BIST – FBA Fellows

BIST – FBA Fellows Boost your research and teach in the fields of health (precision medicine), and energy and environmental sustainability

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The Fundació Bosch Aymerich (FBA), in collaboration with the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona), are launching the new FBA Fellows programme, aimed at attracting outstanding scientific talent. Both BIST and the UIC seek to recruit three fellows each, to carry out research and teaching for the next three years.

The figure of FBA Fellow, as envisioned by FBA, BIST and UIC Barcelona, is intended to give special impetus to excellent research and teaching in the fields of health (in particular, precision medicine) and energy and environmental sustainability.

The FBA Fellows Programme for BIST-hosted fellows (BIST-FBA Fellows) is a 3-year postdoctoral programme looking to recruit three brilliant Junior Postdocs (R2). The programme offers postdocs the prospect to develop their scientific careers, as well as access to opportunities to acquire valuable non-research skills, in an exciting multidisciplinary research environment.

Areas of interest

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• Science and Technology of Health
• Precision Medicine / Healthy Aging / Infectious Diseases
• Energy and Environmental Sustainability
• Nano- and Bioengineering for Pollution Remediation / Clean Energy / Sustainable Production
• Quantum Physics and Its Technological Applications
• Graphene and other 2D Materials / Quantum Methods in Biology / Sensing, Imaging and Spectroscopy

Other areas of interest may be entertained, if they are relevant to one or more BIST centres. Also, research proposals potentially involving two or more BIST centres are encouraged but not a requisite.

Attractive multidisciplinary environment

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BIST is a multidisciplinary research institution that brings together seven Catalan research centres of excellence: Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Catalan Institute of Nanosciences and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE), and Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona).

BIST-FBA Fellows will have full access to facilities, seminars and training programmes of the BIST centres. Networking activities shall facilitate inter-centre and inter-disciplinary exchanges and collaboration. Among other topics, Fellows may receive training in leadership, entrepreneurial skills and technology transfer issues, such as industrial and intellectual property, industrial collaborations, spin-off development, and other related subjects. Also, BIST offers a “Science to Business” course wit to raise awareness of business opportunities and also accelerate the transfer to the market of technologies developed at BIST centres.

The call for applications is international and open to PhD holders from various scientific backgrounds. All candidates are expected to demonstrate outstanding academic records, research experience and scientific commitment.

 

IBEC groups

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To be admitted to the review process, candidates also must submit a short research proposal (2 pages) with the agreement of at least one group leader from a BIST research centre.

Please feel free to contact our group leaders. They will be happy to answer your questions.

 

Group: Nanoscopy for nanomedicine Group leader: Lorenzo Albertazzi (lalbertazzi@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Molecular bionics Group leader: Giuseppe Battaglia (gbattaglia@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Protein phase transitions in health and disease Group leader: Benedetta Bolognesi (bbolognesi@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Mechanics of development and disease Group leader: Vito Conte (vconte@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Biomaterials for regenerative therapies Group leader: Elisabeth Engel (eengel@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Nanomalaria Group leader: Xavier Fernández Busquets (xfernandez@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Nanoscale bioelectrical characterization Group leader: Gabriel Gomila (ggomila@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Nanoprobes and nanoswitches Group leader: Pau Gorostiza (pgorostiza@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Biomedical signal processing and interpretation Group leader: Raimón Jané (rjane@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Signal and information processing for sensing systems Group leader: Santiago Marco (smarco@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Biomimetic systems for cell engineering Group leader: Elena Martínez (emartinez@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: iPSCs and activation of endogenous tissue programs for organ regeneration Group leader: Núria Montserrat (nmontserrat@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Targeted therapeutics and nanodevices Group leader: Silvia Muro (smuro@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Cellular and respiratory biomechanics Group leader: Daniel Navajas (dnavajas@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Biosensors for bioengineering Group leader: Javier Ramón (jramon@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Molecular and cellular neurobiotechnology Group leader: José Antonio del Rio (jadelrio@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Cellular and molecular mechanobiology Group leader: Pere Roca-Cusachs (proca@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Nanobioengineering Group leader: Josep Samitier (jsamitier@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Smart nano-bio-devices Group leader: Samuel Sánchez (ssanchez@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Bacterial infections: antimicrobial therapies Group leader: Eduard Torrents (etorrents@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Integrative cell and tissue dynamics Group leader: Xavier Trepat (xtrepat@ibecbarcelona.eu)

