PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (PreDoc_Foodtrack)

Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA); España; On-site; EUR 17,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Continuous training

International environment

Job summary

ICRA invites applications for a highly motivated predoctoral researcher to join the FOODTRACK project and develop a doctoral thesis focusing on microbiome, resistome and mobilome analyses across food, human, and wastewater samples.

The position offers a four-year full-time contract with guaranteed minimum salary conditions in line with EPIF. Collaboration with IDAEA-CSIC and Dipsalut is included, and training in experimental, computational and quantitative approaches will be provided.

Qualifications

• University degree and official master’s degree or equivalent qualification that allows access to doctoral studies in Spain.
• Strong academic record and potential for independent research in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Willingness to learn new laboratory methodologies, bioinformatics and statistics.

Responsibilities

• Extract, quality control and prepare DNA from samples across matrices (food, human, wastewater).
• Apply molecular biology and microbiology methods to characterize microbiomes and resistance determinants.
• Analyze whole genome and metagenome sequencing data and perform reproducible analyses.
• Develop and document bioinformatics workflows for metagenomic analysis.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams and participate in project meetings.

Skills

Molecular biology

Microbiology

Bioinformatics

Data analysis

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent

Tools

R

Python

Linux

Bioinformatics tools

Job description

Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA)

Organisation/Company Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Chemistry » Biochemistry Technology » Biotechnology Medical sciences » Other Computer science » Other Environmental science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 19 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? Yes

Offer Description

JOB CHARACTERISTICS

• Number of positions available: 1
• Expected start: January 1st, 2027 (*)
• Temporary Position. The position is for maximum 4 years

(*) This offer and contracting are subject to the obtaining of the project (Concession Resolution), the availability of economic funds and the effective start of the project.

JOB DESCRIPTION

ICRA is looking for a highly motivated person to join as a predoctoral researcher (R1) and develop a doctoral thesis within the framework of the FOODTRACK project (PID2025-172036NB-C21), funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities / State Research Agency (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by FSE+ within the Knowledge Generation Projects 2025 and Actions for the training of predoctoral research staff 2025.

FOODTRACK is an interdisciplinary and ambitious project that aims to understand how chemical and microbiological exposures from food relate to the human exposome, the gut microbiome and resistome, and to the signals observed at the population scale in urban wastewater.

The project is based on the integrated analysis of three types of samples and complementary scales:

– Representative food baskets, designed to characterize dietary exposures in different socioeconomic contexts.

– Human biological samples from a well-characterized population cohort, especially fecal samples and other biological matrices.

– Wastewater collected directly from urban collectors and wastewater treatment plants, together with sewage sludge, providing a population-scale perspective.

By combining microbiology, molecular biology, metagenomics, bioinformatics, human biomonitoring, and wastewater-based epidemiology, FOODTRACK will investigate how microbial communities, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and chemical exposures are distributed and connected along the food–human–wastewater continuum.

The selected person will join the ICRA research team and develop a doctoral thesis focused mainly on the microbiome, resistome and mobilome components of FOODTRACK. The thesis will not focus on a single type of sample. The candidate will work with samples from food baskets, human samples, and wastewater and sludge samples, which will allow for direct comparison of microbial communities and determinants of antimicrobial resistance between these interconnected matrices.

The research will analyze which microorganisms, determinants of antibiotic resistance, and mobile genetic elements are shared or specific to food, human, and wastewater; explore possible connections between these matrices; and assess the extent to which dietary, individual, environmental, and socioeconomic factors may contribute to observed microbiome and resistome patterns.

The position offers an especially attractive opportunity to work at the interface between environmental microbiology, food microbiology, human microbiome, antimicrobial resistance, metagenomics, environmental epidemiology, and public health.

The selected person will work within the framework of a multidisciplinary collaboration that includes ICRA, IDAEA-CSIC and Dipsalut, and will have access to complementary datasets and sample collections generated specifically within the framework of FOODTRACK.

