Introduction to the vacant position:
The Biomedical Signal Processing and Interpretation (BIOSPIN) Group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is looking for a Predoctoral Researcher to conduct her/his predoctoral training on innovative mobile health (mHealth) solutions, multimodal signal processing, and digital biomarkers for accessible sleep monitoring in adult and pediatric populations with different health conditions.
The aim of the project is to develop new mHealth systems integrating smartphones and wireless sensors with signal processing algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) models for unobtrusive sleep apnea detection, multi-night monitoring, positional therapy validation, and prediction of cardiovascular risk and other comorbidities.
The PhD project will be conducted in the framework of the project entitled: “Revolutionizing early sleep apnea diagnosis: new mHealth solutions for accessible sleep monitoring in adult and children populations with different health conditions (mScreenSleep)”, funded by Fundació La Marató 3Cat. This is a coordinated project in collaboration with the Sleep Unit at Vall d’Hebron Hospital.”
Coordinated project La Marató 2024 Malalties Respiratòries, Fundació La Marató 3Cat
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Setting new mHealth acquisition systems based on smartphones and wireless sensors.
- Design and development of algorithms for multimodal biomedical signals analysis based on advanced signal processing and AI models.
- Applications to sleep apnea detection and monitoring in different populations, including adults, children, and spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.
- Collaboration and communication with the clinical team
- Proof-of-concept of smart health systems.
Requirements for candidates:
Essential:
- BSc and MSc in biomedical engineering, engineering, physics, biomedicine, or a related field. Master thesis in biomedical engineering or signal processing and interpretation will be a plus.
- Previous knowledge on biomedical signal processing and data analysis.
- High level of English.
- Candidates should be ready to enter an official doctoral programme in October 2026 (under Spanish Law).
- Candidates must have a strong commitment to scientific research and an excellent academic record.
- Candidates must not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree.
- Candidates must not have held a Ph.D. contract exceeding twelve months by the beginning of the fellowship.
- Good skills in communication, teamwork, proactivity, characterization, integrity, time management, critical and analytical thinking, precision, and focus.
Desirable:
- Expertise in respiratory, audio or sleep signal analysis and modelling
- Knowledge of Matlab, Python, and/or R and tools and packages for signal interpretation
- Experience in data analysis and AI models
- Experience in laboratory for biomedical signal acquisition
- Experience in joint projects with Hospitals or Health institutes
- Scientific writing skills
For the conditions, requirements and other relevant data, please check the general conditions of doing a PhD at IBEC at https://ibecbarcelona.eu/careers-at-ibec/doing-your-phd-at-ibec/
We Offer:
- Number of available positions: 1
- Starting date: As of September 16, 2026 (to be confirmed).
- Working conditions:
- Full-time (37,5 hrs/week) 3-year Predoctoral Researcher contract
- Measures to reconcile work and family life (parental leave, flexible schedule working hours, 23 working days of paid holidays, 9 leave days for personal matters, among others).
- IBEC ensures equality of access to professional development opportunities irrespective of employment status, length at IBEC or other factors. The IBEC’s yearly training catalogue offers a wide range of training in technical and transferable skills including mobility grants and a Mentoring programme for predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers.
- Stimulating, interdisciplinary research and high-quality international scientific environment.
- Induction programme to facilitate incorporation at IBEC and additional support is provided for foreigners to obtain Visa-working permit and to install in Barcelona.
- Scientific activity and BIOSPIN-IBEC Lab in the Diagonal-Besòs Campus of the UPC.
How to apply:
Until August 25th an online application form is available through IBEC dedicated site: https://careers.ibecbarcelona.eu/
Only those applications submitted before the deadline will be evaluated.
Reference: PhD_YC
If you have any further questions regarding your application, please contact us at jobs@ibecbarcelona.eu
Principles of the selection process:
IBEC is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit based Recruitment principles (OTM-R) https://ibecbarcelona.eu/careers-at-ibec/jobs/
IBEC´s Commitment on equal opportunity, diversity, and Inclusion:
Our strength and excellence as an international transdisciplinary Research Institute are based on diversity. Being an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to diversity and inclusion, so that we support employees irrespective of their gender, nationality, religion, disabilities, age, sexual identity or cultural and socioeconomic background.
Visit our devoted webpage on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
For candidates with children that come from outside Barcelona, we offer babysitting services during the interview, so you don’t have to worry about anything else than doing a good interview. Contact us if you are interested in this service.
In categories where women are underrepresented, such as Group Leader positions, and with the aim of ensuring gender balance in recruitment processes, women candidates must represent at least 50% of those interviewed for Junior-level positions and 40% for Senior-level positions, provided they have CVs comparable to those of male candidates. At the end of the evaluation process, in cases of equal merit, preference will be given to women candidates.
IBEC, as a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), will consider, especially for early-stage investigators, much more the scientific content of research outputs, than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it were published.
Protection of personal data:
IBEC guarantees that candidates’ personal data are processed in accordance with the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Law 3/2018 on Data Protection.
Personal data will be processed solely for the purposes of the selection process.
Who we are?
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, IBEC is an interdisciplinary research center focused on Bioengineering and Nanomedicine based in Barcelona. IBEC is one of the top research institutions named as a Severo Ochoa Research Centre by the Ministry of Science, Universities and Innovation, which recognizes excellence at the highest international level in terms of research, training, human resources, outreach and technology transfer.
IBEC’s mission is to develop international high-quality interdisciplinary research that, while creating knowledge, contributes to making a better quality of life, improving health and creating wealth. A close link with key universities, reference hospitals and corporations, are assets that facilitate achieving the mission.
IBEC was established in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Autonomous Government of Catalonia), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC).
IBEC is located within the Barcelona Science Park and is managing 3.800 square meters facilities, with an annual budget of 22 Mio€; 4.150 square meters of facilities; 21 research groups and a team of researchers and support services of 400 people from 35 different countries. www.ibecbarcelona.eu
The BIOSPIN group of the IBEC is located within the Diagonal-Besòs Campus of the UPC in the building C, near to the Barcelona East Engineering School.
Grant 202533-30-31 funded by Fundació La Marató de TV3.
