Offer Description
The SwitchFloc Grant Agreement is a project funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) that aims to train the new generation of professionals in a novel called Biofloc Technology (BFT). Thanks to the BFT, we are able to recycle the C and N waste into valuable biomass suitable to be used on-site as a nourishing food source, reducing the need for aquafeeds and enhancing animal immune system. The N conversion into microbial fraction allows minimal water exchange, reducing water requirements. Moreover, BFT ensures biosecurity due to the absence of communication among tanks.
However, BFT is still a relatively new technology, and needs to be better understood, mainly under intensive conditions. Besides, BFT is a complex multidisciplinary system, and the lack of qualified professionals is the main barrier to its implementation in Europe.
The objectives of the PhD position with title: “Reduction of BFT carbon footprint through water reuse and biofloc recycling” will be mainly the enhance the water re-use and BF recycling to reduce de BFT carbon footprint. To study the reuse of BF water along several production cycles under farm, a first stay will be performed at LISAQUA. After optimized at least 25% of BF waste, this will be used as a natural food for other species. With this aim, a second stay will be performed at Universita Degli Studi Di Palermo to assess the life cycle of BFT after the water re-used and BF recycling and finally evaluate the reduction in carbon footprint achieved through water reuse and biofloc recycling.
The PhD will must enroll in Animal Production Science and Technology doctoral program of the Department of Animal Science and Technology at the Universitat Politècnica de València under the supervision of David Sánchez Peñaranda (ORCID: 0000-0002-0861-976X).
- Admission requirements:
- Applicants must hold the required academic degree, or have fulfilled the conditions to obtain it by the deadline for submission of applications, in accordance with the specific requirements and characteristics of each offered contract.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must not have reached retirement age.
- Applicants must have the functional capacity to perform the duties associated with the position.
- Applicants must not have been dismissed from the service of any public administration through disciplinary proceedings, nor be disqualified from performing public duties.
- Applicants must not be subject to any incompatibility conditions, in accordance with Spanish Law 53/1984 of 26 December on Incompatibilities of Public Administration Personnel, and Law 21/1987 on incompatibilities of personnel of the Generalitat Administration.
- Applicants must comply with the mobility rule under MSCA guidelines: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the date of recruitment.
- Applicants must be considered Early-Stage Researchers (ESR): at the date of recruitment, they must not have been awarded a doctoral degree and must be in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. Research experience is measured from the date on which the researcher obtained the qualification that entitles them to embark on doctoral studies, whether in the country where the qualification was obtained or in the country of recruitment, regardless of whether a doctoral degree was actually pursued.
- Applicants must meet the requirements for enrolment in the UPV doctoral programme at the time of application: https://www.upv.es/entidades/edoctorado
- Functions to be performed:
- Determination of the carbon footprint of BFT through Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) analysis.
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of BFT, IMTA-BFT, and FlocPonics systems, including analysis of nutrient run out, waste production, biofloc (BF) reuse and recycling, and comparisons with traditional aquaculture methods.
- Evaluation of how farm and experimental conditions modify the carbon footprint.
- Assessment of the impact of IMTA-BFT and FlocPonics systems on the reduction of organic (Total Suspended Solids, TSS) and inorganic (nitrates and phosphates) content, as well as the recycling of microbial and microalgal biomass for aquaculture purposes.
- Determination of the economic benefits of water reuse and BF waste recycling.
- Determination of the energy and water costs, as well as waste outputs, associated with aquafeed production.
- Any other related duties that may arise.
- The place of work:
The primary location where the research activities will be carried out shall be the Universitat Politècnica of València. In addition, during this period, the PhD student must complete two research stays of around 3 months each, at:
- LISAQUA (France)
- Universita Degli Studi Di Palermo (Italy)
- Duration of contract:
This employment contract is scheduled to start on September 15th and will be maintained only for the period due to accomplish the tasks of the job description under a full-time regime, the foreseeable duration of which is 36 months.
- Remuneration:
In accordance with the conditions established under the MSCA Doctoral Networks framework, the recruited researcher will receive a total gross remuneration € 3,505.67 gross per month, which includes the Living Allowance and the Mobility Allowance for the duration of the contract (Paid in 12 instalments).
Furthermore, if the researcher meets the criteria for being considered to have a family, they will be granted additional family allowance, bringing their gross monthly salary to €3,686.25.
For the purposes of this contract, “family” refers to persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or by a relationship with equivalent legal status recognised by the legislation of the country where such relationship was formalised) and/or dependent children who are effectively maintained by the researcher.
- Evaluation Methodology
The selection process shall consist of the evaluation of the merits declared by the applicants, in accordance with the duties and evaluation criteria applicable to the position.
Assessment of merits
The evaluation of merits shall consist of assessing the merits declared by applicants, in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out below. Only merits obtained on or before the closing date for the submission of applications shall be taken into consideration.
The Committee shall propose the allocation of the position according to the following criteria:
- Academic record (30%)
- Professional experience related to the duties of the position (30%): The suitability of the applicant for the research programme, project, or activities to be carried out shall be assessed according to their previous education and experience. Consideration shall be given to the added value that participation in the project represents for the applicant’s research career, as well as the contribution brought to the host institution and research team
- Curricular merits related to the project (30%): Suitability of the applicant’s curriculum vitae to the research project covered by the call.
- Other merits (10%): Languages, international stays, technical and transferable skills, scholarships and grants received, awards and distinctions.
