MSCA-PF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department of Geodynamics

Professor Carlos Duque, from the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in 2023 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2023 call, please consult:(http://sl.ugr.es/0d7F)

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR) was founded in 1531 and is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With over 51,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and almost 3,000 members of staff, the UGR offers over 90 undergraduate degrees, 160 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 institution’s commitment to continuously improving 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 2022 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 201-300th position in the world and as the 2-5 highest ranked universities in Spain (http://sl.ugr.es/0d7D), reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. The UGR stands out in the specialties of Library & Information Science (position 38); Food Science & Technology (30) and Hospitality & Tourism Management (51-75), according to the latest edition of this prestigious ranking by specialties (http://sl.ugr.es/0bSp). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in Mathematics (76-100).

Additionally, the UGR has 9 researchers who are at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list (http://sl.ugr.es/0d7E), most of these related to the area of Computer Science. It is also well recognized for its web presence (http://sl.ugr.es/0a6i), being positioned at 42th 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 120 projects with a total funding of around 29,4 million euros.  For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained 38 projects, so far, with total funding around 11 € million.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:

The research group of Hydrogeology is integrated into the group Sedimentary Geology and Groundwater (RNM-369) and it is composed by several researchers active in a variety of topic covering a broad range of water-related themes. The group has research field-sites for groundwater investigations with boreholes and wells equipped with monitoring equipment and long-term data series about hydrometry, hydrochemistry and hydraulic properties. Equipment for doing advanced research on groundwater is available as well as deep knowledge on water problems and conflicts that require solutions from society and administration. The group has numerous collaborations with public and private entities for applied purposes related to hydrogeology and there is frequent application for new research projects that allow to include new opportunities in term of equipment, topics covered or development of new pilot site studies.  The group has an extensive international network and a successful previous Marie Curie application and foresee possibilities of open positions. In addition to the scientific background and equipment accessibility, the group offers a welcome environment aiming for a balance between personal life and work obligations, an often-critical aspect at certain stages of life. The group is based on a regional setting where water is a critical resource with frequent extreme events both because of droughts and flooding supporting the need for advanced studies with a high degree of innovation and bold ideas.  

Project description:

The candidate would be invited to participate in one of the already established research lines but also to bring new approaches that can enrich our research environment. The current research lines of the group are:

Coastal aquifers and saltwater intrusion: Most of the population lives in coastal areas that need water. The increase of water demand can favor the intrusion of seawater contaminating aquifers affecting also to groundwater dependent ecosystems and agricultural activity.

Submarine groundwater discharge: The discharge of freshwater to the sea is an important element for coastal ecosystems and an often-unseen resource for water scarcity periods. Despite its relevance, it is a frequently unknow aspect of the water cycle with more questions that answers as most of the regions of the world have not been investigated.

Groundwater-surface water interaction: The continuous exchange between groundwater and surface water launches numerous questions regarding where, when and how that are prevalent when starting groundwater-surface water interaction studies. As this is a hidden process, it requires to think out of the box to understand and study this exchange.

Groundwater and climate change impacts: Climate change forecast are continuously presented in scientific settings, but the effect of them over groundwater remain as a less frequent target despite the relevance of groundwater for human supply in many regions of the world

Managed aquifer recharge: This technique is one of the few methods that allow humans to actively interfere into the water cycle promoting the storage necessary to overcome dry periods. The development of advanced scientific knowledge on this topic would be essential to deal with the expected water challenges in the future.

Research Area:

• Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

•  Environment and Geosciences (ENV)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Carlos Duque (cduque@ugr.es):

• CV
• Letter of recommendation (optional)