진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JOB

• • Job location: ICRA – Catalan Institute for Water Research, Girona (Spain)
• • Number of positions available: 1
• • Expected start: October 1st, 2026
• • Permanent Position
• • Gross Annual Salary package: €48,900 – €60,000

OFFER DESCRIPTION

The increasing complexity of impacts associated with global change, including climate change, the intensification of urban and agricultural activities, and land-use changes, is placing growing pressure on the availability and quality of water resources. In this context, wastewater, drinking water, and water reuse treatment systems play a central role not only in the removal of chemical contaminants, but also in the modification, transformation, and potential generation of transformation products that may persist in the aquatic environment.

The presence of urban- and agricultural-derived contaminants, as well as their treatment by-products, represents a growing environmental challenge for the integrated management of the water cycle. The increasing complexity of chemical mixtures present in influent waters to treatment systems makes it necessary to strengthen research on the behaviour, fate, and transformation of contaminants during wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, and water reuse processes. In particular, there is a need to advance knowledge of the mechanisms that control their removal, degradation, and formation of secondary products during processes such as advanced oxidation, adsorption, filtration, and biological treatment, as well as their persistence in treated effluents and reclaimed waters.

The Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), located in Girona, is committed to addressing these challenges through interdisciplinary research. Founded in 2006 by the Government of Catalonia, ICRA promotes science and innovation in the field of water with an integrated approach to water quality in natural and urban systems, including the role of treatment processes in the transformation of contaminants throughout the water cycle.

To strengthen its research capacities in this field, ICRA is opening a Junior Group Leader Researcher position in Contaminants in Water Treatment. This position will focus on the study of the fate, behaviour, and transformation of urban- and agricultural-derived contaminants during wastewater, drinking water, and reclaimed water treatment, with special emphasis on emerging contaminants, complex mixtures, and transformation products.

The work will include the analysis of degradation, adsorption, removal, and by-product formation processes across different treatment technologies, as well as their persistence in effluents and water reuse systems at the catchment scale.

This position will support the implementation of European water-related directives (including the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, and the Drinking Water Directive), and will contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

The selected candidate will join a multidisciplinary environment and will regularly collaborate with experts in chemistry, microbiology, environmental engineering, and ecological sciences. This position represents a key opportunity to strengthen ICRA’s leadership in the study of processes controlling water quality in treatment and reuse systems, contributing to safer and more sustainable water resource management.

KEY DUTIES

The researcher will play a central role in the consolidation and expansion of ICRA’s strategic research.

The functions associated with the position include:

–Research funding acquisition: Actively seeking and securing competitive funding at international, European, and national levels (e.g. Horizon Europe, ERC, and national R&D programmes), as well as from private and industrial partners, ensuring the long-term sustainability and growth of the research line.

–Scientific leadership and unit management: Leading a research line, setting strategic priorities, coordinating scientific activities, and ensuring scientific excellence and operational efficiency.

–Training and supervision of research staff: Supervising and training predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers, technical staff, and visiting researchers, fostering the development of scientific talent and promoting a collaborative and inclusive research environment.

-Team consolidation and capacity building: Strengthening the human and technical capacity of the research line through talent attraction, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and contributing to the development of a dynamic, motivated, and high-performing research team.

–Dissemination and communication of research results: Ensuring the scientific dissemination of results through publications in high-impact international journals, conferences, and workshops, while also promoting knowledge transfer and engagement with society through outreach activities, collaboration with stakeholders, and communication with policymakers and the public.