Doctoral Program in Analytical Science in Chemistry 2019–2020

The RD 99/2011 highlights the high professional training of doctors in various fields, especially those that require creativity and innovation. Therefore, the doctors of the program will have acquired, at least, personal skills and abilities to:

1. Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
2. Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
3. Design, create, develop and undertake innovative and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
4. Work both as a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
5. Integrate knowledge, face complexity and formulate judgements with limited information.
6. The criticism and intellectual defence of solutions.

The requirements for access to doctorate studies are set in RD 99/2011 and can be consulted in the corresponding Instruction of the Doctorate School (pdf). In general, an official Spanish Bachelor's and Master's degrees or equivalent are required, with a minimum global extension of 300 ECTS credits.

Candidates with university degrees issued by a country of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) may request admission directly (info). If the degree is issued by a country outside the EHEA, the application for access with a non-homologated foreign degree must be submitted (info).

Those interested can expand their information in the administrative section of the Doctoral School (web) or the administration of the program (see contact data in the program general information section).

Recommended profiles:

• Graduate in Chemistry with a Master degree in Science.
  
• Graduate in another degree (Food Science, Pharmacy...) with a Master degree in Science. Both degrees must include at least 24 ECTS in the field of Chemistry, of which at least 12 ECTS must be in the field of Analytical Chemistry.

Selection Criteria:

• Academic records (60%)
• Scholarships and awards (25%)
• Research experience (10%)
• Other merits (5%)

The application for admission will include a letter of motivation, which should express the interest of the candidate in a research line of the program and propose a researcher from that research line as a potential director.

The languages of the doctoral program are Spanish and English. Those students whose mother tongue is different from Spanish or English, must accredit a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Recognition in one of the two languages.

Profile: Students with university degrees that do not include at least 24 ECTS corresponding to the field of Chemistry, and of which at least 12 ECTS correspond to the field of Analytical Chemistry.

Complements to be studied: The complements will consist of a training period in subjects related to Analytical Chemistry selected from Master and Degree courses taught at the University of Zaragoza, or other equivalent courses from the academic offer of this university.

Doctoral students, as researchers in training and students of the University of Zaragoza, have to formalize every year the enrollment with the corresponding rights to the academic tutorship while continuing their doctoral training. The enrollment period will be set  in the academiccalendar approved each year by the Doctoral School. 

As a general rule, enrollment will be done online through the Secretaría Virtual ofthe University of Zaragoza. Previously a personal identification number (NIP) and password will have been obtained in the identity management service. Face-to-face registration will be allowed to those who cannot do it online, by going to the doctoral school during public service hours. PhD students must submit every year in which they enroll, documentation about their previous studies, depending on whether they have been taken in countries of the European Education Area or outside that space.

Full and up-to-date information on the enrollment procedure, including key points, is provided on the website of the Doctoral School, as well as prices, discounts and insurance, legalization and translation of documents and some others practical details.

The procedures for the supervision of doctoral students are set in article 11 of Royal Decree 99/2011, which regulates doctoral studies and the rules about Thesis (Reglamento sobre Tesis Doctorales de la Universidad de Zaragoza). The doctoral student admitted to the program has to enrol each academic year in academic tutelage at the University of Zaragoza. The Academic Committee of the program will assign a Thesis Director and a tutor, who may or may not be the same. The Thesis Director will be the person in charge of the overall management of the doctoral student's research tasks, of the coherence and adequacy of the training activities, of the impact and novelty in his/her field of the subject of the doctoral thesis and of the guide in other projects and activities where the doctoral student is involved. The tutor is responsible for the adaptation of the training and the research activity to the principles of the program and the Doctoral School and will ensure the interaction of the doctoral student with the Academic Committee of the program, the body responsible for supervising the progress of the research and training and the authorization of the thesis presentation of each doctoral student of the program.

The supervisory functions of the doctoral students will be documented in the Doctorate Letter which, once the registration is made, will be signed by the doctoral student, its tutor and its director, the program coordinator and the director of the Doctoral School. Those interested can expand the information on the thesis supervision in the administrative headquarters of the program (see contact information in the general information of the program) or by consulting the program coordinator.

The follow-up of the training process leading to the presentation of the doctoral thesis is carried out through the research plan and the doctoral student's document of activities. The research plan is presented before the end of the first year of enrolment and includes, at least, the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and the temporal planning to achieve it. The plan may be improved and detailed later and must be endorsed by the Director and the tutor. The document of activities is the register of all the activities -research stays, courses, attendance to congresses, or others- that the doctorate carries out from his enrolment until the presentation of the doctoral thesis. Annually, the Academic Committee of the program will evaluate the follow-up of the research plan together with the document of activities. The positive evaluation will be an essential requirement to continue in the program. In the case of a negative evaluation, the doctoral student must be evaluated again within a maximum period of six months. Those interested can expand this information in the administrative headquarters of the program (see contact information in the general information of the program) or by consulting the program coordinator.

