Expression of interest - Predoctoral Researcher

Membrane Technology group (MEMTECH) of IMDEA Water

Organisation / Company FUNDACIÓN IMDEA AGUA Department Membrane Technology group (MEMTECH) of IMDEA Water Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Membrane Technology group (MEMTECH) of IMDEA Water is looking for a candidate to carry out a PhD in the framework of the project EMERGING “ Plastisphere in urban wastewaters : Membrane based hybrid systems for water reuse and sludge recycling ” financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The candidate selected in this process will have the opportunity to apply to the Grant for Doctoral Theses in Life and Matter Sciences funded by Ramón Areces Foundation with IMDEA Water as hosting Institute.

The candidate must meet the following requirements :

• Be in possession of a bachelor´s degree, engineer or university graduate, with a degree of at least 240 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits in Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Engineering or similar, at the time of submission of the application.
• Applicants must have an average mark on their academic transcript for the bachelor´s degree or equivalent qualification of more than 7.5 on the 0-10 scale.

The average mark of the transcript will be the one stated in the degree certificate. In the case of holding more than one degree, the calculation must be made for each one separately and the one that is most closely related to the doctoral studies applied for will be taken into account, with the other degrees being considered as additional merit.

• Preference in this call will be given to candidates who have obtained these degrees between 2021 and 2025.

The applicant must be in a position to be admitted on a doctoral programme to the date on which the grant is formalized (i.e. January 2026).

In general, in order to access a doctoral programme it will be necessary to hold an official Spanish Bachelor's degree or equivalent and a Master's degree or equivalent, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been passed in these two courses together.

• Not be in possession of a doctoral degree or have previously held a pre-doctoral contract.
• English level : B2 or higher except for native English speakers.
• the grant will cover up to a four-year period (1-year renewable up to a maximum of 4-years if annual evaluations are favorable) starting on January 2026. The total annual gross amount of the grant will be €35,000. Additionally, the candidate will receive :
• Funding of €4,000 per research stay at international research centers. A maximum of two stays will be funded over the duration of the grant. Each stay must have a minimum duration of three months.
• An annual allocation of €2,000 to cover expenses such as tuition fees, access to databases, computer equipment, and other costs directly related to the research.
• These conditions may change when the 2025 call for applications is opened.

EMERGING is a research project dedicated to study the interaction between contaminants of emerging concerns such as micronanoplastics (MNPs), antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs) and genes (ARGs) as well as the removal efficiency of these emerging contaminants by membrane-based hybrid treatment technologies from wastewaters. In addition, in line with the One Health approach, EMERGING will generate frontier knowledge on the water and sludge quality assessment for agricultural use, evaluating the effect of MNPs, ARBs and ARGs on the growth of crops. The objective of the doctoral thesis that will be developed with the support of the Ramón Areces Grant will be focused on the study of effluents from membrane bioreactors (permeate and sludge) that have treated wastewater containing microplastics and their impact on the growth of crops.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SEND US NOW?

If you are interest to apply to the Grant for Doctoral Theses in Life and Matter Sciences funded by Ramón Areces Foundation with us, please submit to , indicating “Grant for Ramón Areces Foundation expression of interest - MEMTECH” in the subject of the email, the following documents :

• an updated CV, in Spanish or English.
• an official transcript of grades with the academic record that includes the student's first and last name(s), the university, the studies completed and all subjects and grades, year by year. If these studies have been completed before the application deadline, the total number of credits for the degree and credits awarded. If these studies are still in progress, candidates must present the academic record in its current state at the time of submitting the application.

DEADLINE to submit your expression of interest : June 15, 2025.

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