We are currently seeking a PhD Candidate to join our Marine and Continental Waters and Biosystems sustainability Program team located in La Ràpita and Caldes de Montbuí, offering a great opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment within our organization.

We invite applications from motivated candidates with passion and a strong interest in conducting research and innovation activities on improving carbon sequestration and soil health in agricultural systems. The PhD student will be awarded with a IRTA fellowship and will conduct his/her project within the frame of the PRIME Rice project.

The PRIME Rice project aims to study the effect of contrasting long-term fertilization regimes on mechanisms of soil aggregation, carbon fractionation and changes in microbial activity to explain effects in the Carbon budget. The overall objective of the project is to understand the underlying soil physical and microbial mechanisms governing changes in soil organic carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions under different types of fertilization. Additionally, the project seeks to understand the role of soil microbiota in mediating these effects. PRIME Rice will be primarily based on an ongoing long-term field experiment on organic fertilization in rice but also on lab scale. The project is based on a multidisciplinary approach—integrating carbon cycling, microbial Ecology and agronomy.

The PhD student will be primarily based at IRTA la Ràpita (Tarragona), with short stays at IRTA Torre Marimon (Caldes de Montbuí, Barcelona) as needed to carry out microbial ecology analyses and laboratory-scale experiments.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Field measurements of soil and GHG emissions.
• Lab measurements of soil C and soil aggregates and microbial community assessment, including bioinformatics.
• To perform literature review, data collection and management, involving statistical analysis, including multivariate statistical methods.
• To write scientific articles and dissemination of results in national and international conferences.

Required qualifications and experience

• Candidates must hold one of the following degrees:

a) A master’s degree in biology, Ecology, Agroecology, Agricultural engineers 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.

• Previous experience in molecular biology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics and agronomy is valued.
• Not to have a previous PhD degree.
• Proficiency in English
• Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.
• Candidates who have been chosen for an interview with the Selection Committee, should bring or send –for the interview- a certified copy of the degree and/or master, as well as the academic record showing the marks of all subjects studied.

Desirable requirements

• Familiarity with statistical programming languages (e.g., R and/or Python) will be valued. 
• Familiarity with statistical programming languages (e.g., R / RStudio and/or Python) and statistical methods will be valued.
• Familiarity in Bioinformatic tools / software will be valued.
• Capacity to work under (sometimes) hard field conditions (heat and humidity).
• Teamwork capacity
• Catalan and Spanish are valued.

Advantages of joining our team:

• Supervisor/s: Dr. Marc Viñas and Dr. Maite Martínez Eixarch
• Terms of appointment: 4 years
• Contract: The financial remuneration for the PhD Candidate contract will be €1,363.10/gross per month (19,083.40./gross per annum) and for the first and second years. For this third year, it will be €1,460.46/gross per month (€20,446.44/gross per annum) and for the fourth year it will be €1,825.58/gross per month (€25,558.12/gross per annum) which will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA. IRTA will also pay the fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment. (1)
• 37.5 hour workweek, with Friday afternoons off
• Intensive work schedule from 15/06 to 15/09
• 22 vacation days
• 3 days of family & work conciliation
• 45 hours of personal days
• Flexible Schedule for a good work-life balance.
• Continuous training and professional growth opportunities.

Please know that if you are the chosen candidate and you are from a country which does not belong to the UE, IRTA’s People Department will support you to get the residence and working permits.

Instructions to Apply

If you wish to be considered for this position and believe you meet the requirements, please send your CV and motivation letter.

Equal treatment and opportunities are guaranteed for all candidates in the selection process, avoiding any stereotypes, attitudes, or obstacles based on gender, origin, age, ideology, or other potentially discriminatory conditions. Furthermore, commitments to the inclusion of vulnerable groups are considered, with priority given in the first round to disabled candidates.

Timings in the Recruitment Process

35 natural days: Publication and diffusion of the job advertisement on IRTA’s website and/or social media.

5 following working days: Distribution of the pre-selected CVs to the Recruitment Committee for their evaluation.

20 following working days: Interview and/or tests to the most suitable candidates based on the job position.

Start of contract: First Trimester of 2026 (approximately)

⁽¹⁾ The financial remuneration of the PhD Candidate contract may not be less than 56% of the salary established for the category of Research Collaborator F of the Collective Agreement of the IRTA during the first two years, 60% in the third year and 75% in the fourth.