• International Doctoral School
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Doctoral Program in Conservation of Natural Resources

The purpose of the doctoral program is the training of researchers in the field of ecology and conservation biology. The aim is to develop doctors endowed with a critical sense, autonomous research capacity and a collaborative spirit in interdisciplinary teams to answer questions in basic and applied science in ecology and the conservation of natural resources. The research lines covered by the doctoral program comprise all the subdisciplines of ecology, from autoecology and ecophysiology, through evolutionary ecology, population and community biology, to the study of ecosystems, biogeography and macroecology, as well as disciplines such as conservation biology and ecological restoration.

Coordinator and academic commission

President

Prof. Maria Prieto Alvaro. Program coordinator. CV

Vowels

  • Prof. Ms. Arantzazu López de Luzuriaga Gamboa CV
  • Prof. D. Rubén Torices Blanco  CV
  • Prof. María Isabel López Rull  CV

Research lines

  • Conservation of Natural Resources. Coordinator: Prof. Ms. María Prieto Álvaro  CV

This doctoral program only has one line of research "Conservation of Natural Resources", which is focused on basic ecology and its application in the conservation of species and habitats, as well as the restoration of ecosystems. The research lines covered by the doctoral program include all the subdisciplines of ecology, from autoecology and ecophysiology, through evolutionary ecology, the biology of populations and communities, to the study of ecosystems, biogeography and macroecology. It also includes lines of applied research in disciplines related to ecology, such as conservation biology and ecological restoration.

Presentation and competitions

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The need for doctoral training for graduates in degrees related to the Conservation of Natural Resources is defended both in the academic and professional spheres, where the need to continue researching and advancing in knowledge, techniques and methods is confirmed. This Doctoral Program aims to train researchers linked to the study, management and conservation of biodiversity and geodiversity in the broad sense, considering as natural resources the set of material goods and services provided by nature and that contribute to the well-being of human society. direct or indirect way.

The Rey Juan Carlos University proposes the adaptation of the Doctoral Program in Conservation of Natural Resources in accordance with the provisions of RD99/2011, to provide and offer doctoral training that contributes, on the one hand, to promoting the training of people with competence in research and innovation in Conservation of Natural Resources, and on the other, to advance, through research, in response to the needs of society in this area.

Within the Doctorate Program in Conservation of Natural Resources, a line of research will be developed that encompasses the set of research activities that are carried out in this area, in accordance with the requirements established in current legislation and in the regulations of the URJC, contrasting the experience and research proficiency, and the existence of competitive projects. This line of research will define, without exclusion, the main topics for the development of doctoral theses, based on the existing groups and the research experience of the assigned tutors and directors.

The Rey Juan Carlos University proposes with this Doctorate Program:

  • Train new researchers and prepare teams that contribute to social, scientific and economic progress.
  • Promote the training of new teachers in related disciplines.
  • Specialize postgraduates who are interested in their adequate professional, scientific and technical development.

Promote the creation of research groups and networks, nationally and internationally, and interdisciplinarity.

Objectives

The general objectives of the Doctoral Program of the Rey Juan Carlos University will be, at least the following:

  • Encourage and deepen knowledge and professional, scientific and technical development of doctoral students in the field in question.
  • Train new researchers capable of joining research teams.
  • Promote the teaching career, deepening the research training of future teachers.
  • The specialization of the student within the corresponding field, especially in its research aspect.
  • Provide methodological instruments from which to approach the analysis of theory and practice from an interdisciplinary perspective, and provide basic criteria from which to face practical questions, in the different areas in which they arise.
  • Have an adequate framework for the achievement and transmission of scientific advances.
  • Train doctoral students so that they can play an essential role in public or private institutions involved in innovation and research, so that they can lead the transfer from knowledge to the welfare of society.

In short, this Doctorate Program at the Rey Juan Carlos University aims to train doctors endowed with a critical scientific spirit, capacity for research and teamwork, through teaching organized in two areas: one general (techniques and research methods, tools and resources for the same) and another of specialization, typical of the different lines of consolidated specialization that are developed in it.

Competences

Basic skills

  • Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to that field.
  • Ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial research or creation process.
  • Ability to contribute to expanding the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
  • Ability to carry out a critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
  • Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their fields of knowledge in the modes and languages ​​commonly used in their international scientific community.
  • Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a knowledge-based society.