The applicant’s suitability for the programme, project, or research activities shall be assessed on the basis of prior training and experience. Particular consideration shall be given to the added value that participation in the project may represent for the applicant’s research career, as well as the contribution made to the host institution and research team.
The members of the Selection Committee may decide to conduct a personal interview with the candidates, solely for the purpose of verifying the merits submitted by the applicants, therefore, the interview shall not be subject to specific evaluation.
The interview may be conducted either in person or through videoconferencing systems that ensure the identity and participation of all people involved. For this purpose, the Selection Committee shall adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the publicity, identity, and participation of the applicants.
If conducted by telematic means, the Selection Committee shall agree upon and notify the applicants, sufficiently in advance, of the telematic means through which the interview will be conducted, having previously verified that all applicants possess the necessary technical resources to participate. Furthermore, given the public nature of the procedure, it must be ensured that all applicants summoned are able to connect remotely to the interviews conducted with the remaining candidates.
Whenever deemed appropriate by the Selection Committee, the interview may be recorded. In such cases, candidates should be informed in advance that the interview will be recorded.
During the selection process, if the Selection Committee considers that sufficient reasons exist, it may request any applicant to provide evidence demonstrating compliance with all or part of the eligibility requirements for participation in the selection process.
Once the evaluations have been completed and, where applicable, the personal interview has taken place, the Selection Committee shall publish on the website the provisional scores obtained. Applicants shall be granted a period of two working days from the day following publication to submit any claims or objections they consider appropriate regarding their scores.
Where the Selection Committee decides to conduct personal interviews, the provisional evaluation of merits shall always be published after the interviews have been completed.
If all affected applicants agree with the scores obtained, they may expressly waive the aforementioned claims period by submitting written notice through the email address indicated by the Selection Committee in its announcements.
- Composition of the Selection Committee:
Titular President:
SANCHEZ PEÑARANDA, DAVID; University Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the Universitat Politècnica de València.
Alternate President:
RODILLA ALAMA, MIGUEL; Full Professor at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València.
Titular Member:
TOMAS VIDAL, ANA; University Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the Universitat Politècnica de València.
MARTINEZ LLORENS, SILVIA; University Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the Universitat Politècnica de València.
Alternate Members:
JOVER CERDA, MIGUEL; University Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the Universitat Politècnica de València.
FALCO GIACCAGLIA, SILVIA LAURA; Full Professor at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València.
Titular Secretary:
ABOLAFIO MARTINEZ, BEATRIZ; Administrative Management at the Financial Services Department of the Universitat Politènica de València, who will have a say, but no vote.
Alternate Secretary:
ROCAFULL BOIX, ALICIA; Administrative Management at the Department of Animal Science of the Universitat Politènica de València, who will have a say, but no vote.
- Submission of applications:
The applications must be exclusively submitted through the web page of this opening
https://sede.upv.es/oficina_tactica/?idioma=en#/inicio
- Copy of a valid National Identity Document (NIF), Foreigner Identity Number (NIE), or passport.
- Copy of the Master’s degree or equivalent (minimum of 300 ECTS credits completed) in Environmental Sciences, Marine Sciences, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology, Veterinary Science, or related fields. This Master’s degree must comply with the eligibility criteria established by the Doctoral School, as detailed below:
- University degrees and academic transcripts required for admission to a Doctoral Programme (i.e., Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, or equivalent qualifications under previous systems). Documentation is not required for degrees issued by UPV. Academic transcripts from Spanish universities must include the average grade. For non-Spanish degrees, a “declaration of equivalence of average grade” must be provided, in accordance with the procedure of the Ministry of Universities: https://universidades.sede.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/Equivalencia_notas_medias/language/es_ES.
- If the Master’s degree was obtained within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) (excluding Spain), applicants must also provide the Diploma Supplement, or a certificate from the issuing university stating that the Master’s degree corresponds to EQF level 7, or a certificate confirming that the degree grants access to doctoral studies in that country (template form).
- If the Master’s degree was obtained outside the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), applicants must provide a certificate from the issuing university stating that the degree grants access to doctoral studies in that country (template form).
- If the Master’s degree was obtained outside the EHEA, it must be duly legalized.
- Official academic transcript corresponding to the qualification granting access to the doctoral programme, including all completed courses, their credits, grades obtained, academic year, and overall average grade.
- Sworn declaration or supporting documentation confirming compliance with the mobility requirement, stating that all submitted documentation is true and accurate.
- Sworn declaration or supporting documentation confirming eligibility as an Early-Stage Researcher, stating that all submitted documentation is true and accurate.
- Curriculum Vitae including the merits claimed by the applicant.
- Proof of language proficiency at B2 level or higher. Alternatively, language proficiency may be demonstrated by submitting an academic transcript of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree indicating that the language of instruction was English. Acceptable documents include:
- Official certification from the institution confirming training in English
- European Diploma Supplement indicating the language of instruction
- Official certificates such as Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL, or EOI
Candidates who incorrectly formalize their candidacy are excluded from admission to the competition.
The application is open from 3rd June to 1st July 2026
Where to apply
Website
https://sede.upv.es/oficina_tactica/?idioma=en#/inicio
Where to apply
Website: https://sede.upv.es/oficina_tactica/?idioma=en#/inicio
Specific Requirements
- Master’s degree or equivalent (minimum of 300 ECTS credits completed) in Environmental Sciences, Marine Sciences, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology, Veterinary Science, or related fields.
- Proof of language proficiency at B2 level or higher in English
