USP‑CEU is seeking excellent postdoctoral researchers interested in applying for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA‑PF 2026). The University CEU holds the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) Award and is strongly committed to attracting and supporting international research talent.
USP‑CEU is a competitive and supportive host institution for MSCA‑PF candidates, with a strong track record including 10 awarded fellowships, an exceptional 100/100 score, and two recent successes in the MSCA‑PF 2025 call. We offer personalised guidance throughout the proposal preparation process, as well as our International Talent Retention Programme, which provides successful MSCA Fellows with an additional 6–12‑month contract to support long‑term career development.
Hosting Research Group
CEMBIO was funded to conduct top-level research in metabolomics applied to any biomedical challenge. Our team integrates over 35 international, diverse, and dynamic researchers from different backgrounds. We are proud to have already hosted MSCA fellows, and have introduced them to our broad network of international collaborators.
Leading world-class research in the field, CEMBIO members have participated in more than 240 papers over the past five years. Our labs are equipped with cutting-edge separation platforms coupled to mass spectrometry detection. These include UPLC, GCs and CE systems coupled to nine QqQ, Q-TOF, and TOF mass spectrometers. We are also equipped with all the necessary means for different sample preparation approaches in a variety of biological matrices, including lyophilizers, speed-vacs, sample homogenizers, ultrasonic probes, cryogenic pulverizers, positive and negative pressure manifolds, and several sorts of centrifuges, among others.
Additionally, CEMBIO provides all the expertise, tools and computational infrastructure needed to perform advanced data treatment on complex omics datasets enabling their biological interpretation.
Your MSCA fellowship would be jointly supervised by Prof. Coral Barbas and Dr. Víctor González, two leading researchers in metabolomics and advanced analytical strategies.
Prof. Coral Barbas is an internationally recognised expert in multiplatform metabolomics (GC‑MS, LC‑MS, CE‑MS) and biomarker discovery. She has been visiting Professor at Imperial College London, and has held key roles in international scientific committees.
Dr. Víctor González brings strong expertise in LC‑MS and CE‑MS method development, data treatment and green analytical chemistry. He received the prestigious Atracción de Talento Fellowship (2023), a programme that recognises researchers with outstanding potential and capacity to lead innovative scientific lines.
Together, they offer a highly complementary and dynamic supervisory team, combining international prestige, methodological innovation and a strong commitment to supporting postdoctoral researchers in building competitive and ambitious research careers.
Relevant publications and projects
- Struggling to make it to the egg: metabolomics of sperm and seminal liquid to understand human male fertility decline 2023/04-2028/04: Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid, Madrid, ES) Atracción de Talento 2022-T1/BMD-23961
- Exploring the dark metabolome to understand the mechanisms of infertility. Ministry of Research, Innovation and Universities grant PID2023-153088NA-I00
- Low‑polarity untargeted metabolomic profiling as a tool to gain insight into seminal fluid. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-023-02020-y
- Assessment of the potential risk of oteseconazole and two other tetrazole antifungals to inhibit adrenal steroidogenesis and peripheral metabolism of corticosteroids. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1394846
- Steroid profile analysis by LC-HRMS in human seminal fluid https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31841978/
Research Project Description
Human subfertility and infertility are increasingly recognised as major global health challenges. Declining fertility rates, the growing prevalence of reproductive disorders, and the limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying many forms of infertility highlight the need for innovative research approaches. In this context, metabolomics provides a powerful framework to explore the biochemical processes underlying reproductive health, enabling the discovery of novel biomarkers and mechanistic insights that may ultimately improve diagnosis and clinical decision-making in reproductive medicine.
The DARKFERT research group at CEMBIO focuses on advancing metabolomics and analytical chemistry methodologies to address key questions in human fertility. Our interdisciplinary environment combines innovative analytical chemistry, cutting-edge mass spectrometry platforms, and advanced data science to investigate the molecular complexity of reproductive biology within a dense network of international collaborations including academic, clinical and industry partners.
Current research lines cover highly relevant areas at the interface of metabolomics and reproductive medicine. These include the characterization of seminal plasma as a non-invasive matrix for reproductive health assessment, particularly in azoospermia; the investigation of metabolic signatures associated with endometriosis to enable earlier diagnosis; and the analysis of embryo culture media to better understand early embryo development and implantation potential. Through these projects we aim to identify novel biomarkers, unravel disease mechanisms, and contribute to more personalized reproductive medicine.
We welcome researchers who can bring new expertise to our group while benefiting from CEMBIO’s strong methodological framework. Fellows will receive close scientific mentoring, structured career development support, and are encouraged to pursue international and non-academic secondments in line with the MSCA spirit.
Candidate requirements: Dynamic postdoctoral candidates of any nationality (max. 7 years after defense) with background on metabolomics/infertility/data science.
Applicants are encouraged to submit an expression of interest to coral.barbas@ceu.es and victor.gonzalezruiz@ceu.es (Attn.: Prof. Coral Barbas and Dr. Víctor González-Ruiz). The application should include the following documents:
- A short CV (Max. 2 pages)
- A one-page research proposal
For MSCA-PF 26 call, at the deadline for the submission of proposals (09/09/2026) candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activities in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the abovementioned deadline.
Those files received before 15th of June will be considered for MSCA-PF 2026 call. Applications received after this date, will be considered for other calls after discussion with the candidate.
Keywords: Metabolomics, fertility, seminal plasma, azoospermia, endometriosis