Personal abilities and skills

  • Get along in contexts in which there is little specific information.
  • Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
  • Design, create, develop and undertake new and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
  • Work both as a team and autonomously in an international or multidisciplinary context.
  • Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgments with limited information.
  • The criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.

Other Competencies

  • Knowledge of the scientific method, its principles, stages of the process and typologies.
  • Ability to integrate scientific knowledge, analyze it and make decisions to solve a problem with social and ethical responsibility and applying professional ethics.
  • Ability to plan experiments, using the most suitable design in each case, to test the hypotheses proposed.
  • Know in detail the frontier of knowledge in the scientific field of the Conservation of Natural Resources, be able to identify the main research challenges within it, and contribute to its methodological and conceptual development.
  • Ability to handle bibliographical and documentary sources and the tools of field work related to each line of research.
  • Ability to write publications and communications, structuring them according to the typical schemes used in scientific journals and prestigious conferences or congresses, both national and international.
  • Know the theoretical framework and the principles of the Conservation of Natural Resources.
  • Know the scientific applications aimed at solving environmental problems.

Access and admission

Program Admission Criteria

For consideration of admission to the doctoral program, the presentation, within the period indicated by the calls, of the documentation indicated in the general requirements of the International Doctoral School, including a curriculum vitae, will be an essential requirement. In addition, it is necessary to present a letter of motivation that includes details on the funding available for the completion of the doctoral thesis, as well as on the supervision commitment of a doctor who meets the requirements of the International Doctoral School for the direction of thesis.

  • Academic record of the degree or bachelor's degree. The degree of affinity of the applicant's curricular profile to the research lines of the doctoral program will be assessed.
  • Affinity of the master's degree with the lines of research of the doctoral programme.
  • Curriculum vitae. Articles in scientific journals, specialization courses related to the research lines of the doctoral program, undergraduate or postgraduate stays, participation in research activities related to the research lines of the doctoral program will be especially valued.
  • Commitment to supervise the doctoral thesis by a doctor who participates in the doctoral program, from the Biodiversity and Conservation Area, or from prestigious researchers from other national or foreign scientific institutions.
  • English level.

Letters of introduction from researchers who have knowledge of the capacity and competence of the applicant will be valued.

A profile of undergraduate studies focused on the different subdisciplines of ecology and conservation biology typical of the doctoral program is recommended. Exceptionally, applications from other profiles will be considered, as long as the master's studies are related to the lines of research of the doctoral program.

Number of new admission places

10 places

Quality guarantee

ANECA verification report

verified memory

Verification Resolution Council of Universities

RUCT link

BOCM Link

Results report

Once the follow-up of the Doctorate Program has been carried out, the most relevant quantitative information is shown on the results obtained in the follow-up of said Degree, differentiated by academic year.

Report by academic year:

General information collection plan

Within the quality assurance system of the Rey Juan Carlos University, the following surveys are being carried out as part of the general information collection plan:

    • Survey addressed to new students of doctoral programs
    • Doctoral student satisfaction survey with the doctoral program
    • Satisfaction surveys of the doctoral student with the training activities of the doctoral program
    • Assessment surveys of supervisors and thesis tutors
    • Faculty satisfaction survey with the doctoral program

Survey results

Renewal of accreditation

The renewal of the accreditation represents the culmination of the implementation process of the official Bachelor's and Master's degrees registered in the Register of Universities, Centers and Degrees (RUCT). The renewal of the accreditation of official bachelor's and master's degrees is organized in three phases: self-assessment report, external visit and final assessment.

In the first phase, the university describes and assesses the status of the degree with respect to the established criteria and guidelines. The result is the Self-Assessment Report (IA) that is presented. The second and third phases are carried out by a group of evaluators external to the evaluated title.”

Collaboration agreements

  • Collaboration Agreement with the State Agency Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
  • Collaboration Agreement with the Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT)
  • Collaboration Agreement with the Carlos III Health Institute.
  • General Academic Collaboration Agreement with the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees.
  • Specific agreement for student exchange with the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees.
  • General Action Protocol with the Federal University of SERGIPE                       
  • Specific Educational Cooperation Agreement with the Carolina Foundation.