PREDOCTRAL RESEARCHER (PhD) - COUNTERACT

Universidad Pontificia Comillas; España; Presencial; EUR 20.000 - 25.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Supervision by PI and project team

Training in advanced research methods

Co-authorship on publications

Flexible compensation plan

Descripción de la vacante

Universidad Pontificia Comillas invites applications for a full-time predoctoral researcher position within COUNTERACT, a national study on Spanish adolescents’ responses to online hate. The project collaborates with schools, educators and law enforcement, and aims to translate findings into practical tools.

The successful candidate will design and implement the national experimental survey, coordinate fieldwork across six regions, manage data and contribute to policy-relevant outputs during a

Formación

• Master’s degree in a social science discipline (sociology, psychology, political science, criminology, education or related).
• Strong quantitative research skills: survey design, data collection and statistical analysis; proficient in SPSS, R or Stata.
• Native or C2-level Spanish and C1-level English or higher.
• Desirable: experience with experimental or intervention research and/or participatory or co-design methods.

Responsabilidades

• Support the design and delivery of the national experimental survey, including instrument development, piloting and fieldwork coordination across six regions.
• Support survey administration, manage the national dataset in line with FAIR principles, and conduct the quantitative analysis.
• Contribute to evidence mapping and support co-design labs and evidence-to-action workshops with adolescents, educators and police.
• Coordinate day-to-day project activities, including partner liaison, project meetings and activities, and ongoing documentation and reporting.
• Help draft the project’s practical tools for schools, youth and police, and co-author academic publications and conference presentations.
• Develop a doctoral thesis within the scope of the project.

Conocimientos

Quantitative research

Survey design

Data collection

Statistical analysis

SPSS/R/Stata

Project coordination

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Social justice interest

Educación

Master’s degree in social science

Herramientas

SPSS

R

Stata

Descripción del empleo

Organisation/Company Universidad Pontificia Comillas Department Vicerrectorado de Profesorado, Investigación e Inteligencia Artificial Research Field Sociology Societal behaviour Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 16 Oct 2026 - 00:00 (Africa/Abidjan) Country Spain Type of Contract Not Applicable Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 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

Description: A full-time predoctoral researcher position is offered within COUNTERACT, a national study on Spanish adolescents’ responses to online hate, funded by Fundación “la Caixa”. The project works across six regions with adolescents, educators and law enforcement, combining participatory co-design with a large-scale national experiment and translating the findings into practical tools. The predoctoral researcher will be the main day-to-day researcher on the project and will work closely with the research team across all project phases. Desired start date: 1/12/2026

Requirements

• Degree: Master’s degree or equivalent in a social science discipline, such as sociology, psychology, political science, criminology, education, or a related field.
• Experience: Demonstrated strong quantitative research skills, including survey design, data collection and statistical analysis, with confident use of SPSS, R or Stata. Strong project coordination and organisational skills, well-developed written communication skills, and excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build working relationships with colleagues and external partners. Demonstrated interest in social justice, inequalities, youth online safety and migration.
• Language: Native or C2-level Spanish and C1-level English or above.
• Desirable: Experience with experimental or intervention research and/or participatory or co-design methods.

Main responsibilities

• Support the design and delivery of the national experimental survey, including instrument development, piloting and fieldwork coordination across six regions.
• Support survey administration, manage the national dataset in line with FAIR principles, and conduct the quantitative analysis.
• Contribute to evidence mapping and support co-design labs and evidence-to-action workshops with adolescents, educators and police.
• Coordinate day-to-day project activities, including partner liaison, project meetings and activities, and ongoing documentation and reporting.
• Help draft the project’s practical tools for schools, youth and police, and co-author academic publications and conference presentations.
• Develop a doctoral thesis within the scope of the project.

Working conditions

• Full-time predoctoral employment contract for 4 years (covering the duration of the project grant, and an additional two years).
• Salary: Between 20.000 and 25.000€/year.
• At Comillas, we strive to create and maintain an environment that provides space and support equally to everyone. Therefore, if you have a disability certificate of 33% or higher, we encourage you to include it in your application.

Benefits

• Supervision by the PI and project team and integration into the IUEM research community.
• Training and practice in project design, advanced research methods and data analysis.
• Co-authorship on publications and policy documents.
• A collaborative team working with schools, NGOs and public institutions.
• Flexible Compensation Plan and social benefits.
• Training plan and professional development.
• Comillas Plus: exclusive Comillas portal with more than 200 commercial discounts.
• Access to internal services: discounts and special conditions (gym, bookstore, library, etc.)

Evaluation of merits

• Education - /30 points (academic record, other merits/training)
• Experience - /15 points (duration, institutions skills as per the Requirements section)
• Research and/or academic and scientific output - /25 points (presentation and/or dissemination, publications and collaborations)
• Final interview - /30 points