Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships: Expression of Interest 2022

06/05/2022

We support excellent candidates willing to join us

 

CiQUS seeks outstanding researchers to apply for MSCA-2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF). We offer cutting-edge research Groups and specialized support for the applications.

Applications from female researchers will be prioritized
The selected candidates will be invited to submit a MSCA-2022-PF application hosted by CiQUS. In recent years, up to 8 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows have succesfully joined us.
 

Can you apply for MSCA-2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship? 

At the time of the Call deadline, 14th September 2022, the researchers: 

  • should have a PhD degree (successfully defended the doctoral thesis).

  • must have a maximum of 8 years research experience (career breaks will not count).

  • European Fellowship: must not have lived/worked in Spain for more than 12 months in the last 36 months.

  • Global Fellowship: must not have lived/worked in the country of the Outgoing Phase for more than 12 months in the last 36 months.

Please find here a brief about general conditions, elegibility and the 2 types of grants.

 

 

About the CiQUS

Our 18 researh Groups address challenges in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry, New Functional Materials and Synthetic Technologies, hosting 11 ERC projects. We have obtained 8 MEUR/year and an average Impact Factor of 8,04 (JCR) during 2019-2021. We have also registered 21 patents granted, 5 licences and 4 spin-offs promoted.

 

Project idea and researcher opportunities

We welcome Expressions of Interest from researchers of any nationality, and especially encourage women´s applications. To find the Supervisor that match your interests, these are the Research Areas at CiQUS:

 
Find below some Research Topics proposed by our host supervisors
  

Expressions of Interest

Send one PDF file to ciqus.jobs [at] usc.es (subject: MSCA-2022), by 1st July 2022, including: 

1.- A short CV (max 2 pages), with your ORCID, Scopus or ResearcherID profile.

2.- A Letter of Interest including a summary of your project idea (max. 2 pages).

Expression of Interests will be pre-selected on the basis of their quality and the CV.

Reseach Topics

Supervisor: Francisco Rivadulla

The goal of this project is the development of thermal switches based on molecular materials, i.e. organic flexible materials, liquid crystal mesophases, etc in which different thermal states can be induced by an external stimulus (electric field, light, etc).

The researcher is expected to develop a multidisciplinary project in molecular materials synthesis and physical properties (mechanical and thermal) of polymers and other organic materials.

Candidates are required to have experience in organic and polymer synthesis.

References:

Interfacial Thermal Resistive Switching in (Pt,Cr)/SrTiO3 Devices. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2024, 16, 15043-15049

Mechanisms of Electrical Switching of Ultrathin CoO/Pt Bilayers. Nano Lett, 2024, 1471-1476

Interfacial Thermal Resistive Switching in (Pt,Cr)/SrTiO3 Devices. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2024, 16, 15043-15049

Light-induced bi-directional switching of thermal conductivity in azobenzene-doped liquid crystal mesophases. J. Mater. Chem. C, 2023, Adv. Article

Supervisor: Diego Peña

We are looking for a proactive, independent, and enthusiastic researcher with experience in synthetic organic chemistry and interest in molecular materials and on-surface synthesis. In more detail, the researcher is expected to design and synthesize new nanographenes with tailored photoelectronic properties. Part of the work will be done in the framework of ERC Synergy Grant MolDAM (Molecular Devices by Atom Manipulation).

MolDAM is an interdisciplinary project co-led by the CiQUS PI, Prof. Diego Peña, at the USC, jointly with the specialist in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Dr Leo Gross at IBM Research (Switzerland) and Prof. Jascha Repp at the Universität Regensburg (Germany).

MolDAM aims at building and controlling individual molecules through their manipulation with AFM.

ACIE, 2025, e21944

JACS, 2025, 147, 39067-39071

ACIE, 2025, e201512575

Science, 2022, 377, 6603, 298-301

Supervisor: Félix Freire

We are looking for a researcher with a strong background in catalysis or organic synthesis to work in a multidisciplinary project using dynamic chiral materials based on helical polymers as chiral catalyst.

The main goal of the project is to prepare a helical polymer that act as chiral catalyst. Variations on the helical sense of the polymer (axial chirality) induced by external stimuli such as temperature or solvents among others, should produce variations on the stereoselectivity of a certain reaction when the polymer acts as chiral catalyst. Therefore, by using a single chiral catalyst is possible to obtain both enantiomers by changing the helical sense of the polymer.

ANIE, 2022, 61(9), e202115070

JACS, 2021, 143(49), 20962–20969

ANIE, 2020, 59(52), 23724–23730

Supervisor: María Giménez

Our research focuses on electrochemistry and advanced materials for energy conversion and storage, including (but not limited to): 1-Electrocatalysis for fuel cells and water electrolyzers, 2-Metal–air/ion/Flow batteries, 3-Zn-based energy storage systems (e.g., Zn–MnO₂), 4-Design of functional electrodes and nanostructured materials (in-situ/operando techniques). We are open to diverse and original research ideas aligned with our expertise, and we encourage candidates to propose their own project within (or close to) these areas.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with: 1-Initiative, creativity and independence, 2-Strong scientific background and publication record, 3-Interest in developing a competitive MSCA proposal in collaboration with our team. A background in electrochemistry, materials science, nanomaterials or related fields is desirable but not strictly limiting. Candidates with interdisciplinary profiles (e.g., operando/interphase characterization, modelling, or advanced spectroscopy) are also encouraged to apply.

We offer: 1-Close support in co-developing a competitive MSCA proposal, 2-Guidance on proposal writing and strategy, 3-Access to established research infrastructure, 4-A collaborative and international research environment.

