Job Information
Organisation/Company: UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA (UNED)
Department: Research, University
Research Field: Engineering » Thermal engineering; Engineering » Mechanical engineering
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions: PhD Positions
Application Deadline: 14 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid)
Country: Spain
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 37.5
Offer Starting Date: 1 Oct 2026
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No
Offer Description
Within the research project "Prospective Research on Pumped Thermal Energy Storage systems (Pro-PTES)", led by Professor Antonio J. Rovira and Rubén Barbero, from the Department of Energy Engineering, a job contract is announced to carry out the tasks related to the purpose of the call.
This call aims to hire a full-time researcher to perform his/her PhD within the following tasks associated to the Pro-PTES project:
- Development of simulation models of CSP-PV hybrid plants with PTES integration.
- Development of neural networks for system optimization.
- Selection and sizing of commercial components, solar collectors and receivers.
Where to apply
Website: https://rec.redsara.es/registro/action/are/acceso.do
Requirements
Research Field: Engineering » Thermal engineering
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field: Engineering » Mechanical engineering
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Experience in the analysis of thermal systems, especially solar collectors, heat exchangers, and storage systems, is required. Candidates with a master's degree in industrial engineering will be highly valued. Fluency in Spanish and/or English is essential.
Specific Requirements
- Be EU nationals or have permission to reside and work in Spain
- Degrees obtained abroad must be recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
- Those who already hold a doctoral degree will not be able to participate in this call for applications.
Languages: SPANISH Level: Good; ENGLISH Level: Good
Years of Research Experience: None
Internal Application form(s) needed: solicitud-contrato-FPI-proyectos-Generacion-del-Conocimiento-2024.pdf (English, 191.39 KB - PDF)
Additional Information
Benefits
- The grants awarded under this call will finance employment contracts in the form of a predoctoral contract, in accordance with the provisions of Article 21 of Law 14/2011 of June 1, on Science, Technology and Innovation.
- The contract will be a fixed-term, full-time position. The contract duration will be up to four years, although the university may terminate it before this period if the beneficiary fails to fulfill their obligations as established in this call for applications. However, when the contract is with a person with a disability, the contract may have a maximum duration of six years, including extensions, taking into account the characteristics of the research activity and the degree to which the limitations affect their work.
- No person may be employed under this modality, in the same or a different entity, for a period exceeding four years, except in the case of persons with disabilities as indicated in the preceding paragraph, for whom the period may not exceed six years. Therefore, beneficiaries who have previously received similar public or private assistance will have the time already received deducted from the total duration of the assistance, with the calculation beginning from the initial period of the assistance. Under no circumstances may assistance be granted if its duration is less than twenty-four months.
- However, in accordance with Articles 20.4 and 21 of Law 14/2011 of June 1, when predoctoral researchers obtain their doctoral degree, the research training phase will end and the postdoctoral phase will begin. For these purposes, the doctoral degree is considered to have been obtained on the date of the public defense and approval of the doctoral thesis. If the doctoral degree is obtained before the end of the grant period, a postdoctoral orientation period will begin within the predoctoral contract, for a maximum of 12 months, as established in section 4 of this call for applications.
- Obtaining the doctoral degree will conclude the predoctoral stage and initiate the postdoctoral orientation period (POP) for a maximum of 12 months, within the maximum duration of the grant awarded (4 years). The remuneration for the POP will be established in accordance with section 9 of this call for applications.
- The transition to the POP phase will be formalized through an addendum to the predoctoral contract, which will reflect the new circumstances associated with the postdoctoral stage, without requiring the signing of a new contract. The addendum to the predoctoral contract will require the prior submission by the recipient of documents certifying the defense and approval of the doctoral thesis.
- Predoctoral research staff in training may collaborate in teaching tasks, for training purposes, without implying a reduction in the teaching load of the department that assigns the collaboration up to a maximum of 180 hours during the total extension of the predoctoral contract, and without in any case exceeding 60 hours per year.
