2026_153: 1 R2B Senior Postdoctoral Researcher

Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau; España; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent contract

37.5 hours per week

Salary according to collective wage

Job summary

Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau is seeking a R2B Senior Postdoctoral Researcher to collaborate across GOA and PLRD groups. The role bridges protein-based nanocarrier engineering with in vivo preclinical cardiovascular validation, funded by a Horizon Europe project UNSOLVED-CARDS.

The position requires a PhD in a relevant field, FELASA accreditation, experience in protein engineering and murine models of cardiovascular disease, and fluent English with Catalan/Spanish language ability.

Qualifications

• PhD required in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biomedicine or related field.
• FELASA accreditation or equivalent training for lab animal procedures.
• Excellent English skills are required; Catalan/Spanish knowledge is highly valued.
• Experience in protein engineering and nanotechnology and in mouse models of cardiovascular disease.

Responsibilities

• Design and engineer nanocarriers; purify and characterize protein nanoparticles for targeted delivery.
• Conduct cellular biodistribution studies in VSMCs, ECs and macrophages.
• Perform translational validation using multi-omics data from human samples and mouse plaques.
• Lead in vivo preclinical evaluation including imaging, PK profiling, safety and efficacy in murine atherosclerosis models.

Skills

Protein engineering

Nanotechnology

Murine models

Data analysis

Catalan/Spanish language

Advanced English

Education

PhD in Biotechnology/Biochemistry/Biomedicine

FELASA accreditation

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

Organisation/Company Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau Research Field Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 23 Nov 2026 - 15:00 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Permanent Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Call for applications for an R2B Senior Postdoctoral Researcher position to collaborate with the Oncogenesis and Antitumor Drugs Research Group (GOA) and the Pathophysiology of Lipid-Related Diseases Research Group (PLRD). Application deadline: 23 November 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

About the Research Group

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher to build a bridge between two cutting-edge fields: protein-based nanocarrier engineering and in vivo preclinical cardiovascular validation.

This interdisciplinary position is jointly promoted by the Oncogenesis and Antitumor Drugs Research Group (GOA), led by Dr. Ugutz Unzueta, and the Pathophysiology of Lipid-Related Diseases Research Group (PLRD), led by Dr. Noemí Rotllan, within the framework of the ambitious European project UNSOLVED-CARDS, funded by the Horizon Europe programme (Horizon-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-11).

The project investigates shared and sex-specific mechanisms involved in cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, stroke, and abdominal aortic aneurysm, with the aim of developing targeted therapies and personalized risk prediction tools.

• PhD degree in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biomedicine, or a related discipline.
• Accredited training for personnel responsible for the design and performance of procedures involving laboratory animals (Functions B/C or FELASA accreditation).
• Proven experience in protein engineering and nanotechnology and/or in murine models of cardiovascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis, together with a strong motivation to work across both research fields.
• Oral and written proficiency in the two official languages of Catalonia. Candidates who do not meet this requirement must demonstrate adequate knowledge or commit to acquiring it within a maximum period of one year.
• Advanced level of English.
• Advanced proficiency in office software tools (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).

The Following Will Be Valued

• Experience in molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression in E. coli, purification using techniques such as IMAC, IEX, and SEC, and biophysical characterization through SDS-PAGE, DLS, ESI, and related methodologies.
• Experience in protein conjugation with drugs or other cargo molecules and characterization of nanomaterials.
• Experience in cell culture and cell-based functional assays.
• Experience in flow cytometry and confocal microscopy will be considered an asset.
• Experience in in vivo animal handling, murine models of cardiovascular diseases, and in vivo imaging systems (IVIS).
• Experience in tissue processing, histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence (IF).
• Strong skills in data management, analysis, and interpretation.

Duties

The successful candidate will work at the interface between nanomedicine and translational biology:

• Design and engineering of nanocarriers, including rational design, recombinant production, purification, and physicochemical characterization of protein nanoparticles specifically targeted to cells and prepared for conjugation.
• Cellular biodistribution studies, assessing the delivery and selectivity of targeted nanocarriers in major cardiovascular cell types through in vitro and ex vivo studies in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), endothelial cells (ECs), and macrophages.
• Translational validation of human multi-omics candidates, including methylation and proteomics data, in blood samples and atherosclerotic plaques from mouse models to guide therapeutic target selection.
• In vivo preclinical evaluation, including IVIS biodistribution imaging, pharmacokinetic profiling, safety assessment, and therapeutic efficacy studies of these nanoformulations in murine models of atherosclerosis.

We Offer

• Permanent contract linked to the project: "Understanding Sex-Specific Omic Patterns Leading to Cardiovascular Disease Risk (UNSOLVED-CARDS)."
• Annual workload of 1,627.5 hours (37.5 hours per week).
• Salary according to the applicable collective agreement.
• Position jointly linked to the Oncogenesis and Antitumor Drugs Research Group (GOA) and the Pathophysiology of Lipid-Related Diseases Research Group (PLRD).