Adv. Mat., 2025, e12902

Adv. Sci., 2025, e05104

Adv. Sustainable Syst., 2024, 8(5), 2300607

Related Ongoing Projects:

ERC-PoC "ZEST"

IGNICIA "ZinCage"

MSCA-DN "INCEPTION"

Since the dawn of time, Nature has captivated chemists, serving as a boundless source of inspiration for addressing everyday human challenges. One of these challenges is precisely understanding and manipulating biological processes in the living world in a precise and controlled manner. This requires the development of tailored chemical tools that allow to perform bioorthogonal chemical reactions within living systems without generating undesired effects.

Very recently, the host group has made significant contributions to implement new human-designed catalytic transformations in live environments, using metal catalysis, and more recently photocatalysis. One of the advantages of this last strategy derives from its stimuli-controlled nature, which allows for the spatiotemporal control of the reactivity.

This proposal intends to discover and develop new strategies for performing bioorthogonal reactions in live cell in a stimuli-controlled manner. Transformations might offer unpredictable opportunities to understand and manipulate cell biology and to develop novel therapeutic tools.

We look for motivated and creative candidates with passion for both Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology to overcome the proposed challenges.

JACS, 2024, 146, 5, 2895

ANIE, 2021, 60, 22017

Supervisor: Fernando López

The development of transition-metal-catalyzed C–C and C–N bond-forming methods that enable the efficient and stereoselective construction of valuable chiral skeletons remains a highly active research area, with ample opportunities for significant advances..

In particular, efficient approaches based on the metal-catalyzed direct addition of C–H and N–H bonds across unsaturated systems (i.e., hydrocarbonation and hydroamination reactions) are very attractive because of their overall atom economy and the structural simplicity of the required precursors. Despite major advances over the past decades, this field is far from mature, and there is a particular need for new methods that offer excellent control over chemo-, regio-, and enantioselectivity, enabling access to products bearing highly challenging tetrasubstituted stereocenters and/or multiple stereocenters in a fully stereoselective manner.

During the last years, we made significant we efforts to harness the distinctive reactivity of iridium catalysts to promote asymmetric hydrocarbonation and hydroamination reactions with unconventional selectivities in both intra- and intermolecular settings.

In this context, we are looking for highly motivated and talented candidates with expertise in transition metal catalysis and or organic synthesis to advance in this direction as well as in the development of alternatives

based on earth-abundant, environmentally friendly first-row metals.

JACS, 2026, 10.1021/jacs.6c05640

ACIE, 2025, 64, 202508252

ACIE, 2025, 64, e202512027

ACIE, 2024, 63, e202408258

ACS Catal., 2024, 14, 11574–11583

ACS Catal., 2024, 14, 2872–2882

ACIE, 2021, 60, 19297–19305

ACIE, 2021, 60, 8182–8188

Supervisor: Eugenio Vázquez

Over the last few years, conductive peptides have emerged as an exciting technological opportunity for the development of new bio-based conductive materials, to the point that these systems are now ready to take the front seat as the basis of e-Biologics for the fabrication of sustainable green electronics.

In this context, we aim to develop a robust self-assembled fibrous peptide platform that can be easily synthesized and rationally modified to fine-tune its properties (e.g., electron or proton conductivity, stiffness, thermal stability, or rheological properties) for their applications in green electronics.

Ideally, the candidate will have a complementary background in materials science and study of conductive materials for electronics and energy applications.

Supervisor: Beatriz Pelaz

The structure and pair base correspondence of DNA can be employed for the design of tailormade nanostructures, this technique is known as DNA origami.

This technology is based on the computer assisted design of nanostructures and the corresponding DNA sequences. The precise conformation of those structures will allow to control the steric functionalization of nanoparticles.

The applicant will carry out research in the framework of the project ERC-Starting Grant “SPACING” – (SPAtially-Controlled lIgand arraNGement by origami-based nanoprinters, 2016-2026).

References:

ACS Nano, 2017, 11(3), 2397-2402

ChemBioChem, 2017, 18, 1873–1885

Molecules, 2021, 26, 2287

Supervisor: Javier Montenegro

The development of novel strategies to cross the lipid bilayer and reach the cytosol of the cell is of great importance. We develop new carriers by using dynamic covalent chemistry for the straightforward incorporation of hydrophobic tails to amphiphilic molecules. Here, the challenge is to develop new peptide vectors for nucleic acid immunotherapy.

The applicant would be involved in the biochemical characterization of novel membrane penetrating and bioactive molecules, including transfection, internalization pathways, localization, function, etc. In vivo experiments towards nucleic acids cancer inmunotherapy will be targeted in this approach.

We seek motivated candidates with initiative, creativity and team-working ability. Experience in nucleic acid-based immunotherapy will be highly considered.

Nat. Rev. Mater., 2025, 10, 490

ACIE, 2024, 63, e202404286

Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 6987

Nature, 2022, 603, 637-642

RSC Chem. Biol., 2021, 2, 503-512

Nat. Rev. Chem., 2018, 2, 258-277

J. Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 7923-7931

Supervisor: Pablo del Pino

The versatility and chemical flexibility of MOFs will be further complemented by inserting iNPs, including metal and metal oxide nanostructures having plasmonic, magnetic and/or photoemissive properties.

The combination of microporosity and iNP-derived properties will be exploited for theranostic applications in living cells and tissue models.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with initiative, creativity, and team-working ability.

References:

Small Struct.,2024, 5, 2300464

Chem. Commun., 2023, 59,2869

Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 6789-6801

ACS Nano, 2021, 15,10, 16924-16933

Cell Rep. Phys. Sci., 2020, 1, 100076

ANIE, 2019, 58,7078–7082