Predoctoral Fellowship

14 Sep 2026
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Fundació Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron- Institut de recerca

Department

Research Department

Research Field

Medical sciences

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions

PhD Positions

Application Deadline

8 Oct 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Andorra)

Country

Spain

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37.5

Offer Starting Date

1 Mar 2027

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe - MSCA

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Respiratory Viruses Unit is currently seeking a highly motivated bioscientist to study the genetic features of respiratory viruses, and the host and viral "omics" profiles associated with several clinical outcomes by next generation sequencing.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Predoctoral Fellowships (MSCA)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Predoctoral Fellowships (MSCA) are part of the Horizon Europe programme and support predoctoral researchers in developing an original research and innovation project through international mobility.

DETECTIVE (Data driven Excellence in Training of Epidemiological, Clinical, Technological and Innovative Virus Experts) is an EU-funded MSCA training programme aimed at developing new, data-driven methods to anticipate, detect and respond to emerging viral threats at an earlier stage than before. Coordinated by Prof. Dr. Heli Harvala, Professor of Virology at the University of Turku in Finland, the network brings together 8 academic institutions and 14 associated partners from across Europe.

Within DETECTIVE, researchers will develop innovative methods used to detect emerging pathogens earlier, understand who is most at risk, and translate the complex multi-source data into real-time, evidence-based decisions and clinical applications. The project's overall goal is to establish a unified, end-to-end epidemic-intelligence framework, enhancing Europe’s capacity to respond to threats quickly and in a coordinated manner. This will be achieved by an integrated approach combining virology, evolutionary genomics, epidemiology, diagnostics and AI-based analytical methods.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases represent one of the greatest threats to global health and societal stability in the 21st century. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated with unprecedented clarity how quickly novel pathogens can spread, overwhelm healthcare systems, and disrupt economies. 

This doctoral project aims to develop and improve new tools for the rapid detection of viruses and the identification of novel viral and host markers in severe respiratory infections, through the application of omics technologies. The objective will be to contribute to the standardisation of the different diagnostic protocols used among the various laboratories and, at the same time, to discover and validate biomarkers associated with severe respiratory infections.

Main responsibilities and duties:

At the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (Barcelona, Spain), DETECTIVE is looking for a Doctoral Candidate (DC) to work on Work Package 1. As DC10, your research objectives are:

• To enhance the genomic sequencing by NGS of viruses detected at different settings.
• To characterise host molecular profiles with integrated omics. 
• To discover and validate biomarkers related to severe clinical outcomes.
• To standardise sampling and processing workflows between laboratories. 

 

Where to apply

Website

https://jobs.vhir.org/jobs/8353742-vhir-msca-predoctoral-fellowship

Requirements

Research Field

Biological sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Education and qualifications:

Required:

• Hold a master’s degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, data science, epidemiology, virology or related fields.
• Have a strong interest in infectious disease research and emerging pathogens.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (minimum C1/C2 CEFR level).
• Demonstrate the ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary and international research environment.
• Have not resided/carried out work or studies in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the March 1st, 2027.

Experience and knowledge:

Required:

• Experience with next-generation sequencing, molecular diagnostics and/or transcriptomic, proteomic or metabolomic data analysis highly beneficial.
• Previous laboratory experience in infectious disease research..

Research Field

Biological sciences

Additional Information
Selection process

Application deadline: 08-10-2026

How to Apply:

To be considered for this position, applicants must complete BOTH application steps by 8 October 2026.

Step 1: Complete the DETECTIVE Webropol Application Form

Complete the DETECTIVE Application Form and provide the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages)
• Motivation Letter (maximum 1 page)
• Details for two referees

Access the application form here .

Step 2: Apply via the VHIR Careers Website

Applicants must also submit their application through the VHIR Careers Website via this vacancy.

Website for additional job details

https://jobs.vhir.org/jobs/8353742-vhir-msca-predoctoral-fellowship

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Fundació Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron- Institut de recerca

Country

Spain

Geofield

Contact

State/Province

Catalonia

City

Barcelona

Website

https://vhir.vallhebron.com/en

Street

Passeig Vall d'Hebron, 119-129

Postal Code

08035

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED

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