- The contract remuneration may not be less than 75% of the salary established for equivalent categories in the collective bargaining agreements applicable to the relevant sector during any of its years. It will also not be less than the national minimum wage established each year, according to Article 27 of the Consolidated Text of the Workers' Statute. Beneficiaries will receive payment in 12 monthly installments, with the extra payments prorated. For the establishment of the aforementioned remuneration, the minimum reference will be the category corresponding to Professional Group M3 of the staff salary scale included in the single collective bargaining agreement for staff of the General State Administration. For the postdoctoral orientation period, the monthly amount of the grant will be adjusted to the amounts received at that time by those hired by the UNED under the access contract modality for doctoral research staff in the most recent call for applications published by the UNED, in 12 monthly installments, with the extra payments prorated.
- The remuneration established in the previous paragraph means an estimated yearly salary of 24.000 - 25.000 € for the first year.
- A grant of 7,000 € will also be awarded to finance: Expenses related to research stays at R&D centers (see Article 11.3.b of the Order approving the 2024 call for applications for "Knowledge Generation Projects" grants). Tuition fees for doctoral studies, the cost of which may not exceed the maximum amounts of the public prices for university academic services established by the corresponding autonomous community for public universities.
- Receiving aid under this call for applications is incompatible with any other scholarship or similar public or private grant and, in general, with receiving any payment of a salary nature, engaging in professional or business activities, or any other income arising from the nature of the contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following payments are permitted: a) Non-salary supplements from R&D&I projects and contracts. b) Grants for attending conferences, meetings, or scientific workshops. c) Grants for short stays awarded by public or private, national or international organizations.
Eligibility criteria
The selection of applicants will be made guaranteeing the principles of equality, merit, capacity, and publicity, as well as those of objectivity, independence, and professional rigor, respecting the confidentiality of the participants' personal data, by means of a merit-based competition.
The committee must send a prioritized list of applications linked to their respective projects to the Vice-Rectorate for Research, Transfer, and Scientific Dissemination, justified by a brief report, in accordance with the following criteria and sub-criteria:
Criterion 1. Academic and/or scientific-technical trajectory of the candidate (up to 50 points):
i. Sub-criterion 1.a): Scientific-technical contributions (up to 45 points). The candidate's academic record and other curricular merits will be assessed, as well as their suitability for the tasks to be carried out based on their training and professional experience.
ii. Sub-criterion 1.b): Mobility and internationalization (up to 5 points). The relevance and impact on their research trajectory of the candidate's stays at national and international centers and/or in the industrial sector will be assessed, considering the prestige of the host entity of the stay and the activity carried out therein.
Criterion 2. Suitability of the candidate for the research activities to be developed (up to 50 points). The candidate's suitability for the program, project, or research activities to be developed will be assessed based on their previous training and experience. For this, the added value that the realization of the project will represent for their research career, as well as the value contributed to the center and the receiving team, will be taken into account.
Selection process
The evaluation of applications will be carried out by a Committee composed of the Vice-Rector for Research, Technology Transfer, and Scientific Dissemination or their delegate; and two investigators of the project.
Additional comments
Application forms are attached to this call and must be submitted along with the following documents:
- Electronic copy of ID card or NIE or passport.
- Electronic copy of the official academic certification showing the date of obtaining the degree qualifying for this call.
- Detailed Curriculum Vitae (CVN) of the applicant.
- Information of previous PhD contracts.
- Any other relevant information.
Website for additional job details: https://bici.uned.es/2026/bici-n-o-39-20-07-2026/#3-resolucion-de-14-de-julio-d…
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Country: Spain
State/Province: Madrid
City: Madrid
Contact
State/Province: Madrid
City: Madrid
Website: http://www.uned.es
Street: Bravo Murillo, 38
Postal Code: 28015
E-Mail: rperdones@pas.uned.es
