Pre-doctoral Researcher (Investigador en formación) I-PI 28-26

Offer Description

Applications are invited by the University of Alicante President to participate in a recruitment process for research staff (contract type: fixed-term contract; job category: pre-doctoral researcher) to collaborate with the project “Sustainable and ecosystem-based approach for fisheries through the utilization of technology to uphold resilient environments (SEA4FUTURE)” of the Ramón Margalef Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Research (IMEM). Reference: I-PI 28-26

Pursuant to the provisions on the regulations governing calls for applications of research staff to cover a contractual research position, approved by the Governing Council of 29 June 2021 (BOUA of 30 June 2021) and with instructions of the University of Alicante Offices of the Registrar and the Comptroller, which establish the mandatory use of electronic means for the submission of applications, documentation, payment of fees, communications, notifications and all other procedures of the selection procedures for the temporary contractual administrative and services staff and research staff and other general applicable regulations, the University of Alicante calls for applications in accordance with the following terms:

First. General terms.

1.1. The purpose of this call is to recruit research staff (job category: pre-doctoral researcher) for the project “Sustainable and ecosystem-based approach for fisheries through the utilization of technology to uphold resilient environments (SEA4FUTURE)”.

1.2. The project in which the successful applicant(s) will collaborate, as well as the number of available vacancies and the characteristics of the job role, are set out in the annex I hereto.

1.3. The panel in charge of the recruitment process may decide to create a talent pool including candidates whose applications were unsuccessful but who participated in all the stages of the recruitment process and, where applicable, passed the relevant test. In such a case, the panel may set a minimum score for candidates to be placed in the pool.

The pool will list candidates in descending order of score. Candidates in the pool may be contacted if a successful applicant does not accept the position offered or, after accepting it, is on a temporary leave of absence, resigns or is dismissed. They may also be contacted to cover additional needs of the project, as long as the tasks to be fulfilled are related to the job profile specified in this call for applications.

If candidates are offered a position, they will be contacted in the order listed in the pool.

In accordance with the provisions of the agreement of the Governing Council of 27 January 2022, which approves the University of Alicante 4th Plan for equal opportunities between women and men, and with article 61.2. f) of Valencia Government Law 4/2021, of 16 April, of the Valencian Civil Service it is hereby stated that the percentage distribution in the contractual job vacancies of pre-doctoral researcher for research projects is 48.85% for women and 51.15% for men, so there is no under-representation of either sex in this job category.

Second. Requirements for applicants.

Compliance with the requirements listed below must always refer to the date of expiry of the deadline for the submission of applications and must be maintained until the date of entering into the contract.Applicants must:

2.1. Hold or be in the process of obtaining an undergraduate degree in Biology or in Marine Science (Spanish MECES level 2 or EQF level 6), or any other degree with equivalent content, plus an official Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration of the Marine and Terrestrial Environment, in Marine Ecology or in Sustainable Fisheries Management (Spanish MECES level 3 or EQF level 7), or any other official Master’s degree with equivalent content. Applicants who are not in possession of the degree certificate must provide proof of payment of the diploma issuing fee or submit an academic certificate stating that they have completed all the studies leading to the award of said certificate.

2.2. Have a document (if the required qualification was obtained overseas) confirming that the relevant official approval or statement of comparability has been secured.

In the event of qualifications obtained overseas for which the relevant official approval, statement of comparability or recognition has not been secured by the application deadline, the applicant will be required to present evidence that, prior to entering into contract, they have initiated the official approval, comparability or recognition process. When a statement of comparability is submitted, it must be accompanied by the qualification certificate and the academic transcript on which the statement of comparability is based, in order to determine whether the relevant qualifications are indeed equivalent. In such cases, any supporting documents relating to the qualification that are in a language other than those with official status in the Valencia Region must be accompanied by a sworn translation; otherwise, the applicant may be excluded from the process.

2.3. Meet the academic requirements necessary for admission to the University of Alicante PhD programme in Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration (Spanish MECES level 4 or EQF level 8). Proof of admission to such a doctoral programme must be submitted, at the latest, when entering into the contract.

2.4. Not hold a PhD awarded by a Spanish or foreign university.

2.5. Have a C1 level of English.

2.6. Hold a type B driving licence.

2.7. Hold any of the following sailing qualifications: “patrón de embarcaciones de recreo”, “patrón de yate”, “capitán de yate”, “patrón portuario” or higher (these are issued by Spanish awarding bodies; equivalent qualifications are also valid).

