments (maximum of 20 points). 

3. Assessment of other documented activities, based on up to three achievements indicated by the candidate, as per the specific criteria for the discipline (maximum of 5 points). 

4. The outcome of the interview, which assesses: 

a) The candidate’s knowledge and competencies relevant to their intended research, including discipline-specific expertise. 

b) Research methodology appropriate to the chosen discipline. The interview has a maximum duration of 30 minutes and awards up to 50 points. 

5. Evaluation of the research project prepared for admission, or in the case of recruitment tied to a grant project, the author’s concept for implementing the project (maximum of 20 points). Assessment focuses on: 

a) Formulation of the research objective and presentation of the research problem. Page 6 of 9 

b) Originality of the research idea and approach to solving the research problem. 

c) Methodology suited to the indicated discipline. 

d) Awareness of the current state of research, supported by a basic bibliography. 

e) The project’s significance for the development of the chosen discipline. 

Condition of admission to the Doctoral School 

Each candidate may be awarded a maximum of 100 points in the selection procedure.A candidate will be admitted to a doctoral school if he or she is awarded a sufficient number of points awarding a place on the ranking list, within the limit of candidates for a given scientific discipline; the candidate must also obtain at least 60 points from the entire selection procedure.

Education Program

Education at the doctoral school lasts 8 semesters. Education at the Doctoral School  is offered on the basis of a framework curriculum and an individual research plan and ends with the submission of a doctoral dissertation.

The framework curriculum at the doctoral school includes a catalogue of modules of compulsory classes, elective compulsory classes and optional classes. It also:

1)    defines their schedule

2)    defines the way in which the classes are taught

3)    defines how learning outcomes are verified.

 

Supervisors

A doctoral student works under the supervision of a supervisor or supervisors, or a supervisor and auxiliary supervisor, who will be appointed by the Deputy Rector at the request of a doctoral student (within 3 months of the start of his or her studies at the Doctoral School).

Scholarships

The scholarship is PLN 5.000 gross-gross for 24 months, than PLN 6.500 gross-gross for next 24 months