The researcher will receive training in experimental, computational and quantitative approaches and his/her scientific independence, participation in international scientific conferences, publication of results in scientific journals and the development of a competitive profile for a future research career will be progressively encouraged.

The position corresponds to a four-year full-time predoctoral contract, with guaranteed minimum salary conditions in accordance with the Statute of Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (EPIF).

The call for applications and subsequent contracting are subject to the decision to grant the FOODTRACK project, the availability of funding and the effective start of the project.

MAIN FUNCTIONS

• Extraction, quality control and preparation of DNA from samples of food baskets, human biological samples, wastewater collected in urban collectors and treatment plants, and sewage sludge.
• Application and optimization of molecular biology and microbiology procedures for the characterization of microbial communities and determinants of antimicrobial resistance in different matrices.
• Analysis of whole genome and metagenome sequencing data.
• Characterization of the microbiome, resistome and mobilome, including antibiotic resistance genes, mobile genetic elements and, where possible, their microbial hosts.
• Development, implementation, and documentation of reproducible bioinformatics workflows for metagenomic analysis.
• Comparative analysis of microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance profiles between food → human samples → wastewater.
• Identification of microbial taxa, resistance determinants and mobile genetic elements shared between matrices or enriched in specific environments.
• Investigation of possible relationships between diet-associated microbial exposure, the human gut microbiome/resistome, and signals observed at the community level in wastewater.
• Analysis of associations between the characteristics of the microbiome and resistome and relevant dietary, individual, environmental and socioeconomic variables.
• Contribution to the identification and validation of microbiological markers with potential application in wastewater-based epidemiology and surveillance on a population scale.
• Integration of microbiological results with chemical exposure data generated in FOODTRACK.
• Statistical analysis, interpretation, and visualization of complex, multidimensional datasets.
• Standardization and documentation of experimental and computational procedures.
• Active participation in project meetings and collaboration with researchers in microbiology, analytical chemistry, environmental sciences, epidemiology and public health.
• Preparation of scientific articles, technical reports, contributions to congresses and oral presentations.
• Dissemination and communication of research results to the scientific community and, where appropriate, to public health agents.
• Preparation of a doctoral thesis based on the research carried out within the framework of the project.

Candidates must have academic training in one or more of the following fields:

Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology or closely related disciplines.

Qualifications and Level of Education:

University degree and official master’s degree or equivalent qualification that allows access to doctoral studies in Spain.

It will be necessary to meet the academic requirements to access a doctoral program.

A strong academic record is required and consistent with the competitive nature of the predoctoral contract.

Abilities:

High motivation to develop a research career and complete a doctoral thesis in an interdisciplinary environment.

Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary research teams.

Scientific curiosity and willingness to work at the intersection of microbiology, environmental science, food science, human health, and data analysis.

Ability to work autonomously, maintaining fluid interaction with supervisors and collaborators.

Rigorous, organized and methodical way of working in both experimental and computational activities.

Ability to analyze complex data sets and critically interpret scientific results.

Good communication and scientific writing skills.

Ability to document research procedures and generate reproducible analyses.

Willingness to learn new laboratory methodologies, bioinformatics and statistical analysis.

Willingness to work with different biological and environmental matrices, including food, human samples, and wastewater.

Valid B driving licence.

Required Languages:

English: level sufficient to read and write scientific literature, prepare manuscripts and presentations, and participate in scientific meetings.

Catalan and Spanish.

Experience Required:

Candidates must have previous academic, research or professional experience relevant to the proposed doctoral thesis, which may include:

Previous participation in a university environment or in a research team.

Hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques, especially DNA extraction, PCR-based techniques, or other related procedures.

Experience in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of scientific or technical data.

Experience in the preparation of scientific or technical reports, master’s degree final projects, research reports or other equivalent documents.

Experience in the oral or written presentation of scientific or technical results, preferably including communication in English.

Experience in bioinformatics, computational biology or sequencing data analysis.

