MSCA-PF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department of Construction Engineering and Engineering Projects.

Professor Ana Jiménez del Barco Carrión, from the Department of  Construction Engineering and Engineering Projects at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in 2024 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2024 call, please consult this link.

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With over 56,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and more than 6,000 members of staff, the UGR offers over 90 undergraduate degrees, 164 master’s degrees (8 of which are international double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.

The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the the institution’s commitment to continuously improve its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.

The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2023 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 201-300th position in the world and as the 1-2 highest ranked University in Spain (http://sl.ugr.es/0dwJ), reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. From the perspective of specialist areas in the ARWU rankings (http://sl.ugr.es/0bSp), the UGR is outstanding in Food Science & Technology (ranked in the 48th position in the world), Hospitality & Tourism Management (ranked between 51th-75th position), and in the areas of Mathematics and Library & Information Science, both of them ranked between 76th-100th position. A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in the areas of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering and Nursing, in which the UGR is positioned at the rank in the 101-150th position. Finally, Dentistry & Oral Sciences is positioned between 151-200th position.

Additionally, the UGR counts with 9 researchers at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list, most of them related to the Computer Science scientific area. It is also well recognised for its web presence (http://sl.ugr.es/0a6i), being positioned at 76th place in the top 200 Universities in Europe.

Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the last Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a total of 121 projects with a total funding of around €29,4 million. For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained 74 projects, so far, with a total funding of almost €20 million.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:

Laboratory of Construction Engineering at the University of Granada (LabIC.UGR, https://labic.ugr.es/) is a world-wide recognised research group comprising experts specialising in the design and characterisation of materials and technologies for road pavements. The LabIC.UGR team possesses notable expertise in a diverse range of materials, including asphalt materials, polymers, soils, concrete, and other construction materials. Their proficiency extends to their mechanical characterisation, employing both standard and advanced testing methodologies, and their sustainability assessment.

LabIC.UGR is a facility recognized as a "unique laboratory" within the University of Granada. The laboratory is comprehensively equipped to undertake the meticulous examination and characterisation of constituent materials within asphalt mixtures. Moreover, it is adept in the design and analysis of the mechanical behaviour of these materials, employing simulations that emulate diverse climatic conditions, aging processes, and distinct stress factors—effectively replicating real-world scenarios encountered during the operational lifespan of such materials. The laboratory's proficiency extends to conducting advanced material studies at multiple scales, encompassing examinations at the level of constituent and composite materials, reduced scale models, and full-scale 1:1 laboratory simulations.

Project description:

The world has undergone significant changes in recent decades, marked by population growth, urban densification, globalisation, and climate change. This has heightened global awareness of the imperative for sustainable development in every economy sector. In Europe, where over 80% of motorized inland passenger transport and 70% of freight transport rely on roads, achieving sustainability in road infrastructure is crucial. This project strives to progress in the integration of biomaterials, along with high reused asphalt (RA) rates, for the construction, maintenance, and renewal of road pavements to promote the development of more sustainable transport infrastructures. The incorporation of biomaterials and their synergy with RA in new asphalt mixtures serves two key purposes: (1) it actively contributes to the transition towards a post-fuel society, emphasizing a circular and bio economy, and (2) it addresses climate change concerns and facilitates decarbonization by diminishing the consumption of raw aggregates and bitumen, thereby reducing the use of finite natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions within the asphalt industry sector.

For this, this project will create a complete framework for the use of biomaterials in road pavements in terms of terminology, classification and geographical mapping of streams and feedstock sources; study the main current sustainability concerns regarding the mechanical performance of biomaterials and progress the performance of sustainability assessment. This project holds significant social and economic implications. Its social impact lies in promoting environmental stewardship, community engagement, and inclusive development, while its economic impact is characterised by resource efficiency, cost savings, market growth, and long-term economic viability in the road pavement construction sector.

Research Area:

☒ Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Ana Jiménez del Barco Carrión, email: ajbc@ugr.es.

• CV
• Letter of recommendation (optional)