iC3 launches postdoctoral funding support programme

Do you want to fully focus on a postdoctoral research project of your own choice for two or three years?

Do you want to join friendly team doing cutting-edge science at an interdisciplinary polar research hub located in the Arctic?

 This is your chance...

Every year, the European Union awards over a thousand MSCA postdoctoral fellowships. These fund researchers to focus on the scientific puzzles they are most passionate about, full-time for up to three years.

MSCA funding is highly competitive. Last year, less than 16% of applications were successful. However, applicants who benefited from a support programme run by iC3’s host university had a success rate of over 38%. This included all three applicants who applied through iC3 – a perfect 100% success rate.

This year, the iC3 polar research centre is launching its own, in-house support programme for strong MSCA candidates.

We will actively support each selected applicant on a 1:1 basis between now and the MSCA proposal deadline in September 2024.

So far, we have already taken eight MSCA candidates on board.

Who is eligible?

Applicants of all nationalities are eligible to apply for MSCA funding. Applicants must hold a PhD degree by September 2024.

How does it work? 

Applicants must first find an iC3 team member who is willing to act as their supervisor.

Only two iC3 researchers are currently still actively looking for candidates:

•Sebastien Moreau’s research focuses on phytoplankton and the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in the Southern Ocean, especially in the Sea Ice Zone. He uses data from yearly campaigns in the Southern Ocean, autonomous platforms such as floats and gliders, and satellites and models. He would like to supervise a postdoc who shares his research interests.

•Tore Hattermann is studying the contributions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to global sea level rise and interactions of the physical environment with the ecosystem. He is looking for a postdoc who wants to apply innovative methods (e.g. machine learning) to analysing data on the Antarctic coastal environment (including glider data and ice shelf cavity mooring data), or who wants to use numerical models to improve our process understanding of Antarctic Slope Front dynamics and ice-shelf / ocean interactions.

Other iC3 researchers are not actively seeking candidates, but may agree to take very strong candidates on board.

The decision on whether to accept an MSCA candidate for supervision rests exclusively with the individual researcher. If s/he commits to working with you, the wider iC3 team will commit to helping you to succeed.

What support will iC3 provide?

A designated iC3 team member who has previously won an MSCA grant himself will provide ongoing 1:1 support throughout the process:

•Provide useful slides and templates

•Supply examples of past successful proposals

•Critically review successive drafts of your proposal

•Provide practical advice on how to strengthen your proposal further

•Fully score an advanced proposal draft

This approach builds on and extends the successful model developed by our host university.

In addition, applicants will receive ongoing support from their chosen iC3 supervisor in developing the technical sections of the proposal that outline their scientific research project. This collaboration will proceed independently, in parallel to the support programme.

The iC3 center manager will act as liaison between applicants and the university grants office, ensuring that all required paperwork is ready by the time you submit your proposal.

What are the next steps?

First, check whether you are eligible to apply for an MSCA fellowship in Norway.

Then, send an email to your potential supervisor briefly outlining your proposed research project. Please attach your CV if available.

NOTE: Many iC3 researchers are doing fieldwork in remote areas of the Arctic this summer and may not have internet access for several weeks. If you do not hear back from the researcher you approached, please email iC3 manager Terri Souster to check when that person will be back online.

We look forward to hearing from you!