Admission

General information

Admission to the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences is based on competition. The competition is conducted by the Admission Committee composed of researchers from the Institutes that run the Doctoral School in order to select the best candidates through evaluation (in the form of scoring) of their academic performance, scientific achievements, and knowledge related to the subject of their master's thesis and the doctoral research topic selected for implementation during the doctoral studies. The candidates with the highest scores are admitted to the Doctoral School. Admission to the Doctoral School takes place by enrolling a candidate on the list of doctoral students in a given academic year.

The regular admission period is held in September, and detailed admission rules are announced five months in advance. Research topics proposed to candidates, along with the admission limit to the Doctoral School, are announced in early July.

In addition to the regular admission period, candidates may also be admitted outside the standard admission schedule through competitions for doctoral student positions within research projects funded from external sources.

Terms and conditions of admission

Admission to the Doctoral School is based on a competition, the rules and requirements of which are approved by the Council of the Doctoral School and the Scientific Council of IB PAS:

Admission calendar for the academic year 2026/2027

Candidates must submit their application documents by August 7, 2026
Interviews will take place on September 8, 2026
Admission results will be announced by September 10, 2026

Candidates will be notified of the interview process (online or in-person) before September 1, 2026.

Admission Committee

The Director of the W. Szafer Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences has appointed the Admission Committee for the admission of candidates to the Doctoral School for the academic year 2026/2027:

Dr Agnieszka Bednarska (chairperson)
Dr Beata Grzywacz
Prof. Anna Janeczko
Prof. Łukasz Kajtoch
Dr Paweł Kapusta
Katarzyna Karpierz
Jakub Kurczab
Dr Marta Libik-Konieczny
Dr Joanna Nowak
Prof. Henryk Okarma
Dr Grażyna Szarek-Łukaszewska
Prof. Lucyna Śliwa
Prof. Sylwester Świątkiewicz
Prof. Elżbieta Wilk-Woźniak

Admission limit and research topics

The Director of the W. Szafer Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences announced the research topics for the 2026/2027 admission to the Doctoral School:

Hypoxia as a modulator of the tumour microenvironment: functional and transcriptomic studies in equine sarcoid cell lines (PDF)
Exploring the genetic basis of the BEW (blue-eyed white) phenotype in alpacas using the latest genome sequencing techniques (PDF)
The role of plant-associated microbiota in shaping tolerance strategies to potentially toxic metals (PDF); admission to this research topic is linked to a competition for a doctoral student position within an OPUS project carried out at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences; application documents should be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by August 7, 2026
Genome structure of two invasive Hemiptera species, Cinara curvipes and Leptoglossus occidentalis, and their success outside the natural range (PDF); admission to this research topic is linked to a competition for a doctoral student position (PDF) within an OPUS project carried out at the Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences; application documents should be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by August 7, 2026
Spatio-temporal dynamics of mammal communities in mountain ecosystems: integrating camera traps, artificial intelligence and citizen science in Tatra National Park (PDF); admission to this research topic is linked to a competition for a doctoral student position (PDF) within a Biodiversa+ project carried out at the Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences; application documents should be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by August 7, 2026
Analysis of the microRNA profile in mammary secretory tissue and blood leukocytes of dairy goats with severe or mild CAE compared to SRLV-uninfected goats (PDF); admission to a research topic offered by the National Research Institute of Animal Production

Required documents

Application for admission to the Doctoral School together with a statement of reasons and specification of the framework research topic referred to in the announcement of the admission; the candidate may indicate the second research topic (along with the justification of the choice), the implementation of which he/she is interested in if he/she is not accepted for the research topic indicated as the first choice (DOCX)
Consent to the processing of personal data for the purposes of the admissions procedure (DOCX)
CV specifying a list of scientific achievements, employment record and participation in scientific projects
Personal data form (DOCX)
Two photos + one photo in electronic form (passport-sized format)
Diploma certifying completion of Master studies or a document confirming the fulfilment of the conditions set out in §2 sec. 6–8 of Rules for admission (useful information: link 1, link 2); in the case of a diploma of study abroad, it should be endorsed with an apostille clause
Certificate or diploma certifying completion of studies, confirming English language competencies at no less than B2 level; if English is the applicant’s native language, a certificate or diploma certifying completion of studies, confirming another modern language competencies at no less than B2 level is required; the list of certificates is specified in Appendix 2 to these Rules for Admission
Photocopy of the student's record book/diploma supplement containing the relevant entries
Statement concerning previously commenced doctoral studies or doctoral programme, or education at another doctoral school
Information on the doctoral scholarship received at another doctoral school, and the period for which it has been paid
A copy of the abstract of the Master's thesis in Polish or English
A statement of no health-related contraindications to carry out the tasks provided for under the research topic concerned
A statement to the effect that the person can use electronic equipment in order to attend classes held with the use of distance learning methods and techniques
Declaration of disability

The list of obligatory documents and their form is specified in the Rules for admission (see above).