2.8. Hold any of the following diving qualifications (or equivalent): PADI/SSI/ACUC (Divemaster, Master Diver, Open Water Scuba Instructor or higher), CMAS/FEDAS (3-Star Diver, 1-Star Instructor or higher), or the Spanish qualification of Professional Diver.

2.9. Hold a certificate in Basic Safety Training issued by the Spanish Directorate-General for the Merchant Navy (or equivalent qualifications in accordance with applicable regulations).

2.10. Be a Spanish national or be in one of the situations listed in article 57 of Royal Legislative Decree 5/2015, of 30 October, which approves the revised text of the Act on the Basic Statute of Public Employees (BOE of 31 October). In the case established in point 4 of this article, when entering into the employment contract, the successful applicant must be a legal resident in Spain.

2.11. Have a good command of any of the official languages of the Valencia Region for the performance of the job.

2.12. Be at least 16 years of age and not exceed the maximum compulsory retirement age.

2.13. Possess the physical and mental capacities and aptitudes that are necessary for the performance of the corresponding functions or tasks.

2.14. Not have been dismissed by disciplinary proceedings from the service of any of the Public Administrations or of the constitutional or statutory bodies of the Spanish Autonomous Regions, nor have been totally or specially disqualified for public employment by a court decision, for access to the civil service, or to perform duties similar to those performed by non-tenured staff in public administrations, in which they had been dismissed or disqualified. Nationals of another State must not be in a situation of disqualification or equivalent, nor have been subjected to a disciplinary or equivalent sanction that prevents, under the same terms, access to public employment in the relevant State.

If an applicant, at any point during and before the completion of the recruitment process, no longer meets all the necessary conditions, they will be required to file a request to withdraw from the process. Otherwise, as soon as it is detected that they do not comply with all the requirements, they will be excluded from the process.

Third. Submission of applications.

By submitting their application, candidates confirm that the information provided in the application is true and that they meet all the requirements set out in the call for applications. They also undertake to provide proof that the information contained in the application is true and correct.

Holders of a foreign qualification must provide both the official qualification certificate and the official academic transcript, in order to determine whether the qualification is indeed equivalent to the required qualification and/or the one to be considered for the merit-based assessment.

Any supporting documents submitted in a language other than those with official status in the Valencia Region must be accompanied by a sworn translation. Otherwise, said supporting documents may be excluded or not considered.

Merits for which no valid proof has been provided by the deadline for candidates to correct their applications after publication of the provisional list of accepted and rejected candidates (fourth section of the call) will not be taken into account.

At any point during the process, candidates may be required to present the originals of the submitted documents and, where applicable, the sworn translation of said documents.

Fourth. List of accepted and rejected candidates: If at any point during the recruitment process the panel becomes aware that a candidate does not meet all the requirements set out herein, and once said candidate has been heard, the panel will propose to the University President that the candidate be excluded from the process. In order to ensure that the appropriate measures are taken, the panel will also specify the inaccurate or false information provided by the candidate in their application. Should the candidate be excluded from the recruitment process, they may file an appeal for the decision to be reviewed by the University President.

Sixth. Three-stage selection system: Test, merit-based assessment and interview (the interview may be conducted in English). The test and the interview are mandatory, and the score awarded for each of these two elements will range from 0 to 2.

The interview (as well as the test, if it is oral) may be recorded.

Applicants of Spanish nationality must prove their identity by presenting their Spanish ID, passport, driving licence or, where applicable, a document issued by a police station that contains their Spanish ID number. Applicants who are not Spanish nationals must prove their identity by presenting a document issued by the relevant authorities of their country of origin or residence; the document must be a valid proof of identity, age and nationality. Copies or photocopies of said documents are not accepted under any circumstances.

The test and the interview will be suspended if the University of Alicante issues a red weather warning; therefore, candidates are advised to check the UA website for the latest updates on weather warnings. For information purposes, any measures adopted will be published (in advance if possible) in the candidate’s electronic file as well as on the web page of the recruitment process.

The panel may decide to create a talent pool including candidates whose applications were unsuccessful, in accordance with section 1.3 of this call for applications.