Group: Synthetic perceptive, emotive and cognitive systems Group leader: Paul Verschure (pverschure@ibecbarcelona.eu)

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• The BIST-FBA fellows will be offered a three-year contract (academic years 20-21 through 22-23, approximately). Fellows will be appointed in one of the 7 BIST centers.
  • Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
  • Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
  • Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
  • Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)
  • Catalan Institute of Nanosciences and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
  • Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE)
  • Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
• The gross yearly salary in the contract shall be around 33.000 euros, split into 12 monthly payments. This salary includes full social security coverage (health and accident insurance), as well as pension and unemployment benefits.
• In addition to the salary, international postdocs will receive a relocation allowance of 2.000 euros in the first year.
• BIST-FBA fellows will have the opportunity of collaborating with the UIC in research, teaching, and other academic activities.

 

The call for candidatures will be open to everybody but special eligibility criteria and a multistep evaluation procedure will apply. There are no restrictions on gender, age, ethnic groups, national or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language, disability, political opinion, and social or economic conditions. BIST and its associated centres are committed to pro-active policies on equal opportunities and gender issues.

Please review the eligibility and evaluation criteria and carefully read the instructions on how to submit an application before applying.

Applications will exclusively be accepted through the on-line application platform. You will be informed on the state of your application at all stages. The main means of communication during the formal process will be by e-mail. The entire selection process will be managed under strict control of privacy rules.

• Call opening:  July 9, 2020
• Deadline for applicants: October 6, 2020
• Interviews with candidates (online): November 24 – November 27, 2020
• Notification to selected candidates: December 11, 2020
• Incorporation forseen for: February 1, 2021

 

Start of fellowships: to be negotiated by the hosting centre and fellow.

 

 

 

To be admitted to the review process, candidates must comply with the following eligibility criteria:

• Present a complete application including all requested compulsory information and documentation.
• Hold a PhD, valid prior to the incorporation at a BIST centre, and granted within the past five years, counting back from the call opening. Exceptions will be made for documented periods of parental leave, a serious illness or other hardships. These must be fully explained and properly documented in the application.
• Have at least one publication as main author (either accepted or published) in an international reputed journal at the time of the submission deadline.

BIST is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, gender or disability.

Preparing an application

The on-line submission platform for the current call will be open from July 8, 2020. The deadline for the submission of applications is October 6, 2020 end of the day (CET).

Please check the specific call parameters for detailed timelines and research topics.

Before start applying, please carefully read the below instructions.

 

Applications checklist for the initial submission

By the deadline, the following documentation and information needs to be presented to be eligible:

1. 1. Application form
   2. Curriculum Vitae
      • Applicants should indicate their academic and professional trajectory and include any relevant information on publications, awards or other scientific or academic merits and experience.

1. Letter of intent
   • The cover letter addresses research interests and motivation for the application, as well as the applicant’s background and suitability for the fellowship.
2. Letters of reference
   • Submit two reference letters by the submission deadline.
3. Letter of support
   • Submit at least one letter of support from a group leader from one of 7 BIST centres interested in work with.
4. A short research proposal
   • Submit a short research proposal (2 pages) with the agreement of at least one group leader from a BIST research centre.
5. Accomplishments
   • Submit a list of up to three of the most important scientific/scholarly research accomplishments of the applicant – apart from academic publications – such as awards, conference papers, keynote speeches, important research projects, research data, software, codes, preprints, exhibitions, knowledge transfer, science communication, patents or licenses.

The selection process will proceed in three steps:

Step 1

• Every centre prioritise up to three candidates from the list of applicants to each centre through an internal review process. A fourth candidate is allowed if he or she is to be involved in a project with at least two BIST centres.
• Every preselected candidate will need to present a support letter issued by the correspondent chair of the internal review panel.

Step 2

• All preselected candidates will be evaluated by an external review panel. Only candidates having letters of support from BIST centres are eligible for evaluation at this step.
• The external review panel will rank preselected candidates and invite the 10 top-ranked finalists for an online interview.
• Following the online interviews, the external review panel will propose a ranked list of all finalists.

Step 3

• The list of ranked finalists will be ratified by a joint panel of UIC and BIST representatives, to produce the final decision aligned with the mission of the FBA Fellows Programme.

Merit threshold: The FBA Fellows Programme offers prestigious and well-funded fellowships, and as such, a threshold of merit is required. At any stage of the selection process the evaluators should deem the quality of the applicants is below this threshold, the call will be declared void and a new call for candidates may be issued.