The Doctoral School offers an annual series of voluntary activities for all doctoral students. This formation has a transversal and interdisciplinary nature. The offer is dynamic and covers the following formative aspects: communication (oral and written), access and information management, and skills for a future social and professional performance.  Information about the activities, admission and enrolment can be found in the website of the Doctoral School  (info).

Doctoral students can carry out transversal activities, offered by the Doctoral School, as well as other training activities, specific of the Doctoral Program. None of these activities are compulsory, however, the following ones are highly recommended:

• The participation in the doctoral program workshops.
• The publication of, at least, one scientific article.
• The attendance at one scientific conference.
• Carrying out transversal training activities from the Doctoral School.

All the activities carried out by the student will be assessed by the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program as equivalent hours, according to the attached scale. A total of 120 hours during the academic tutelage period is required for all students, both full-time (F-T) and part-time (P-T).

Scale of activities:

• Attendance at doctoral program workshops: 15 hours/workshop (max. 45 hours).
• Publication of scientific articles: 40 hours/article (max. 120 hours).
• Attendance at conferences with presentation of communication (oral/poster): 10 hours/conference (max. 30 hours).
• Attendance at research meetings: up to 8 hours/year (max. 24 hours).
• Attendance at workshops and specific courses: up to 4 hours/course (max. 20 hours).
• Attendance at workshops organized by Research Institutes: up to 4 hours/workshop (max. 12 hours).
• Mobility: 12 hours/month (max. 72 hours).
• Collaboration in teaching activities: 2 hours/ECTS  (max. 36 hours).
• Transversal training activities from the Doctoral School: hours of activity (max 40 hours).

Title: Doctoral program workshops.

Description: Students will make a presentation of their research in progress related with the doctoral project during the annual workshop organised by the Doctoral Program, with participation of the rest of doctoral students as well as the teaching staff. Students will show a subject related with their doctoral research, which will followed by a discussion.

Time planning: All the students, both F-T and P-T will participate in a first session during their first doctoral course. F-T students will participate in a second session during their second doctoral course, whereas T-P students may do so during their second/third course.

Control procedure: The Academic Committee will keep a record of the attendants at doctoral sessions and will issue the corresponding certificate that will be incorporated to the DAD (doctoral student activities document).

Title: Publication of scientific articles.

Description: Preparation and publication of scientific articles derived from the work directly related to the doctoral thesis.

Time planning: Continuous training during the doctoral thesis realisation.

Control procedure: The student will justify this activity with the presentation of up to three articles published/accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals during all the training period as a doctoral program student.

Title: Attendance at conferences.

Description: Attendance at scientific conferences and presentation of communications during the training period as doctoral student.

Time planning: From 2^nd to 3^rd course for F-T students and from 2^nd to 4^th course for P-T students.

Control procedure: Certificates of both attendance and presentation of communication.

Title: Attendance at research meetings.

Description: Attendance at meetings with other researchers of their own group or other groups with whom projects or ideas are shared. Students will participate by presenting their contributions to the common project and assessing the contributions of the rest of the members.

Time planning: Continuous training during the doctoral thesis realisation.

Control procedure: The principal investigator of the research group will issue an annual report describing the doctoral student participation in the meetings of the group.

Title: Attendance at workshops and specific courses related to the research work.

Description: Attendance at workshops or specific courses organised by companies or other institutions about subjects related with the doctoral student research work.

Time planning: Continuous training during the doctoral thesis realisation.

Control procedure: Attendance certificate issued by the organiser.

Title: Attendance at workshops organized by Research Institutes.

Description: Attendance at workshops organised by university research institutes or other research centres where the doctoral students might develop their activity.

Time planning: Continuous training during the doctoral thesis realisation.

Control procedure: Attendance certificate issued by the institute or organising centre or, in its absence, attendance letter signed by the thesis director or tutor. In addition, students will submit a summary with the key points developed in the workshop.

Title: Mobility.

Description: Stays of research in centres different to the one where the doctoral student usually works, being the minimum length of stay one week.

Time planning: From 2^nd to 3^rd course for F-T students and from 2^nd to 4^th course for P-T students. One or several stays of variable length are allowed, between one week (minimum) and six months (maximum).

Control procedure: Report issued by the responsible person from the host research group stating the key points of the developed work during the stay period, as well as the degree of achievement.

Title: Collaboration in teaching activities.

Description: If allowed by the contract, students will be able to participate in the teaching activities of a university department.

Time planning: Depending on the contract terms.

Control procedure: Report issued by the head of department where the teaching activities are carried out.

