Join the DoubleLayer hub as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Latvia!
If you are a post-doc seeking independence through training skills and gaining knowledge in a supportive environment, then this post is for you. That is an opportunity to advance your career through Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) by focusing on competencies – academic writing, research methods, and supervision – essential for succeeding in academia and industry.
You need to submit just one proposal on 10 September 2025 to participate in at least three funding calls. The proposal is only 10 pages long. The first application is for the MSCA or MSCA4Ukraine postdoctoral fellowship, which provides funding for up to 24 months of research and training. To get this prestigious grant, one must gain more than 95% in the evaluation. However, passing the 85% threshold already opens the opportunity to be funded through the ERA Fellowship or MSCA Seal of Excellence in Estonia. Moreover, passing the 70% threshold makes you eligible to be funded by Latvia. Even more, there is a Latvian post-doc fellowship with the next call in early 2026. And the is also new EU initiative ‘Choose Europe for Science’ to attract 10,000 researchers from abroad. That MSCA COFUND call will open on 1 October 2025 and close on 3 December 2025. Submitting to all these 6! opportunities per 1 proposal increases your chances of fulfilling your research idea and advancing your career. These fellowships include funds for salary, mobility, research, and allowances described in the following table.
Disclaimer: The data in the table might be incorrect. CCC value is taken form 2025 program. Salary is estimated using this calculator.
| Latvian 1 | MSCA | ERA talents | Latvian 2 | |
| Submission | 16th May 2025 | 10th Sept 2025 | 10th Sept 2025 | March 2026 |
| Decision | Summer 2025 | Feb 2026 | Feb 2026 | May 2026 |
| Start | 6 M after approval | May–Dec 2026 | May–Dec 2026 | Sept–Dec 2026 |
| Threshold / % | tbu | 95 | 85 | 85 |
| Success / % | ≤50 (70 PF) | 15 (1700 PF) | (20 PF) | tbu |
| Link | lzp.gov.lv | ec.europa.eu | ec.europa.eu | lzp.gov.lv |
| Duration / M | 36 | 12–24 | 12–24 | 12–24 |
| Total salary / €/M | 3860 | 5990*0.838 | 5990*0.838 | 3860 |
| Net salary / €/M | 2080 | 2700 | 2700 | 2080 |
| Research / €/M | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
| Overhead | 6% | 650 € | 650 € | 6% |
| Mobility / €/M | 700 | 710 | 710 | ? |
| Family / €/M | 660 | 660 | 660 | ? |
| Move / € | 710 (+660) | 6700 | 6700 | ? |
| Secondment / M | >2 (mandatory) >6 (optional) | (optional) | (optional) | (optional) |
Why University of Latvia?
- Great working conditions at a new campus (house of nature) in the heart of Riga.
- The Chemistry department belongs to the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences.
- Attention to work–life balance, safety, and DEI.
- Systematic support during the process of the application, such as summer writing camp.
- No teaching obligations for PF fellows with personal funding.
- Regulated work-week of 40 hours from Monday to Friday only.
- At the same time possibility to access research infrastructure at any time and work from home.
- 2 months vacation.
Why the DoubleLayer hub?
- The DoubleLayer hub is an emerging excellence centre for modelling scalable chemical processes involving the electrical double layer.
- It has a horizontal hierarchy and focuses on process-orientated research with attention to excellence and collaboration.
Why Vladislav Ivanistsev as a mentor?
- Research experience related to the electrical double layer, see list of publications.
- Experience in supervising dozens of postdocs and BSc–PhD students as well as mentoring over 100 members of the Estonian national team at the international Chemistry Olympiad.
- Experience in obtaining MSCA PF and national grants.
- Personal support during the process of application.
- In 2024 MSCA call, Vladislav consulted 5 applicants: 3 of them got the MSCA PF and 2 got the seal of excellence.
Further details
To be considered for the opportunity, you will undergo a pre-selection process based on your CV, project idea, and motivation letter. There are three main eligibility requirements:
- You must hold a PhD and up-to 8 years of full-time research experience by the time of the application. Check the eligibility calculator.
- Applicants of any nationality are welcome, but they must not have lived or worked in Latvia for more than 12 months during the 3 years leading up to the closing date of the call on 10 September 2025.
- Applicants must choose the Chemistry Department at the university of Latvia as their host institution.
For any other further questions, please contact vladislav.ivanistsev@doublelayer.eu. Prefix your email subject title with “DoubleLayer hub:”
