MSCA-PF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeon[...]

euraxess.ec.europa.eu - Jobboard; España; Presencial; EUR 25.000 - 36.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

The University of Granada seeks postdoctoral candidates for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship in paleontology. This opportunity involves researching newly discovered marine reptile fossils from the Oxfordian period, using cutting-edge techniques in sedimentology and paleontology.

Responsabilidades

• Conduct research on Jurassic marine ecosystems.
• Characterize fossil remains using advanced analytical techniques.

Educación

Doctorate in Vertebrate Paleontology or Sedimentary Geology

Descripción del empleo

Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology

Organisation / Company University of Granada Department International Research Projects Office Laboratory Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Professor Jesús Reolid Pérez, from the Department ofStratigraphy and Palaeontology at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidatesinterested inapplying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF)in 2025 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2025 call, please consult this link .

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With amost 54,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and more than 6,000 members of staff, the UGR offers over 90 undergraduate degrees, 157 master’s degrees (7 of which are international double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.

The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the institution’s commitment to continuously improve its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.

The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2024 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 301-400th position in the world and as the 3-8 highest ranked University in Spain ( http://sl.ugr.es/0dwJ ) , reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. From the perspective of specialist areas in the ARWU rankings ( http://sl.ugr.es/0bSp ) , the UGR is outstanding in Mathematics and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Food Science & Technology (both ranked between 51th-75th position), Computer Science & Engineering, Food Science & Technology and Hospitality & Tourism Management (all three ranked between 76-100th position), and in the areas of Statistics and Psychology (both ranked between 101-150th position). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in the areas of Business Administration and Earth Sciences, in which the UGR is positioned in the 151-200th position.

Additionally, the UGR counts with 3 researchers at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list ( http://sl.ugr.es/0cmD ), most of them related to the Computer Science scientific area. It is also well recognised for its presence in the top 200 Universities in Europe ( http://sl.ugr.es/0a6i ) at 43th place .

Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the prevoius Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a totalof123 projectswith a total funding of around€30 million.For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained108 projects, so far, with a total funding of€33 million.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:

Since it was formed, the group has produced more than 500 articles in refereed journals, more than 100 contributions as book chapters, field guides, and popular-science publications, including documentaries. The projects leaded by the researchers of this group in the last ten years have resulted in more than 3.5 million €. In addition, the group has a long experience in tutoring and supervising PhD students and graduate and undergraduate students. The direct supervisor of the candidate, Jesús Reolid, has published 49 articles recorded in SCI (50 in SCOPUS), with 458 citations and an h-index of 15 (SCOPUS). Google Scholar reported 100 documents from the supervisor, with 998 citations and h-index of 17.

The group based in the University of Granada were all the facilities are available for work in the laboratories of the Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology and in the Centro de Instrumentación Científica (CIC, https://cic.ugr.es/servicios/servicios-unidades ), a High-Tech center with numerous laboratories for the most advanced analysis.

Title: Reconstructing a Jurassic Marine Ecosystem: A Multidisciplinary Study of a Newly Discovered Marine Reptile from Southern Spain

In March 2023, an exceptional fossil assemblage was unearthed from Oxfordian limestones in Jaén (Southern Spain), revealing abundant remains of a previously unknown marine reptile, potentially a marine crocodile or ichthyosaur. This discovery offers a unique window into Jurassic marine life and the sedimentary environments they inhabited. The proposed project aims to fully characterize the fossil remains—taxonomically, paleobiologically, and taphonomically—while embedding these findings into a robust paleoenvironmental framework.

A multidisciplinary approach will be used to integrate sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology and micropaleontology, and geochemistry to reconstruct the environmental conditions of this Tethyan coastal ecosystem during the Late Jurassic. This project will combine classical fieldwork with advanced analytical techniques, such as thin section petrography, isotope geochemistry, 3D imaging, and statistical analysis of fossil assemblages. These methods will shed light on the preservation modes, life habits, and ecological role of this enigmatic marine reptile.

The project has high publication potential in leading paleontological and Earth science journals and is designed to generate impactful results in taxonomy, paleoecology, and sedimentary dynamics. In addition, it will foster science dissemination through museum exhibits, educational outreach, and citizen science programs in collaboration with local communities and institutions.

Candidates should have a strong background in vertebrate paleontology or sedimentary geology.

Research Area:

• Environment and Geosciences (ENV)
• Life Sciences (LIFE)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Jesús Reolid Pérez ( [e-mail] ):