Predoctoral Contract: Aging and Autophagy Research

The newly formed ¨Cellular Repair and Rejuvenation Group¨ at CEU Cardinal Herrera University is seeking for a Predoctoral Candidate to conduct a Ph.D. Thesis in the aging and autophagy fields.

Aging is the major risk factor and a common root cause for the development of chronic devastating diseases such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and diabetes. The World´s population is getting older and therefore tackling the molecular basis of aging is imperative in order to promote human health. As we age, the cells that form our organism accumulate damaged and potentially harmful components that ultimately lead to disease. Fortunately, our cells are equipped with repair mechanisms to reverse cellular damage and preserve youthfulness. The ¨Cellular Repair and Rejuvenation Group¨ aims to understand the molecular regulation of these cellular repair mechanisms and eventually exploit them to promote cellular health. In particular, the group is currently focused in a recycling process called autophagy, which allows the degradation of surplus or damaged cellular components via its canonical functions to promote health and prevent aging.

The laboratory is located in the University Campus situated in Alfara del Patriarca (12 km from Valencia, Line 1 Metro). The University offers an exciting and multidisciplinary environment in the Department of Biomedical Sciences to start your academic career. In addition, Valencia is a wonderful multicultural city with a lot to offer given its privileged location, climate and traditions.
We are looking for a young researcher, motivated to learn and eager to do innovative science in an exciting field of research and environment. The Candidate will use genomic, proteomic and imaging techniques in order to decipher novel molecular networks relevant for autophagy regulation in mammalian models of aging. Collaboration with national and international groups and potentially short-term stays for scientific training in the US are anticipated.

The Candidate will apply for a competitive predoctoral contract in the 2023/2024 call “Ayudas a la Formación de Jóvenes Investigadores CEU-Santander”. To that end, the Candidate’s requirements are:
- Nationality of an EU member state, or be a foreigner with a residence and work permit (+ Spanish B2 level)
- Life sciences-related bachelor´s degree of at least 300 ECTS credits or a completed University Master’s degree (equivalent in case of foreign degrees)
- Bachelor’s or Master’s academic record with a minimum average grade of 7.5/10 (essential requirement of the call)
- Previous experience with wet lab cellular and molecular biology is a plus

Applications, including a cover letter describing interest in this research field, a CV stating academic record, and a list of references should be sent to Jose Luis Nieto Torres (jose.nietotorres@uchceu.es) by 31/08/23.

A complete list of publications by the Principal Investigator of the Group can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=nieto-torres

Deadline : 31/08/2023