The contract is part of grant PREP2025-4293, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the ESF+, where: PREP2025-4293 is the grant reference indicated in the award resolution; MICIU is the acronym for the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; AEI is the acronym for the State Research Agency; 10.13039/501100011033 is the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) of the agency; and ESF+ is the acronym for the European Social Fund Plus.

IMDEA Nutrition is part of the Network of Madrid Institutes for Advanced Studies, promoted by the Community of Madrid with the aim of conducting research that is useful to society and of international scientific excellence. Within this framework, IMDEA Nutrition is a beneficiary of grant Ref. PID2025-175614OB-I00 under the 2025 advance-processing call for grants for “Knowledge Generation Projects” and actions for the training of predoctoral research staff associated with such projects, within the framework of the State Programme to Promote Scientific and Technical Research and Knowledge Transfer, under the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024–2027, for the implementation of the research project “ONLIFE — Precision Nutrition for Oncology Patients at Different Stages of Life: From Early-Age Diagnosis to Survivorship” (Ref. PID2025-175614OB-I00), which includes grant PREP2025-004293 for the training of predoctoral research staff.

The predoctoral researcher will work on the ONLIFE project (Ref. PID2025-175614OB-I00) at IMDEA Food, towards a doctoral thesis.

 Main functions:

-Characterisation of the immunometabolic phenotype of cancer patients at different stages of the disease, from diagnosis to survivorship. Analysis of its relationship with sex, biological ageing, dietary habits and lifestyle.

-Design and experimental validation of precision-nutrition strategies aimed at modulating the immunometabolic profile, using cell models and advanced in vitro systems.

-Participation in pilot nutritional intervention studies in cancer patients and cancer survivors, and assessment of their impact on immunometabolic health.

-Study of the potential influence of GLP-1-based therapies on the immunometabolic profile and its relationship with cancer.

-Processing and analysis of biological samples and data. Integration of clinical, nutritional and molecular information into the group's digital tools.

-Experimental design, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, conference communications, dissemination activities and doctoral training.

(Please, see  FULL CALL FOR APPLICATION)

I. Entry requirements:

Education requirements:

* Education Level (Undergraduate, Bachelor Degree, Master Degree, PhD):

-University Degree (Bachelor/Licenciatura) in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Biomedicine, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine or related fields.

-Master's degree (or degree that allows access to doctoral studies) in Life or Health Sciences (Biotechnology, Biomedicine, Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunology, Oncology, Nutrition or related fields), to be able to join the doctoral program at the time of submission of the application or are in a position to do so on the date on which the contract is formalized.

* Research Field: Biomedicine (Cancer) – Molecular Oncology / Immunometabolism / Precision Nutrition.

Professional experience & expertise required:

* Not required.

Other entry requirements:

* Meet the candidate requirements set out in the PID2025 Predoctoral Grants Call (to be verified through the documentation submitted with the application).

II. Evaluation of merits:

Criterion 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical career of the candidate (up to 50 points).

Sub-criterion 1.a): Scientific-technical contributions (up to 45 points).

- The candidate’s academic record and other curricular merits will be assessed, as well as their suitability for the tasks to be performed, taking into account their academic background and professional experience.

- Completion of courses related to the field (seminars, equipment training courses, etc.).

- Authorship of prestigious scientific publications (indexed in international databases).

- Authorship of contributions presented at scientific conferences.

- Participation in research projects.

Sub-criterion 1.b): Mobility and internationalization (up to 5 points). The relevance and impact on the candidate's research career of their stays at national and international centers and/or in the industrial sector will be assessed, taking into account the prestige of the host institution and the activity carried out there.

Criterion 2. Suitability of the candidate for the research activities to be carried out (up to 50 points).

Sub-criterion 2.a): The candidate's suitability for the program, project or research activities to be carried out will be assessed on the basis of their previous training and experience. To this end, consideration will be given to the added value that carrying out the project will represent for their research career, as well as the value contributed to the host center and research team.

- Training in biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular/cell biology, immunology or oncology relevant to the project.

- Hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture (BSL-2), 3D/advanced models and molecular biology techniques: DNA/RNA/protein extraction, PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence.

- Experience in functional immunological and metabolic assays (flow cytometry, Seahorse XF or equivalent) and analysis software (GraphPad, ImageJ, CytExpert, Wave, R/Python).

- Certified English level (C1 or higher) and other languages.

Sub-criterion 2.b): The candidate’s suitability for the activities to be carried out will be assessed through a personal interview (up to 30 points). The following aspects will be evaluated:

- Organisational skills.

- Ability to integrate into a multidisciplinary team.

- Teamwork skills and ability to maintain effective interpersonal relationships.

- Strong oral and written communication skills.

The selection of candidates will be carried out in accordance with the principles of equality, merit, capacity and publicity, as well as objectivity, independence and professional rigor, respecting the confidentiality of the participants' personal data, by means of a merit-based competition.

Once the deadline for the submission of applications has expired, and once the fulfilment of the requirements listed in the second base has been verified, the Selection Committee will proceed to assess the merits included in the curricula vitae related to the post and to select the candidates who best meet the established requirements,  and will then open a second selection phase consisting of a personal interview.

The personal interview will consist of a face-to-face or videoconference interview which will focus solely on the merits put forward by the candidates in the competition phase and will be aimed at assessing the candidate's suitability for the post. The interview will last a maximum of 45 minutes.

Scale - selection criteria:

The evaluation process will be carried out according to the following criteria:

Criterion 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical track record of the candidate. (0–50*)

Sub-criterion 1.a): Scientific-technical contributions (0–45*).

Sub-criterion 1.b): Mobility and internationalization (0–5*).

Criterion 2. Suitability of the candidate for the research activities to be carried out (0–50*).

Sub-criterion 2.a): Previous training and experience (0–20*).

Sub-criterion 2.b): Personal interview (0–30*).

Contract type: Full-time temporary employment contract for Predoctoral Research Staff in Training (Article 21 of the Spanish Science Act) – Model 404.

Working hours: Full-time position, 37.5 hours per week, with a split working schedule from Monday to Friday.

Duration: Maximum of 4 years or until the defence of the doctoral thesis, plus the POP period. However, when the contract is entered into with a person with a disability, the maximum duration will be 6 years. Any periods during which an equivalent contract has previously been held will be deducted from the maximum duration of 4 (or 6) years.

Gross annual salary: €24,360/year (1st to 3rd year) – €25,920/year (4th year).

Starting date: Immediate (on the 1st day of the corresponding month).

Headquarter of the IMDEA Food Insitute, Madrid (SPAIN)