During the development of the PhD in Chemical Engineering, the doctoral student must carry out a series of activities aimed at developing the Programme's competencies. These activities will be certified by the supervisor(s) and tutor in the doctoral student's Activity Document. Each year they must be mandatorily registered in the "RAPI2" application of GEA (https://geanet.ucm.es/RAPI/faces/seleccionPerfil) (accessed while logged in), and must be approved by the tutor and supervisor(s). Annually, the Programme's academic commission will evaluate the Activity Document together with the reports that the tutor and supervisor(s) must issue for this purpose.

The training activities of the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering include:

Training Activity 1 (AF 1): Research seminar presentation

This activity consists of giving a formal presentation on the objectives, methodology, results and conclusions of the research carried out, at a research seminar organised by the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering. The estimated time for this activity, although only indicative, includes both preparation and delivery of the presentation. This activity is mandatory for all doctoral students in the Programme, both part-time and full-time, and should preferably be carried out from the second year of the Doctoral Thesis onwards. The presentation may be given in Spanish or English. This activity helps develop competencies CB15, CB16, CB17, CA06, CE01 and CE02.

Training Activity 2 (AF 2): Attendance at research seminars

Throughout the research period, the doctoral student will attend a seminar or conference given at the University or at other research centres. These conferences or seminars must address topics related to the Programme's research lines and may be given by national or international specialists, so the language may be Spanish, English or another official language of the seminar or conference. The estimated time for this activity is indicative. This activity is mandatory, both for part-time and full-time students, and helps develop and achieve competencies CB11, CB12, CB14 and CB17. To facilitate this, the PDIQ's Academic Committee organises at least one research seminar per year and has launched a series of seminars such as, for example, "Life after the PhD," in which PDIQ graduates share their experiences in the workplace and how completing the PhD contributed to their professional development. In addition, EDUCM organises events such as PhDay or the "Thesis in 3 minutes" competition, aimed at broadening training and strengthening relationships between doctoral students, information about which is sent to doctoral students.

Training Activity 3 (AF 3): Attendance at scientific or technical specialisation courses

Doctoral students regularly take part in courses that allow them to acquire knowledge of recent advances, both in current research topics and in techniques or methodologies they need to use in their research.

EDUCM organises a series of free cross-cutting training activities for doctoral students (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/area-de-formacion) relating to:

• Academic-research competencies related to the process of preparing the Doctoral Thesis
• Academic-research competencies related to research methodology
• Competencies related to the publication, dissemination and transfer of research results
• Emotional care for doctoral students
• Professional career, employability, entrepreneurship
• Teacher training

This training activity is optional, both for part-time and full-time students, and can be carried out throughout the Doctoral Thesis. However, it is common for students to take several of these activities, especially those related to publishing and disseminating their results. The language of the scientific or technical specialisation courses will mainly be Spanish or English. The number of hours dedicated to this activity is indicative. It complements competencies CB11, CB14, CB17, CA02, CE02 and CE03.

Training Activity 4 (AF 4): Participation in preparing publishable work for scientific journals

The number of publications resulting from the doctoral student's research is considered one of the indicators of thesis quality. This training activity constitutes a basic part of the doctoral student's training, as it includes the search and selection of scientific information and the synthesis and critical analysis of experimental results. This activity is mandatory only for Doctoral Theses submitted in publication format. To do so, they must meet the general conditions established for all UCM Doctoral Programmes (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/formato-publicaciones). In addition, although the regulations do not set a minimum number of publications for submission in this format, since the 2024-2025 academic year the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering has established specific criteria that include having at least three original publications accepted or published during the PhD, all indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), with at least two of them in journals ranked in the first quartile of their field. For other types of Doctoral Theses, although a priority activity, it is optional, since in the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering there are cases where the results obtained in the research are subject to confidentiality, which prevents their publication in scientific journals. The language will be Spanish or English, depending on whether the journal is national or international. This activity helps develop competencies CB11, CB12, CB13, CB14, CB15, CB16, CB17, CA01, CA02, CA03, CA04, CA05, CA06, CE01, CE02 and CE03.

