Erwin Schrödinger Center for Quantum Science & Technology (ESQ)

Admission Rules

1. Application

2. Application documents

The applicants are asked to submit as a single PDF file, including

• Letter of motivation (1 A4 page) for the proposed research as an ESQ fellow in Austria: Please summarize your previous research, describe the contributions to your top three publications and provide reason why you apply to the ESQ hosts of your choice.
• Curriculum vitae, including all relevant university grades
• List of publications, talks and poster presentations
• List of awards and recognitions, if available
• English or German transcript of the PhD certificate, if applicable (see rules for Marie Curie fellowships)
• Names and contact information of 3 possible referees, which we can contact for a reference letter.

3. Selection will be based on

• Academic track record (final grades)
• Research track record as relevant to the call
• Publications
• Reference letters & other distinctions
• Other merit indicators: e.g. mobility, teaching, supervision, knowledge transfer, management

The selection of the candidates shall be based on scientific merit, disregarding race, age, religion or nationality. ESQ follows the principles of non-discrimination in the EU. There is no regional or institutional quota in the selection process. The selection process will be guided by the principles laid down in the European Charter for Researchers (euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter) and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code).

4. Preselection 

A Selection and Advisory Committee (SAC) consisting of 7 external, international, renowned experts with high reputation in quantum science and technology, will preselect all candidates, according to the above mentioned criteria, also checking the formal eligibility criteria.

This round's SAC members are:

• Professor Susanne Yelin (Chair of the SAC), Harvard University & University of Connecticut
• Professor Elisabeth Giacobino, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
• Professor Anja Metelmann, FU Berlin
• Professor Mio Murao, University of Tokyo
• Professor Piet Schmidt, Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Professor Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler, Universität Mainz
• Professor Marek Zukowski, Gdansk University

5. Hearings

Up to 10 preselected candidates will be informed in March 2020 and invited to Vienna to present themselves to a hearing at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The hearings will take place in Vienna on 7 and 8 May 2020.

• about the days of lab visits and hearings
• about the committee they will meet at the hearing

The invited candidates will meet the SAC and the potential ESQ hosts. The visit will typically last for three days, one day for hearings and interviews, the other for lab tours and in-depth discussions with the potential hosts. The SAC recommendation will be made at the end of the meeting and generally confirmed by the President of the Austrian Academy of sciences within two weeks.

During the hearing, the candidates will

• Present their previous research (PPT talk, 15 min)
• Discuss their research plans in Austria (PPT talk, 15 min)
• Have an interview with the SAC (15 min)

Besides that, they will be given the opportunity to meet their hosts, peers, see the laboratories and research groups and be introduced to the benefits of ESQ.

The selected candidates will be asked to confirm acceptance of the fellowship within one month, after which all other candidates, including those on the reserve list, will be informed that they were not selected.

Positions shall be filled within 6 months after notification of acceptance by the ESQ Scientific Advisory Committee.