2026-ICP-025 Postdoctoral Researcher "Lourdes Casanovas"
Position
· Reference: 2026_ICP025
· Number of positions: 3.
· Title: Postdoctoral Researcher (‘Lourdes Casanovas’ Postdoctoral Contracts Program, within the framework of the ICP’s CMAEF Funds Action Plan (2026–2027))
· Assigned to: Research Department (open to all research groups)
· Workplace: ICTA-ICP Building, c/ Columnes s/n, UAB Campus, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona; or ICP Museum, c/ Escola Industrial 23, 08201 Sabadell, Barcelona.
· Description: We are looking for three people to join our center as postdoctoral researchers in any of our research groups.
· Contact person: David M. Alba, Director ([email protected]).
The Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA)
The ICP is a public research center whose trustees are the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. It is a publicly funded non-profit foundation established to carry out research in vertebrate and human paleontology at the highest international level, as well as to promote the conservation and dissemination of Catalonia’s paleontological heritage. As an autonomous center of the CERCA system (Research Centers of Catalonia), its main objective is scientific excellence.
The center offers a close-knit and stimulating work environment, with seven research groups and specialized technical support staff, as well as ongoing training and opportunities for professional development. It has an Equality Plan, an LGBTIQA+ Plan, and the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award, which recognizes its commitment to open, transparent, and merit-based working conditions and recruitment processes.
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
The ICP’s management is committed to equal opportunities and diversity, and promotes an inclusive and equitable work environment. For this reason, the ICP encourages women and non-binary people, as well as other people with diverse backgrounds or who belong to groups underrepresented in research, to apply. We offer work-life balance measures and have a Non-Discrimination Committee that works actively to maintain a safe, bias-free environment.
Positive Equity Measures
This call is part of the ICP’s CMAEF Funds Action Plan (2026–2027), one of whose specific objectives is to promote effective equality between women and men through positive equity measures. In particular, it aims to reduce the gender gap among the center’s research staff (currently <40% women and non-binary people) through positive measures that fall within the cases provided for in Organic Law 3/2007 and that are consistent with the objectives of the center’s Equal Opportunities Plan and the ICP’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan (action A12.3: preferential recruitment of women candidates for competitive research contracts). In both the first and second phases, in the event of equivalent merits, priority will be given to candidates of the gender underrepresented below 40%. Merits will be considered equivalent between two or more candidates who exceed the minimum cutoff score when the difference in their scores is less than 5% of the maximum score for each phase (0.3 points in the first phase and 0.5 points in the second).
Terms of Employment
Contract type: Open-ended contract for scientific and technical activities.
Duration: One year (from January 1 to December 31, 2027).
Working hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week.
Salary: Gross annual salary of €25,614.13, corresponding to professional level R2.1.
Other benefits: Partial remote work up to a maximum of 30% of working hours.
Timeline
Publication date: November 4, 2026.
Application deadline: November 25, 2026.
Resolution date: December 14, 2026.
Main Tasks and Duties
· Collaborate with the research staff of the research group (particularly the supervisor and the group leader) to achieve the research group’s specific objectives, including publications, conference contributions, projects, and fieldwork;
· Publish articles in SCI journals as first author or coauthor;
· Attend and contribute to international and national scientific conferences;
· Attend training courses, lecture series, and workshops;
· Co-supervise bachelor’s and master’s theses;
· Participate in science outreach activities.·
Minimum Requirements
· Education: PhD in Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology, or a related field (the thesis must have been defended before the application deadline).
· Languages: Good level of spoken and written English
· Experience: No more than four years since the doctoral thesis defense.
· Expertise: Any field of vertebrate paleontology, including paleoanthropology.
· Prior agreement: Candidates must have an agreement with an ICP researcher (professional level R2.2 or higher, with a contract in force throughout 2027) who commits to acting as supervisor if the application is selected, as well as the approval of the leader of the corresponding research group.·
Evaluation Criteria
PHASE 1 (curricular screening): Assessment of merits, up to a maximum of 4 points. A minimum of 2 points is required to advance to the next phase. The following aspects will be assessed:
1. Scientific track record and research outcomes (2 points).
2. Participation in and leadership of research projects (0.5 points).
3. Knowledge transfer and outreach (0.5 points).
4. Research stays, mobility, and international visibility (1 point).
5. Teaching and supervision (0.5 points).
6. Management and service to the academic community (0.5 points).
7. Alignment with strategic research lines (1 point), including Cenozoic paleoherpetology, paleoneurology, or paleoproteomics.
PHASE 2 (evaluation of shortlisted candidates): Interview in English (4 points; a minimum of 2 points is required to be selected or placed on the reserve list):
1. Motivation (maximum 1.5 points).
2. Technical competences and expertise (1 point).
3. Experience and previous research lines (1 point).
4. Potential and future research lines (0.5 points).
How to Apply
All documents must be submitted in English (in PDF format) by Factorial Platform, stating the job reference in the subject line. All candidates must submit a cover letter, a letter of recommendation, and an extended CV. In the cover letter, candidates must clearly state the ICP researcher who will act as supervisor, the research group, whether the planned research falls within one of the research lines mentioned above, and their gender (if the candidate is a woman or non-binary person, in order to benefit from the positive equity measures). The letter of recommendation must be signed by the ICP researcher acting as supervisor, with the approval of the head of the corresponding research group.