ANNEX I

purpose of call i-pI 28-26 and job profile

Project 101212647 funded by the European Commission

1. Project in which the successful applicant will collaborate:

1.1. Name of the project: “Sustainable and ecosystem-based approach for fisheries through the utilization of technology to uphold resilient environments (SEA4FUTURE)”.

1.2. Reference: 101212647.

1.3. Funding agency: European Commission.

1.4. Dept. / Institute: Ramón Margalef Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Research (IMEM).

2. Number of vacancies and features of the job vacancy.

2.1. Number of job vacancies: one.

2.2. Job position: pre-doctoral researcher.

2.3. Working hours: 37.5 hours/week in morning/afternoon sessions.

2.4. Remuneration: €1,808.33 gross/monthly during the first year of the contract (each monthly payment includes the amount corresponding to the extra payment for that month).

In any case, the remuneration amounts may not be less than 56% of the salary set for the equivalent categories in the relevant collective bargaining agreements during the first and second year, than 60% during the third year or than 75% during the fourth year; nor may it be less than the minimum interprofessional wage established each year, in accordance with Article 27 of the Recast Version of the Workers’ Statute Law.

2.5. Initial duration of the contract: from the signing of the contract until 31/12/2029.

In any case, the duration of the contract will be linked to the duration of the project and its budgetary availability.

2.6. Tasks to be carried out:

The successful applicant will collaborate on the research project “Sustainable and ecosystem-based approach for fisheries through the utilization of technology to uphold resilient environments (SEA4FUTURE) (101212647)”. The applicant will be enrolled on the PhD programme in Ecosystem Conservation and Management at the University of Alicante (UA), working in cooperation with the UA Research Group in Management and Conservation of Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems (GRE) to pursue a doctoral thesis within the scope of the aforementioned project and carrying out the following research tasks:

Participating in the writing of scientific articles and technical reports in Spanish and English.
Participating in the modelling of ecological systems through dynamic models, including interactions between species and bio-socioeconomic, monospecific and multispecific fisheries models.
Taking samples in marine environments as a vessel skipper and determining oceanographic parameters using specialised instrumentation, including CTDs, GPS devices, side-scan sonars and multiparameter probes.
Collecting samples of water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, gelatinous organisms and benthic organisms, using appropriate sampling methodologies.
Conducting underwater censuses of marine fauna through scuba diving.
Collecting, analysing and identifying emerging contaminants, including macro- and microplastics, in different matrices such as water, sediments and organisms.
Travelling to sampling sites and analytical labs in the framework of the project.
Compiling and analysing bibliographic information and fisheries data from scientific publications, grey literature, government bodies and fisheries associations.
Participating in dissemination and awareness activities about problems affecting the marine environment, targeted at specific audiences.
Communicating with project partners and other stakeholders involved, as well as participating in work meetings in English.
Presenting results at conferences and workshops in English.
Boarding commercial fishing vessels and oceanographic research vessels to conduct sampling campaigns.
Participating in workshops, sampling campaigns and lab-based activities in the UA Marine Laboratory in Denia.
Performing any other research task related to this job position and to the project.

Third. Job profile.

Preference will be given to those with:

3.1. Experience and training related to the tasks listed in section 2 of this annex, as well as to:

Use of STELLA (Architect version) for the modelling of marine biological, fisheries and socioeconomic systems.
Use of R, SPSS and other statistical software for data analysis.
Use of QGIS or other geographic information systems (GIS).
Study of marine food webs through stable isotopes and stomach content analysis.
Diving training (Nitrox and drysuit diving).
Experience in citizen science projects related to the marine environment.
Experience in research dissemination activities.
Experience in national or European projects related to the marine environment.

3.2. Knowledge of English. Only levels higher than that required in section 2 of the call for applications will be considered.

3.3. Official qualifications: Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration of the Marine and Terrestrial Environment, in Marine Ecology or in Sustainable Fisheries Management (Spanish MECES level 3 or EQF level 7), or any other official Master’s degree with equivalent content.

Please note that you must use the University of Alicante’s standard CV format https://s.ua.es/es/nSdB for Project-based Research and Technical Staff Recruitment, which is mandatory and is available at the following address on the University’s website: https://s.ua.es/es/nlJf It must be attached in the section ‘Modelo currículum’.

Full terms and conditions of this call can be found at the following link (IN SPANISH):

https://dogv.gva.es/es/resultat-dogv?signatura=2026/9563

Not a civil servant