Downloadable documents

Doctoral School authorities

Head of the Doctoral School

Dr Grażyna Szarek-Łukaszewska

Phone: +48 124241 706

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Deputy head of the Doctoral School

Dr Agnieszka Bednarska

Phone: +48 123703 594

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Doctoral School Council

The Council of the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences consists of the directors of the Institutes running the Doctoral School, representatives of the Scientific Councils of these Institutes and representatives of doctoral students.

Members of the Council:

Dr Grażyna Szarek-Łukaszewska – head of the Doctoral School
Prof. Lucyna Śliwa – director of IB PAS
Prof. Anna Janeczko – director of IPP PAS
Prof. Elżbieta Wilk-Woźniak – director of INC PAS
Dr Beata Grzywacz – director of ISEA PAS
Prof. Sylwester Świątkiewicz – deputy director of NRIAP
Dr Paweł Kapusta – representative of the Scientific Council, IB PAS
Dr Marta Libik-Konieczny – representative of the Scientific Council, IPP PAS
Prof. Henryk Okarma – representative of the Scientific Council, INC PAS
Prof. Łukasz Kajtoch – representative of the Scientific Council, ISEA PAS
Dr Joanna Nowak – representative of NRIAP
Katarzyna Karpierz – representative of doctoral students
Jakub Kurczab – representative of doctoral students

About the Doctoral School

Doctoral School logo

On May 8, 2019, the Directors of five Kraków's Scientific Institutes signed an agreement to establish and jointly run the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. The Doctoral School is run by four Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) – the W. Szafer Institute of Botany (IB PAS, coordinating unit), the Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology (IPP PAS), the Institute of Nature Conservation (INC PAS), the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals (ISEA PAS) – and the National Research Institute of Animal Production (NRIAP). The Doctoral School started operating on October 1, 2019, and educates doctoral students in three scientific disciplines: biological sciences, agriculture and horticulture, animal science and fisheries.

In the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, students can pursue research topics resulting from the mission of the Institutes, such as:

biodiversity, taxonomy, ecology, and evolution of plants, animals, fungi, and other microorganisms, both present and fossil;
physiology, biochemistry, plant and animal genetics;
protection of the diversity of species, habitats, ecosystems and the processes that shape this diversity;
animal breeding, plant cultivation, and factors influencing the productivity of organisms.

Education at the Doctoral School lasts four years and ends with the submission of a doctoral dissertation. A doctoral student receives a doctoral scholarship for four years.

The principles of operation, the educational program, as well as the rights and obligations of the doctoral student of the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, can be found in its Regulations and other relevant documents.

Doctoral School

About the Doctoral School

Doctoral School Authorities

Admissions

Student Affairs

Doctoral training programme

In the Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, education lasts four years, but in justified cases, this time may be shortened to three or extended to six years. The doctoral student conducts research and participates in classes included in the education program, which include compulsory and optional classes. The doctoral student takes most of the compulsory classes in the first 4 semesters, i.e. until the mid-term evaluation. The next 4 semesters are intended primarily for the implementation of scientific research in accordance with an Individual Research Plan while supplementing knowledge and skills within optional classes. Education at the Doctoral School ends with the submission of a doctoral dissertation.

Courses

Individual Research Plan

The doctoral student, in consultation with the supervisor, during the first twelve months of education at the doctoral school, prepares an Individual Research Plan to be submitted to the Doctoral School Council for approval. The Individual Research Plan defines the scope, framework, stages, and dates of the doctoral dissertation. The implementation of the Individual Research Plan is evaluated during the mid-term evaluation of the doctoral student and supervisor (Annex No. 2 to the Terms and Conditions of the Doctoral School).

Semester Reports

After each semester of studies, the doctoral student submits a report on their scientific activity and implementation of the study program and the Individual Research Plan. At the end of the academic year, the doctoral student participates in the Scientific Reporting Session to present the results and progress in research.