Experience in metagenomics, microbiome, resistome or mobilome analysis.

Familiarity with next-generation sequencing workflows.

Experience with R, Python, Linux, and/or command-line environments.

Knowledge of bioinformatics tools for taxonomic profiling, genome or metagenome assembly, detection of antibiotic resistance genes, functional annotation or analysis of mobile genetic elements.

Knowledge of microbial ecology, food microbiology, environmental microbiology or human gut microbiome.

Previous experience in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or antibiotic resistance genes.

Experience in the analysis of food samples, human biological samples, wastewater or sewage sludge.

Experience in comparing microbial communities between different environmental or biological matrices.

Experience with cohort data, epidemiological data, or integration of biological and contextual variables.

Knowledge of statistics, multivariate analysis or data visualization.

Experience in reproducible research practices, version control or workflow management.

Scientific publications, contributions to conferences or other research results in accordance with the candidate’s professional stage.

Previous research stays or experience in international or multidisciplinary environments.

Interest in understanding the connections along the food-human-urban environment continuum and their relevance for food safety, antimicrobial resistance and public health surveillance.

Above all, we are looking for an individual with a strong scientific background, intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for developing new skills. Applicants with high scientific potential are particularly encouraged to apply, even if they do not yet have experience in all the methodological components of the project.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Languages SPANISH

Languages CATALAN

Research Field Other Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

Working Conditions: Hiring in compliance with Spanish legislation and regulations. Workers receive benefits from the Spanish Social Security System that cover illness, maternity/paternity leave and accidents at work.

International Environment: Opportunity to join a prestigious international research institution and be part of a young and growing team.

Continuous training in a high-quality environment.

At ICRA we are committed to maintaining and developing a work environment in which the values and principles of our organisation are respected and equal opportunities and treatment are promoted in each of the areas in which we operate, creating a favourable context for diversity and eradicating any type of direct or indirect discrimination based on age (within the limits established by the Workers’ Statute), marital status, racial or ethnic origin, social status, religion or beliefs, political orientation, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, membership or not of trade unions, based on language, disability or sex, including any unfavourable treatment granted for the exercise of the rights of conciliation or co-responsibility in family and work life.

Recruitment will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 15 of Royal Legislative Decree 1/1995 of 24 March 1995, which approves the text of the Workers’ Statute Act, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 of Royal Decree 2720/98 of 18 December (B.O.E. 8 January 1999), Law No. 12/2001 of 9 July (B.O.E. 10 July) and the related regulations.

The principle of equality between men and women is taken into account, in accordance with Article 14 of the Spanish Constitution, the EU Directive of 9 February 1976 and all the provisions of the Agreement of the Council of Ministers of 4 March 2005, which approves the Gender Equality Plan in the General State Administration.

Universal accessibility for persons with disabilities is taken into account, in accordance with section 2 of article 1 of Law No. 51/2003 of 2 December 2003 on equal opportunities, and 7 per cent of the places are reserved provided that the candidates pass the selection processes and can demonstrate disability and compatibility in the performance of the tasks, so that 2 per cent of the total workforce is progressively reached.

It guarantees the effective fulfilment of the rights to equal treatment and non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and identity, gender expression or sex characteristics of LGBTI people in the ICRA workplace, in accordance with Royal Decree 1026/2024, of 8 October, which establishes the planned set of measures for equality and non-discrimination of LGBTI people in companies. Likewise, the selection and evaluation process takes into account the provisions of article 4bis.5 of Law 14/2011, of 1 June, on Science, Technology and Innovation.

Basic information on Responsible Data Protection: Fundació Institut Català de Recerca de l’Aigua (ICRA); Purpose: The selection of candidates for current and future jobs offered by our organization; Rights: You have the right to access, rectify and delete the data, as well as other rights indicated in the additional information; Additional information: You can consult additional and detailed information on Data Protection on our website: http://www.icra.cat/politica-de-privacidad