The contract is part of grant PREP2025-004317, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the ESF+, where: PREP2025-004317 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. PID2025-176099OB-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 “EVNutriFlow – Food-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, Scalable for the Functional Delivery of Bioactive Compounds and Safety Assessment” (Ref. PID2025-176099OB-I00), which includes grant PREP2025-004317 for the training of predoctoral research staff.

The predoctoral researcher will carry out a doctoral thesis within the EV-NutriFlow project, focused on food-derived extracellular vesicles as vehicles for bioactive compounds and on the assessment of their functionality and safety.

Main duties:

- Isolation, purification and characterization of food-derived extracellular vesicles using physicochemical and molecular methodologies, including particle size and concentration analysis techniques when appropriate.

- Assessment of vesicle stability and properties, including, when appropriate, their behavior during gastrointestinal digestion processes and their bioaccessibility.

- Development and optimization of in vitro experimental models to study vesicle-cell interactions and evaluate functionality and safety.

- Application of molecular and cellular biology techniques, including cell culture, RNA analysis by RT-qPCR, protein analysis and other methodologies related to the project objectives.

- Analysis, processing and interpretation of experimental data and critical review of the scientific literature.

- Participation in the preparation of reports, scientific publications and conference contributions, as well as in the training activities associated with the PhD and the project.

(Please, see  FULL CALL FOR APPLICATION)

I. Entry requirements:

Education requirements:

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

- University degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science and Technology, Biomedicine, or another related Life Sciences degree.

- Master's degree, or qualification granting access to doctoral studies, in Biomedicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biotechnology, Nutrition, Food Science or another related field, or be in a position to obtain the required qualification by the date the contract is formalized.

* Research Field: Biomedicine; Molecular and Cellular Biology; Nutrition and Metabolism; Biotechnology and Food Science.

Professional experience & expertise required:

* No specific previous professional experience is required. Relevant research or technical experience will be assessed as a merit and verified through the CV and supporting documentation provided.

Other entry requirements:

* The candidate must be eligible to access a doctoral programme by the date the contract is formalized and comply with the requirements established in the PREP2025 call and applicable regulations. This will be verified through the corresponding academic documentation.

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).

- Academic record and relevance of the academic background to the duties of the position

- Additional training relevant to the project (molecular and cellular biology, nutrition and metabolism, extracellular vesicles, omics techniques or related areas)

- Previous research experience, including Bachelor/Master thesis projects, internships or collaborations in research groups

- Scientific publications

- Contributions to scientific conferences

- Participation in research projects or other scientific-technical activities

Sub-criterion 1.b): Mobility and internationalization (up to 5 points). Research or training stays and other relevant experience at national or international institutions and/or in the industrial sector will be assessed according to their duration, relevance to the candidate's trajectory and suitability for the position

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

Sub-criterion 2.a): Previous training and experience relevant to EV-NutriFlow (up to 20 points).

- Training or experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques, including cell culture, RNA/RT-qPCR analysis, protein analysis or related techniques

 - Training or experience related to extracellular vesicles, nanoparticles or their characterization

- Training or experience in experimental nutrition, gastrointestinal digestion, bioaccessibility/bioavailability or related models

- Training or experience in data analysis, bioinformatics and/or applied statistics

 - Overall fit of previous training and experience with the objectives of EV-NutriFlow and the proposed doctoral thesis

Sub-criterion 2.b): Personal interview to assess the candidate's suitability for the research activities to be carried out (up to 30 points).

- Motivation and suitability for the project and for undertaking a doctoral thesis

- Scientific reasoning and ability to understand and discuss the project

- Ability to learn new methodologies and establish protocols based on scientific literature

- Organisation, autonomy, initiative and problem-solving skills

- Ability to integrate and work within a multidisciplinary team

- Oral and written scientific communication skills, including ability to work in English

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)