Ref. PREP2025-004317-\"EV-NUTRIFLOW7”. CALL FOR A PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN TRAINING AT THE IMDEA NUTRITION, FUNDED BY GRANT PREP2025-4317

Contract type: Full-time temporary employment contract for Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (Article 21 of the Spanish Science Act) – Model 404. Organisation/Company IMDEA Food Institute Research Field Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 5 Nov 2026
- 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information Contract type: Full-time temporary employment contract for Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (Article 21 of the Spanish Science Act) – Model 404. Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37,5 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description IMDEA Nutrition is part of the Network of Madrid Institutes for Advanced Studies, promoted by the Community of Madrid with the aim of conducting research that is useful to society and of international scientific excellence. Within this framework, IMDEA Nutrition is a beneficiary of grant Ref. PID2025-176099OB-I00 under the 2025 advance-processing call for grants for “Knowledge Generation Projects” and actions for the training of predoctoral research staff associated with such projects, within the framework of the State Programme to Promote Scientific and Technical Research and Knowledge Transfer, under the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024–2027, for the implementation of the research project “EVNutriFlow – Food-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, Scalable for the Functional Delivery of Bioactive Compounds and Safety Assessment” (Ref. PID2025-176099OB-I00), which includes grant PREP2025-004317 for the training of predoctoral research staff. The predoctoral researcher will carry out a doctoral thesis within the EV-NutriFlow project, focused on food-derived extracellular vesicles as vehicles for bioactive compounds and on the assessment of their functionality and safety.
* Isolation, purification and characterization of food-derived extracellular vesicles using physicochemical and molecular methodologies, including particle size and concentration analysis techniques when appropriate.
* Assessment of vesicle stability and properties, including, when appropriate, their behavior during gastrointestinal digestion processes and their bioaccessibility.
* Development and optimization of in vitro experimental models to study vesicle-cell interactions and evaluate functionality and safety.
* Application of molecular and cellular biology techniques, including cell culture, RNA analysis by RT-qPCR, protein analysis and other methodologies related to the project objectives.
* Analysis, processing and interpretation of experimental data and critical review of the scientific literature.
* Participation in the preparation of reports, scientific publications and conference contributions, as well as in the training activities associated with the PhD and the project. Research Field Biological sciences » Nutritional sciences Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent Research Field Pharmacological sciences » Pharmacy Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent Research Field Medical sciences » Other Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent Research Field Biological sciences » Other Education Level Master Degree or equivalent Research Field Biological sciences » Nutritional Sciences Education Level Master Degree or equivalent Research Field Technology » Biotechnology Education Level Master Degree or equivalent Skills/QualificationsII. Evaluation of merits:Criterion 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical career of the candidate (up to 50 points). Sub-criterion 1.a):
* Academic record and relevance of the academic background to the duties of the position
* Additional training relevant to the project (molecular and cellular biology, nutrition and metabolism, extracellular vesicles, omics techniques or related areas)
* Previous research experience, including Bachelor/Master thesis projects, internships or collaborations in research groups
* Scientific publications
* Contributions to scientific conferences
* Participation in research projects or other scientific-technical activities Sub-criterion 1.b) Mobility and internationalization (up to 5 points). Research or training stays and other relevant experience at national or international institutions and/or in the industrial sector will be assessed according to their duration, relevance to the candidate's trajectory and suitability for the position Criterion 2. Suitability of the candidate for the research activities to be carried out (up to 50 points).
Sub-criterion 2.a)
* Training or experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques, including cell culture, RNA/RT-qPCR analysis, protein analysis or related techniques
* Training or experience related to extracellular vesicles, nanoparticles or their characterization
* Training or experience in experimental nutritio