Doctoral students enrolled in doctoral programs benefit from mobility aids established in various national and international calls. The calls for the Erasmus + program stand out.

In the Erasmus + Studies mode, doctoral students can choose a wide range of destinations, since most of the agreements signed by the University of Zaragoza with other universities include places for PhD students of all branches.

In the Erasmus + Stays / Practices in companies modality, PhD students access two calls: the one from the University of Zaragoza and the one carried out by the Iberus International Campus of Excellence for the universities that comprise it, the one from Zaragoza among them.

Other mobility calls are specifically designed for Latin American students and for international stays of students with predoctoral contracts. The mobility of doctoral students of the University of Zaragoza is also encouraged with cotutela agreements signed with foreign universities.

The Doctoral School of the University of Zaragoza has rules and procedures to achieve its various goals, which have been written with the agreement of the different levels of the Doctoral School, and are published on its website.

The regulations section of the Doctoral School website contains other important regulations, both national and of the University of Zaragoza, such as RD 99/2011 por el que se regulan las enseñanzas oficiales de doctorado, el Reglamento de los Estudios de Doctorado (2012) y el Reglamento sobre tesis doctorales (2014).

Rules of duration and permanence in the doctorate are established in Instrucción de23 de mayo de 2018 de la Escuela de Doctorado relativa al acceso, admisión,dedicación y permanencia en los estudios de doctorado de la Universidad deZaragoza (R.D. 99/2011).

Full-time thesis should be complete in three years, from the date of admission to the doctoral program, although the Academic Committee of the program may authorize the extension of this period for one more year. Part-time doctoral students will have five years from their admission to the presentation of the thesis, and the Academic Committee may authorize an extension for two more years. Exceptionally, an additional year of extension can be added.

PhD candidates may request a change in dedication (full-time / part-time) as well as the temporary withdrawal for justified reasons of the Academic Committee. They can cause a definitive withdrawal and see their file closed in these cases: if the available time to deposit the thesis is exceeded or if they receive two consecutive negative evaluations of the research plan.

These processes are explained in detail on our website (info) and the doctoral students are told how to proceed in cases of temporary withdrawal (info).

The academic year is governed by the deadlines established in the specific Doctoral School´s academic calendar.

This calendar sets the periods of request for entry, admission to the programs, enrollment at the University of Zaragoza, as well as how the students must present every year the research plan and the activities document, deadlines for defending doctoral theses, etc.

The Doctoral School website publishes the calendar of the current course as well as the two previous courses (info).

The doctoral program, through the research groups and institutes involved, the centres where the Department of Analytical Chemistry carries out its activity and the University of Zaragoza itself, offers a series of material, technological and scientific resources and facilities that guarantee the development of the doctoral theses. The specific resources and facilities available are detailed below.

Research laboratories   

General Research Support Service

Researchers linked to the doctoral program have access to the facilities of the General Research Support Service (link), which includes physical and chemical characterisation, biomedicine and animal experimentation, as well as other transversal services.

Administration and Service staff  (Personal)

The doctoral program is supported by the services of an administrative manager, an administrative assistant and five laboratory technicians.

Doctoral School Service

This is the unit of the University of Zaragoza responsible for providing technical and administrative support to the university community linked to doctoral studies.

Its main services are:

International Relations Service 

The International Relations Service, by means of the offices of reception of international students, promotes mobility, welcomes international students of Doctorate and facilitates their integration in the University.
International doctoral students are provided with support and information about the city, accommodation, Spanish and other language courses, medical assistance, grants and scholarships, etc.
Spanish doctoral students interested in abroad research stays as part of their training are also provided with support in relation with Erasmus Mundus and Campus Iberus programs.

Other supports:    

Research mobility centre (EURAXESS)

The University of Zaragoza, through the Vice-Rectorate of Scientific Policy, is part of the EURAXESS European Network of Aragon and constitutes an information point that provides personalized assistance to both foreign researchers who travel to Aragon to develop their research work, as well as Aragonese researchers who are interested in traveling abroad temporarily. This support deals with topics such as procedures for obtaining visas, residence cards and their renewals, homologation of university degrees, job offers, Social Security and health care, schooling and other useful information to facilitate the movement and integration of the researcher in the country of destination.

Career guidance service

Graduates of the program have at their disposal the career guidance service of the University of Zaragoza, Universa (link), composed of experts in Human Resources. Universa provides personalized information on job searches, company selection tests and preparation of curricula and cover letters.

Provision of external resources and travel grants for attending conferences and stays abroad to support doctoral students in their training

Support will be given to the calls for mobility grants for doctoral students.
The signing of agreements with higher education institutions that favour student mobility within the framework of European Programmes (Erasmus, Leonardo...) will be encouraged in accordance with the guidelines given by the Vice-rectorate of International Relations.