This contract is part of the project reference TED2021-130962B-C21, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR. TED2021-130962B-C21 is the reference stated in the grant resolution; MCIN is the acronym for the Ministry of Science and Innovation; AEI is the acronym for the State Research Agency; 10.13039/501100011033 is the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the Agency; and PRTR is the acronym for the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. This project falls under the 2021 early processing call for public aid to strategic projects oriented towards the green transition and digital transition, as part of the State Program to Promote Scientific and Technical Research and its Transfer, State Subprogram for Knowledge Generation, of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical, and Innovation Research for the period 2021-2023, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.

These grants are part of investment I3, titled “New Public-Private R&D&I Projects, Interdisciplinary, Proof of Concept and Granting of Aid Resulting from International Competitive Calls, Cutting-Edge R&D Oriented Towards Societal Challenges, Pre-Commercial Public Procurement,” under component 17 “Institutional Reform and Strengthening the Capacities of the National System of Science, Technology, and Innovation” of Spain’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. They will contribute to achieving the associated objectives, in accordance with the regulatory framework of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism and the Recovery Plan at both European and national levels.

The purpose of the contract is to collaborate in carrying out scientific-technical activities linked to the R&D project: “Dairy industry by-products as a sustainable source of extracellular vesicles; nanocarriers to increase the bioavailability and bioactivity of (poly)phenols) - DairyPhenosome” - Ref. TED2021-130962B-C21.

Main functions to be developed:

- Technical-scientific support in the experimental development of the project: organization, method setup, and sample processing of experiments.

- Experimental development in: isolation of exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (ultracentrifugation, tangential flow filtration, polymer precipitation, etc.), exosome characterization (protein analysis, NTA, Western Blot, electron microscopy, flow cytometry), cell cultures, gene expression analysis (RNA and DNA isolation, qPCR, Digital PCR), exosome purification.

- Data processing and analysis of the project experiments, as well as preparation and presentation of reports.

- Functionalization of extracellular vesicles through the incorporation of external molecules using passive, active, or “click-chemistry” loading methods.

- Participation in the development of scientific collaborations and research networks.

 I. Required Education:

* Education Level:

  - University degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Food Science and Technology, Nutrition, Biochemistry, or Biomedicine.

* Research Field: Biomedicine

II. Evaluation of Merit:

Other Education to evaluate (Other Degrees, Other Knowledge):

- Additional training in extracellular vesicles will be positively valued.

- Training in pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical formulation, or biotechnology will be positively valued.

- An official master’s degree in areas related to biomedicine will be positively valued.

Scientific Experience to be Evaluated:

- Proven experience in a biomedical research laboratory.

- Experience in chemical synthesis.

- Experience in cell cultures.

- Experience in separation techniques using HPLC, structure determination using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or mass spectrometry (MS).

- Experience in protein analysis using Western Blot.

Other Merits to evaluate:

- Experience in working with extracellular vesicles.

- Experience in chemical synthesis for functionalizing molecules and complex systems.

- Experience in modifying food matrices (e.g., 3D food printing).

- Official scholarships from national or regional organizations (e.g., Ministry, Autonomous Communities or others) that reward academic performance or excellence.

- Research collaboration scholarships.

- Participation in scientific conferences and scientific publications.

Capabilities and Skills (to evaluate in the interview):

- Suitability for the position.

- High motivation to learn new methodologies/technologies.

- Ability to work independently, but with a good disposition for teamwork/collaboration as part of a group.

- Ability to develop new research protocols based on scientific literature.

- Organizational skills, good communication skills, resourcefulness, high proactivity, initiative, and responsibility.

- Knowledge of the English language.

The selection of candidates shall be carried out in accordance with the principles of equality, merit, ability and publicity, as well as objectivity, independence and professional rigour, respecting the confidentiality of the personal data of the participants, 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:

I. Additional training to be assessed: 0-30*.

II. Experience to be assessed: 0-30*.

III. Other merits to be assessed: 0-10*.

IV. Interview: 0-30

Type of contract: temporary fixed-term contract linked to programmes financed by the NextGeneration EU Funds for the implementation of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan), with a probationary period established by law.

Dedication: 37,5 h/week in split shift, from Monday to Friday.

Gross Annual Salary: 23,962.00 euros.

Duration: fixed-term (until the end of the project 30/11/2024)

Headquarter of the IMDEA Food Insitute, Madrid (SPAIN)