IRTAis a research institute owned by the Government of Catalonia ascribed to the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. IRTA is one of the CERCA centers of excellence of the Catalan Research System.
Our purpose is to contribute to the modernization, competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, food and aquaculture sectors, the supply of healthy and quality foods for consumers and, generally, improving the welfare and prosperity of the society. We are granted by the EU with the HRS4R
PhD candidate for the Marine and Continental Waters Program distinction for “HR Excellence in Research” and thus we offer a rich environment for knowledge development and exchange where to develop a scientific career, and possibilities for professional promotion according to the attained achievements. Check our initiatives here [ref. CPI2123]
IRTA is currently seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate to join the Marine and Continental Waters Program. We invite applications from ambitious candidates with relevant research experience and passion to conduct research and innovation activities on the Food risk associated with the expansion of the ciguatera and improvement of the tools for its management.
Supervisors: Dr. Maria Rambla-Alegre and Dr. Jorge Diogène Fadini Job location: IRTA la Ràpita Full-time position (37.5 h/week) Terms of appointment: The duration of the PhD Candidate contract will be for four years.
Salary: The financial remuneration will be of €1,291.18 gross per month (€ 18,076.52/gross per annum) for the first year. For the second year will be of €1,311.41 gross per month (€ 18,359.74/gross per annum). For the third year, il will be €1,619.64/gross per month (€ 22,674.96/gross per annum) and for the fourth year it will be € 1,729.26/gross per month (€ 24,209.64/gross per annum), which will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA (1)
IRTA will also pay the annual fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment. Employee Benefits: 22 vacation days, 3 days of family & work conciliation, 45h of personal days, Friday afternoon off, Compressed Summer schedule from 15/06 to 15/09, Conciliation schedule.
Tasks and Responsabilites: – Evaluate the potential presence and abundance of Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa in Mediterranean Islands close to the Iberian Peninsula. – Evaluate the impact of climate change on the occurrence of Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa: Assessment in islands on the Mediterranean close to the Iberian Peninsula, and in specific locations in the Balearic Islands.
-Identify and quantify CTX and their toxicity in high predator fish in the field, enabling the assessment of their biotransformation through the food web Canary Islands: evaluation of CTXs in selected fish species of different trophic levels (not assessed in the official monitoring programme).
Balearic Islands: evaluation of CTXs in fish from selected hotspots -Improve analytical approaches: Evaluation of the potential interference of non-ciguatera toxins, brevetoxin and tetrodotoxin, in CTX evaluation -Risk assessment of ciguatera in the studied areas
Required qualifications and experience
- -Candidates must hold one of the following degrees: chemistry, or biology, or marine science, or similar.
- a) A master’s in chemical science & technology or marine ecology or similar;
- b) To be in a position to access a doctoral programme according to the requirements of Catalan universities, i.e. accrediting between 60 and 120 ECTS credits at the official university master’s degree level or equivalent.
- Not to have a previous PhD degree.
Desirable requirements
- -Knowledge on Ecology or, Environmental sciences, or Oceanography, or Analytical Chemistry (chromatography and mass spectrometry), or similar.
- Good communication skills
- Good command of Microsolf Office tools
- Good command of data base search engines: Web of knowledge, ScienceDirect, Scopus,
- Team work
- Languages
- Proficiency in English
- Catalan and Spanish are valued
Application process: If you wish to be considered for this position, please, apply via our Recruitment Platform to the job post with reference CPI2123 and upload your CV and motivation letter. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence. Deadline for application: 08/09/2023