Scholarship holder

Project description:

This research project focuses on the link between international mobility and distortion of fertility patterns of people migrating from or to countries with low fertility rates, such as Poland (as a sending and receiving country for migrants) and Ukraine – the country of origin of the largest number of immigrants to Poland. Using, among others, Labour Force Survey and Labour Force Survey data, we will attempt to make a systematic quantitative comparison of fertility behaviour of Poles in the main countries of emigration, and of those who returned from emigration, with the immobile population in Poland. We will conduct a survey of Ukrainian immigrants living in Poland to investigate the relationship between the moment of residence in Poland and the timing of the birth of children and the fertility pattern by age. We will examine how different measures of migrants' fertility reflect their fertility distribution over time.

The doctoral researcher will look for appropriate ways to measure the fertility levels of migrants, taking into account their age and time since migration. The planned analyses aim to significantly improve methods of measuring the fertility of migrant women and to deepen the current understanding of fertility changes under the influence of migration, developed in the conditions of Western European countries different from those in Poland. The results of the conducted research will be used to more accurately and accurately predict the demographic consequences of emigration and immigration, and to analyse the response of migrants from low-fertility countries to various social (especially family) and population policy tools.

We are looking for candidates for the position of doctoral stipend holder in the above project.

The tasks of the (doctoral) student will include:

• working closely with the principal investigator and other researchers on the project;
• obtaining quantitative data from foreign statistical institutes in cooperation with the principal investigator;
• participating in the design and conduct of quantitative analyses;
• participation in the design and analysis of survey data (RDS - Respondent Driven Sampling);
• systematic literature review related to the topic of the research project;
• co-authoring of scientific articles, presentations and reports based on the conducted research.

Number of positions: 1

Requirements: 

• Fulfilling the eligibility criteria based on Regulations on awarding NCN Scholarships in research projects funded by the National Science Centre and the Law on Higher Education and Science – Act of 20 July 2018:
  • the status of a student of Master’s studies or a student of a uniform master's degree in Economics, Sociology or related Social Sciences pursued in higher education institutions on the territory of Poland,
  • or the status of a doctoral student in a doctoral school (within the meaning of the Act of 20 July 2018. Law on Higher Education and Science).
  • Persons holding a Master's degree in the above-mentioned fields may enter the competition, provided that they are ready, together with the scholarship, to immediately start their education at the Doctoral School of the University of Warsaw to meet the requirements of the above-mentioned Regulations.
• proven high level of competence and practical experience in quantitative data analysis in STATA, SPSS or R packages;
• interest and experience in survey research (during studies or professional work);
• fluency (min. C1) in spoken and written English (documented by a sample of own text or a language certificate);
• ability to write correctly and logically;
• ability to organise their work;
• high motivation for academic work.

Additional assets:

• experience in working with longitudinal survey data sets, e.g. POLPAN, Social Diagnosis, SHARE or LFS data sets;
• knowledge and interest in demography, in particular fertility and migration;
• participation in conferences, workshops or scientific projects and experience in writing scientific texts;
• readiness to prepare a doctoral thesis on a topic related to the project.

Conditions offered:

Institution: Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw

Position in the project: Doctoral co-investigator

Occupancy rate: 36 hours per week (including doctoral studies)

Duration: 36 months

Planned beginning of involvement in the project tasks and stipend: 1 April 2022

Scholarship amount: max. 3,000 PLN gross per month

Additional benefits:

The doctoral student or scholarship holder:

• will co-author publications in peer-reviewed international journals,
• participate in international scientific conferences,
• have access to a laptop, research software, workspace and literature.

Required documents:

• CV with a list of scientific activities (title of thesis, participation in research, scientific conferences, publications, distinctions, awards) and a description of qualifications necessary to perform the tasks of a scholarship holder (e.g. level of knowledge of English, which research methods the candidate can use, which software they can operate, possible professional experience);
• a declaration of consent to the processing of personal data [download ]

• cover letter containing a description of scientific interests and competencies referring to the research tasks envisaged for the scholarship holder in the project (maximum one page);
• sample analytical text (e.g. a chapter of the master's thesis or a published text) in Polish or English.

Attaching a letter of recommendation from a researcher with at least a PhD degree would be appreciated.

Application deadline:

Please submit the documents via email to: [email protected] with the title ‘S-P-SONATA16-1.3/2021’ by 10 January 2022 23:59. Candidates who best match the candidate profile listed above and who have received the highest number of points from the first step will be invited to the interview.

Planned interviews: 17-19 January 2022

Expected date of the decision: 20 January 2022

Additional information:

1. If the successful applicant is not a doctoral student at the Doctoral School, he or she must become a student at the Doctoral School and begin their studies from the summer semester of the academic year 2021/22.

2. It is acceptable to employ a student with a planned thesis defence by the end of the academic year 2021/22 if they plan to participate in the Doctoral School immediately after obtaining their Master's degree. A person who loses his/her status as a student/doctoral student after defending his/her Master's/Doctoral thesis may only continue to receive the scholarship for 6 months.

3. To receive both the grant and the scholarship from the Doctoral School, the candidate has to apply independently to the Doctoral School in regular recruitment (the nearest opportunity will be for the academic year 2022/23). In the case of success, the scholarship amount paid from the project will no longer have social insurance contributions or income tax deducted.