Training Activity 5 (AF 5): Research stays at other centres

Research stays at other centres are a fairly common activity in the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering. It is common for thesis supervisors to recommend stays at national or international research centres, focusing on research groups whose subject matter is close to that being developed by the doctoral student in their Doctoral Thesis. These stays allow the doctoral student to learn about other working methodologies and to establish contacts with related groups. The training activities carried out by the doctoral student during the stay vary, ranging from learning new techniques and methodologies to attending courses and seminars. Since carrying it out largely depends on available funding, it is considered optional. In the case of Doctoral Theses with an INTERNATIONAL MENTION, this activity is mandatory, and it is necessary to carry out at least one stay of three months' duration outside Spain at one or more prestigious higher education institutions or research centres, in order to complement and strengthen research training, in accordance with the regulations. The language will be Spanish, English or the language of the host destination. This activity helps develop and reinforce competencies CB11, CB13, CB14, CB15, CB16, CB17, CA04, CA05, CA06, CE01, CE02 and CE03.

Training Activity 6 (AF 6): Attendance at Scientific Congresses

This is a common activity in the scientific field, so doctoral students, both full-time and part-time, are encouraged to attend such events. Doctoral students are encouraged to attend and participate in congresses, symposia, colloquia, workshops, etc., organised by different national and international institutions. The doctoral student presents their research results through an oral presentation or poster. The number of hours is indicative. The language of the presentation is Spanish, English or another official language of the scientific meeting. It is considered an optional activity because it also depends on available funding, and it can be carried out throughout the Doctoral Thesis. This activity helps develop and complement competencies CB11, CB13, CB15, CB16, CB17 and CA06.

The Postgraduate Commission of the PhD Programme in Chemical Engineering organises several research seminars every year in which doctoral students can participate or attend. Attendance is monitored for these activities in order to provide participating students with a certificate of completion. The UCM Doctoral School, through its training area (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/area-de-formacion), also organises various activities that students can access.

Academic Year 25/26

Seminars

• Research Seminar: June 9, 2026. PDF
• Research Seminar: January 15, 2026. PDF
• 2nd Professional Guidance Days, January 30, 2026
• PDIQ Information Seminar for doctoral students (welcome for first-year students) (January 13). PDF

Academic Year 24/25

Seminars

• Research Seminar: March 12, 2025
• Seminar "Bioleaching and Biocorrosion – two similar processes" (October 15, 11:00 h)
• Informative Seminar (January 14)

Academic Year 23/24

Seminars

• Informative Seminar (January 16, 2024)
• Seminar "Life after the PhD" (June 1, 17:00 h) - Online
• Research Seminar (July 5, 2024)

Academic Year 22/23

Seminars

• Research Seminar (June 20, 2023)
• Research Seminar (December 15, 2022)
• Informative Seminar (January 17, 2023)

Academic Year 21/22

UCM International webinar series: "Research challenges in Chemical Engineering 2021"

• Training Seminar (January 19, 2022)
• Seminar "Life after the PhD" (June 1, 2022) - Online
• Research Seminar (June 14, 2022)
• Research Seminar (September 23, 2022): "Advanced oxidation processes of wastewaters and their role in water reuse for a circular economy." Marina Prisciandaro, Full Professor, University of L'Aquila (Italy)

Academic Year 20/21

• Training Seminar (February 15, 2021)
• Training Seminar (May 18, 2021)
• Seminar "Life after the PhD" (June 23, 2021)
• Seminar "How to write (and publish) good articles" (July 1, 2021)

Academic Year 19/20

• Training Seminar June 2020
• Training Seminar December 2019
• Informative Seminar November 11, 2019

Academic Year 18/19

• Informative Seminar January 11, 2019
• May 2019 Seminar

Academic Year 17/18

• Informative Seminar January 15, 2018
• May 2018 Seminar

Academic Year 16/17

• Informative Seminar February 8, 2017 at 12:00 in the Library Room (thesis room)
• Research Seminars May 23, 2017

Academic Year 15/16

• Research Seminars 1
• Research Seminars 2

Academic Year 2014/15

• INFORMATIVE SEMINAR February 2, 2015
• Research Seminars 2015