PhD Opportunity: Circular Economy & Sustainability Science (CARE Project - HORIZON Program)

International Society for Industrial Ecology; Barcelona; Presencial; EUR 30.000 - 50.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Una firma innovadora busca un candidato para un PhD en Economía Circular y Ciencia de la Sostenibilidad, en un proyecto que aborda la reducción de pérdidas alimentarias. Este rol implica el desarrollo de modelos teóricos y herramientas de cálculo LCA, trabajando en colaboración con destacados institutos de investigación. Ofrecemos un entorno de trabajo dinámico y flexible, con un contrato permanente desde el primer día y un enfoque en la sostenibilidad y la innovación. Si tienes pasión por la investigación y la sostenibilidad, esta es una oportunidad única para contribuir a un cambio sistémico en Europa.

Servicios

Contrato permanente desde el primer día

Bono basado en rendimiento

Horario de trabajo flexible

Día libre por cumpleaños

Formación

• Se requiere un título en Ciencias Aplicadas o Ingeniería relacionado con la Economía Circular.
• Experiencia en programación Python y software LCA es altamente valorada.

Responsabilidades

• Desarrollar un marco teórico para cuantificar efectos de rebote en la prevención de pérdidas alimentarias.
• Escribir informes y artículos científicos sobre los hallazgos del proyecto.

Conocimientos

Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (LCA)

Programación en Python

Gestión de Proyectos

Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental

Conocimientos en Micro y Macroeconomía

Educación

Licenciatura en Ciencias Aplicadas

Máster en Ciencias Sociales o Ingeniería

Herramientas

Brightway

OpenLCA

SimaPro

Descripción del empleo

PhD Opportunity : Circular Economy & Sustainability Science (CARE Project - HORIZON Program)

We are looking for a PhD candidate to join us as part of the “Assessing Circular Rebound Effects under Sustainability Science” (CARE) project, which is part of a European research and innovation initiative funded by the HORIZON program.

The project aims to transform food systems by tackling food loss and waste through reliable data and stakeholder engagement within a unified framework to assess economic, environmental, and social impacts. The goal is to drive systemic change and promote sustainable practices across Europe.

Key Responsibilities

The selected candidate will focus on:

• Developing the theoretical and modeling framework to quantify rebound effects of food loss prevention actions, following Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) principles and sustainability science.
• Quantifying the environmental, social, and economic performance of two pilot projects: one in the meat sector in Spain and another in the fruit and vegetable sector in Greece.
• Creating generalizable models integrated into LCA-based calculation tools, particularly using Brightway software.
• Proposing improvement actions based on the obtained results, both within the project’s pilot cases and at the European level.
• Writing reports and scientific articles.
• Attending project-related meetings, both online and in person.
• Translating research insights into the construction sector, where Grupo Construcía primarily operates.
• Supporting Life Cycle Sustainability (LCS) projects developed by Eco Intelligent Growth (EIG) outside of the PhD scope.

Why Join Us?

We offer a unique opportunity to develop an industrial PhD in a consultancy pioneering circular economy implementation, under the supervision of two leading research institutes known for their excellence in scientific research in economics and environmental sciences:

• Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB)
• Institute for Economic Analysis (IAE-CSIC)

The project will be guided by experts and professors specializing in Life Cycle Sustainability (LCS), Environmental Engineering, and Economic Analysis, with strong presence in both academia and industry.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, or Engineering related to Circular Economy (e.g., Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, etc.).
• Minimum academic GPA of 6.5 / 10, calculated based on the total credits of higher education studies that grant access to official PhD programs.
• Knowledge and/or experience in micro and/or macroeconomics and/or environmental impact assessment (e.g., Life Cycle Analysis).
• Experience or familiarity with project management, Python programming, and LCA software (Brightway, OpenLCA, SimaPro, etc.) is highly valued.
• Fluent Spanish and English.

What We Offer

• Permanent contract from day one.
• Performance-based bonus.
• Flexible work schedule, including shorter workdays on Fridays.
• Supportive and dynamic work environment.
• Birthday off as an additional vacation day.