Boost your research career at the forefront of environmental science and technologies andsustainable resource management.
CRETUS, Cross-disciplinary Research Centre in Environmental Technologies at the University of Santiago de Compostela, invites applications for Postdoctoral Researcher positions within the MSCA-COFUND programme TALENTGAL.
This is a unique opportunity to develop your own research project with full financial support in a highly international, interdisciplinary, and innovation-driven environment, while benefiting from advanced training and strong career development support.
TALENTGAL Call 1
TALENTGAL, promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, aimsto attract excellent postdoctoral researchers to the 10Research Centres of Excellence of theCIGUS Network (Galicia, Spain). The programme fosters international mobility, advanced training, and career development within three thematic areas: Health & Biomedicine, Science & Life Sciences, and Engineering & Technology.
TALENTGAL Call 1 is open from 20 May 2026 until 23 July 2026.
A total of 20 fully funded MSCA postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded across all participating CIGUS Research Centres. While no fixed allocation of positions is assigned per centre, a minimum of one fellowship per hosting institution will be guaranteed, provided that at least one candidate hosted by the centre achieves a final evaluation score of 70% or higher. The remaining fellowships will be allocated strictly according to the overall ranking of all eligible candidates across the three thematic areas, following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process in line with MSCA principles.
CRETUS as hosting institution
CRETUSparticipates in TALENTGAL as one of the CIGUS Research Centres of Excellence, offering a dynamic and collaborative research environment, combining scientific excellence with strong links to industry and public stakeholders.
CRETUSaims to become a reference research centre in the design, development, and assessment of sustainable environmental technologies. Its scientific and technical team applies an interdisciplinary and holistic approach that combines the capacities of experimental sciences, social sciences, and engineering, based on a triple perspective integrating diagnosis, technology, and impact.
Selected fellows will be integrated into established research groups at CRETUS, supervised by experienced principal investigators with strong international track records an will receive structured support to foster independence, scientific excellence and high-impact outcomes.
Research opportunities at CRETUS
Applicants are invited to submit research proposals aligned with one of the following research topics, where CRETUS offers critical mass, infrastructure, and expert supervision:
- Soil remediation and sustainable land uses
- Assessment of safe and just blue economy development
- Environmental models
- Environmental archaeology
- Public health impacts of environmental exposures
- Wastewater treatment and resource recovery
- Life cycle sustainability and circular economy
- Valorization and treatment of wastes
Role and Expectations
Selected candidates will develop ambitious and innovative research projects, contributing to scientific excellence at international level, and will actively participate in knowledge transfer, dissemination, and interdisciplinary collaboration activities within the TALENTGAL programme and MSCA framework.
Fellowships have a duration of up to 30 months and include:
- Mandatory secondments (1 to 3 months)
- Intersectoral training opportunities
- Academic and non‑academic mentoring support
- Highly competitive working conditions
Benefits
- Research projects individually designed by the fellows aligned with TALENTGAL research lines
- Interdisciplinary research opportunities
- Access to leading research centres and supervised by excellent scientists in their field
- Tailored trainingto support professional growth
- Non-academic mentorship and secondments
- Work in Galicia, an innovation-driven region with an outstanding quality of life
- Highly competitive working conditions:
- Base salary + social costs: €4,806/month
- Mobility allowance: €500/month
- Family allowance: €300/month (when applicable)
- Relocation support: one-time €2,000 for the initial move
- Additional funding covering research expenses, training, secondments, conferences and networking activities.
Eligibility criteria
Candidates of any age, gender and nationality are eligible to apply, provided they comply with the following conditions:
- PhD requirement: applicants must have obtained their PhD within 8 years before the call deadline.
- Mobility rule: applicants must not have lived or worked mainly in Spain for over 12 months within the last 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
- Publication record: applicants must have at least two peer-reviewed publications, including at least one as first or corresponding author.
Selection process
Candidates must submit a research proposal and select a host institution and supervisor, aligned with their research profile and career development goals.
Applications must be submitted exclusively through the TALENTGAL online application platform. Detailed information on the submission process is available on the TALENTGAL website, including the Guide for Applicants, proposal templates, and all supporting documentation required to complete the application.
The TALENTGAL evaluation and selection process is an open, transparent and merit-based procedure structured into four stages: call opening, pre-evaluation, evaluation, and post-evaluation.
First, applications undergo an eligibility check to ensure compliance with requirements. Eligible application enter the evaluation phase, which consists of two steps: a remote assessment of the candidate’s profile and research proposal (Phase 1), followed by an interview for those scoring at least 70% (Phase 2), where candidates present their project and are further assessed through discussion. Scores from both phases are validated by consensus panels, including ethical review where necessary.
A final ranking list is established and in the post-evaluation stage, 20 top-ranked candidates are offered fellowships. A waiting list is also established including the rest of the candidates scoring above the threshold (>70%).
Selected candidates must confirm acceptance and proceed to contract formalisation and project start.
