For the 2026-2027 academic year, IRB Barcelona is offering up to 15 PhD fellowships for young scientists from the national and international community who wish to undertake a doctoral degree in biomedicine. We encourage applications from highly motivated graduates with outstanding qualifications in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, pharmacology, computational biology or related fields. Successful candidates will join research groups headed by top-level scientists and will carry out their research in cutting-edge fields of biomedicine in a stimulating environment.
The following fellowships will be offered in this call:
Up to 7 predoctoral contracts associated with the Severo Ochoa Accreditation 2023, funded by the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)” (herein referred to as Severo Ochoa predoctoral contracts).
Up to 8 FPI positions associated with the “Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2025” Call (funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación AEI- MICINN).
Check out IRB Barcelona groups participating:
Dr. Alejo Rodríguez-Fraticelli - Quantitative Stem Cell Dynamics
Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova - Pediatric Cancer Epigenetics
Dr. Ana Victoria Lechuga-Vieco - Mitochondrial Biology and Tissue Regeneration
Dr. Angel R. Nebreda - Signalling and Cell Cycle Laboratory
Dr. Cristina Mayor-Ruiz - Targeted protein degradation and drug discovery
Dr. Direna Alonso-Curbelo - Inflammation, Tissue Plasticity & Cancer
Dr. Francesc Posas & Dr. Eulàlia De Nadal - Cell Signaling
Dr. Jens Lüders - Microtubule organization in cell proliferation and differentiation
Dr. Lluís Ribas - Gene Translation Laboratory
Dr. Marco Milán - Development and Growth Control Laboratory
Dr. Modesto Orozco - Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics
Dr. Núria López-Bigas - Biomedical Genomics
Dr. Patrick Aloy - Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology
Dr. Raúl Méndez - Translational Control of Cell Cycle and Differentiation
Dr. Roger Gomis - Growth Control and Cancer Metastasis
Dr. Salvador Aznar Benitah - Stem Cells and Cancer
Dr. Stefanie Wculek - Innate Immune Biology
Dr. Toni Gabaldón - Comparative Genomics
Dr. Xavier Salvatella - Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
Eligibility
The programme is aimed at students who have completed one of the following options by September 2026:
studies that lead to an official Spanish (or from another country of the European Higher Education Area) university degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physics or related fields and that have 300 credits (ECTS), of which at least 60 must correspond to master level.
a degree in a non-Spanish university not adapted to the European Higher Education Area and that gives access to doctoral studies in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physics or related fields in Spain.
Candidates are selected exclusively on merit, on the basis of their curricula. The academic grades and curriculum vitae of each applicant are evaluated, as well as recommendation letters and a motivation letter. No selection criteria for positive or negative discrimination are applied.
How to apply
Applicants should complete and submit the online form. More information regarding the application can be found in the “Useful Information” tab.
Those applying also for the IRB-DRIVE programme only need to submit a single application, which will be considered for both calls.
Applicants will be asked to upload the following documents in English: *Please note that all the documents provided should be in PDF format.
Curriculum vitae specifying education and experience, including career breaks, and supported by pertinent documents.
A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages) highlighting your research experience and academic achievements and explaining why you are interested in IRB Barcelona and in a particular research group.
A scanned copy of the student’s certified Academic Record. These documents must show the grades attained in exam periods. If the certified academic records are not in Spanish or English applicants should also attach a translation in one of the above mentioned languages.
Any additional files considered relevant to the application
Two recommendation letters from university lecturers or scientists with who the applicant has studied or worked. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that referees submit these letters. Applications not supported by these letters will not be eligible. If the applicant has previously worked with a researcher at IRB Barcelona, any letter of reference from said person cannot be included as one of the two reference letters requested. However, it can be sent to provide additional support for the application.
Please indicate the Research Cluster(s) and/or Research Group(s) to which you wish to apply (up to 3, in total). Details of the available research projects for the IRB-DRIVE fellowships are provided in Annex 2 of the IRB-DRIVE call. Details of the available research projects for the general call fellowships are provided in Annex 1 of the IRB-general call.
Research Clusters:
- Aging and Metabolism (Dr. Alejo Rodríguez-Fraticelli, Dr. Ana Victoria Lechuga-Vieco, Dr. Lluís Ribas, Dr. Salvador Aznar, Dr. Stefanie Wculek)
- Cancer Science (Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova, Dr. Angel Nebreda, Dr. Direna Alonso-Curbelo, Dr. Roger Gomis)
- Computational, Chemical and Structural Biology (Dr. Modesto Orozco, Dr. Núria López-Bigas, Dr. Patrick Aloy, Dr. Toni Gabaldón, Dr. Xavier Salvatella)
- Mechanisms of Disease (Dr. Cristina Mayor-Ruiz, Dr. Francesc Posas & Dr. Eulàlia de Nadal, Dr. Jens Lüders, Dr. Marco Milán, Dr. Raúl Méndez)
More information on the research activities of each group can be found on the IRB Barcelona webpage.
For more information, please, contact academicoffice@irbbarcelona.org.
Selection procedure
An Evaluation Committee will appraise eligible applications both in the remote evaluation stage and in the interview stage. This committee will include external members and representatives of group leaders at IRB Barcelona. The evaluation will be independent, impartial, objective and free of conflicts of interest, and the selection will be open, efficient, transparent, fair, and merit-based. The Academic Advisory Committee will oversee the remote and interview stages of the selection process.
Applicants will receive continuous support from the Academic Office through the helpdesk (email, phone), which will notify them of the outcome of the preselection. The candidates with the highest scores will be invited to IRB Barcelona for an interview. Those who do not pass the threshold established will be excluded from further consideration and will be informed.
Short-listed candidates will receive an invitation to a two-day interview process held at IRB Barcelona. Teleconference interviews will be used only for candidates with prior commitments that cannot be rearranged and that thus prevent them from travelling to Barcelona.
Offers of admission will be made to the successful candidates shortly after the interview period. Candidates positively evaluated but with an insufficient score to receive a fellowship will be put on a reserve list to cover possible renunciations and future positions.
Calendar
Call opening: 5 November 2025
Deadline for candidacies: 9 January 2026, 15:00 CET
Deadline for referees: 12 January 2026, 15:00 CET
Remote pre-selection: 2 to 6 February 2026 – This date marks the deadline for Group Leaders to submit their lists of preselected candidates. However, final validation will be carried out by an external committee later.
Group Leader Panel presentations: 26 February 2026
Interviews at IRB Barcelona: 10 & 11 March 2026
Notification to candidates: 20 March 2026
Start date of fellowships: from September 2026
