Joining MECS: Open Calls
MECS Doctoral School
The promotion of young researchers is one of the central tasks of universities and thus also of MECS. This begins with attracting young talent both nationally and internationally. The interdisciplinary science within MECS and its strong industry connections put the MECS Training Unit (TU) in the perfect spot to educate young specialists essential for Austria’s envisioned leading role in the transition towards green energy.
The MECS doctoral school, organized by the TU, provides a structured PhD program embedded within the MECS cluster. As it builds on the existing doctoral schools at all participating institutions. The participating universities in the COE have agreed to facilitate a “culture of co-registration” of doctoral candidates within the cluster consortium. Doctoral candidates enrolled at one COE university will be via coregistration also gain full access to all training, courses etc. offered by the other participating institutions.
Beyond the minimum requirements of the doctoral programs at the four institutions, the MECS doctoral program includes participation in additional training events, secondments and lectures. Upon completion of the MECS program, our doctoral candidates will formally receive a degree from one of the four participating institutions, as well as a certificate issued by the TU on completion of the MECS doctoral program, outlining their secondments, multiple advisors and the involvement of all four institutions.
Training elements. At MECS, we give access to a very wide range of training components, leveraging the synergies of four institutions as well as MECS-specific offers as summarized below
Postdocs & Young Faculty
The primary goal of postdoc positions within MECS is to prepare them for independent careers within as well as outside academia. Junior faculty shall be supported to gain scientific independence and leadership. To this end, we provide a tailored portfolio of support and training, such as
• Introduction to the scientific communities by senior mentors to develop networks
• Activities by the Young Scientist Unit encouraging scientific independence and autonomy
• Small research grants
• Budget for conference participation
• CoE Best Paper award
• (Co)supervision of undergrads and PhD students
• Soft skill training: project management, leadership and supervisor training, presentation skills, funding acquisition
• Seed grants and proof-of-concept grants
• Personal mentors
Joining as Postdoc. Please see relevant calls at the top of the page. Beyond positions directly in MECS, the participating institutions offer competitive postdoctoral fellowships such as the Moritz Schlick early-career programme or ISTbridge fellowships.
Joining as Junior PI. Please contact a member of the board of directors or the pillar heads.
Internships
Bachelor’s or master’s degree students who would like to gain more research experience are invited to apply for internships at one of the participating institutions.
Doing internships during your undergraduate studies lets you gain more research experience. Internship experiences are highly valued by prospective employers in any sector as they expose you to different research cultures, give technical know-how, lead frequently to first research publications and not least show initiative. Very often they are entry points to future PhD positions.
There are two ways to internships
• Year-round internships (contact the supervisor directly)
• MECStern-ships (MECS + intern): Published on top of this page (currently no calls)
CAREER & TRAINING
MECS Doctoral School
Postdoc and Young Faculty
Internships
Contact
André Vogel
andre.vogel@tuwien.ac.at