This contract is financing by Community of Madrid and  European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - REACT-EU resources of the Madrid Operational Program 2014-2020, in the action line of R+D+i projects in response to COVID 19.

Action financed by the Agreement signed on April 8, 2022 between Comunity of  Madrid (Consejería de Educación, Universidades, Ciencia y Portavocía) and IMDEA Food Foundation for the direct granting to finance research actions on SARS-CoV 2 and the COVID-19 disease, financed with REACT-EU resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The work activity of the postdoctoral researcher will be integrated in the research project:  “Entendiendo y Afrontando el COVID-19 Persistente mediante la Nutrición de Precisión”-“FACINGLCOVID-CM”- Objetive 3. It will have a special dedication to the area of ​​childhood obesity and precision nutrition.

The work plan focuses on

Epidemiological research on vulnerability to persistent COVID: age groups, with special emphasis on the infant stage, health status (with emphasis on situations of childhood obesity) and nutritional treatment opportunities, especially in the area of precision nutrition. It is about collecting data from the health system to identify susceptibilities to persistent COVID-19 infection in age groups and physiological situation (especially in childhood obesity) in order to determine individual vulnerability to apply nutritional advice and personalized food products effective in preventive character or even with the ability to reverse the syndrome of persistent COVID in the infantile stage.

Once the work is completed, it is expected that its results will contribute to consolidate in IMDEA Food a platform / research group specialized in the area of childhood obesity and precision nutrition that can continue to project the results of the work beyond the end date of the Agreement financing the contract, in order to make possible the progress and social use in the medium and long term of the work done, as well as obtaining new projects and sources of funding in the area of childhood obesity precision nutrition and its interactions with health that allow the future incorporation of technicians and researchers under its leadership.

Education requirements:

PhD in Life Sciences related discipline (Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Veterinary Sciences, Food Sciences and Technology, or related).

Professional experience of interest:

- The applicant should have a minimum of 8-years of experience as a postdoctoral researcher in fields such as: obesity, genetics/epigenetics, nutrigenomics, metabolomics, early influences on long-term health, analysis/development of bioactive compounds. 

- Demonstrated experience in cell biology and molecular biology techniques including cell culture, cell bioenergetics (Seahorse technology), western blot, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP and ChIP-Seq) and immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, gene expression analysis, among others, in terms of scientific research articles of high impact in the field as first or corresponding author, or transferred patents. 

- Experience in working with human samples: blood, saliva, paraffin embedded tissue, DNA, RNA and protein extraction. 

- Experience in management of “-omics” technologies will be highly desirable, including: genomics (sequencing and genotyping), transcriptomics and expression arrays management and proteomics or metabolomics data. 

Other merits to evaluate:

- Fluent management of genotypic/phenotypic data and use of biological databases and statistical tools (SPSS) will be valuable. 

- Participation in competitive public funding projects. 

- Direction and supervision of PhD Thesis, Master degree or BCs students are highly acknowledge. 

- Successful candidacy in highly competitive scientific programs for young research investigators (i.e. Programa “Juan de la Cierva”, Programa “JAE” etc.) will be highly acknowledge. 

 - Knowledge and leadership/participation in clinical trials will be valued, as well as participation in European international consortia.

- Fluent use of English

Skills and competencies:

- Demonstrated independence, pro-active attitude, professional and excellent communication skills both written and spoken. 

- Demonstrated strong organizational and coordination skills, including the ability to prioritize.

- Ability to work independently.

- We are looking for a proactive person showing initiative and with decision-making skills.  

Candidates will be selected based on the profiles described in Annex 1 as appropriately outlined in their CV by a Selection Committee composed by scientist staff of IMDEA Food Institute. Ad-hoc experts could be participating in the process. The best-qualified applicants can be invited locally for an interview by the Selection Committee.

The personal interview will consist of conducting a face-to-face or videoconference interview that will deal only with the merits declared by the candidates in the competition phase and will be aimed at assessing the candidate's suitability for the position. The interview will have a maximum duration of 45 minutes.

Selection criteria:

I. Aditional Professional experience & expertise: 0-40*

II. Other merits : 0-30*

III. Interview: 0-30*

Type of contract: Temporary full-time employment contract with trial period established by law.

Dedication: full time (37,5 hours per week), flexible split day, from Monday to Friday.

Duration: This position is until December 31st, 2022. 

Annual gross salary: 44,000 - 49,000 euro, commensurate with experience and the candidate's scientific impact.

The incorporation of the candidate to the IMDEA Food Institute is expected to be immediately after the selection process.

Headquarter of the IMDEA Food Insitute, Madrid (SPAIN)