The Applied Aquatic Ecology Group (AQUAE) at IMDEA Water is seeking a candidate interested in pursuing a PhD thesis on the effects of tire wear particles and their associated chemical additives on freshwater ecosystems, and jointly applying for the upcoming 2026 Call for Predoctoral Research Training Grants funded by the Community of Madrid.

The PhD research will be conducted within the framework of the TWIST Project – Fate and impacts of tire wear particles and associated chemical additives in freshwater ecosystems (PID2025-176574OA-I00), funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) through the 2025 Knowledge Generation Projects Programme.

Tire wear particles are one of the major sources of microplastics in the environment. Through urban and road runoff, these particles and the chemical compounds they contain can reach aquatic ecosystems, where significant uncertainty remains regarding their fate, long-term effects, and risks to biological communities. The overarching goal of the PhD project is to investigate the ecological effects of tire wear particles and associated chemical additives in freshwater ecosystems.

Planned research activities

• Sampling runoff water, surface water, and sediments from water bodies experiencing different levels of road influence, with the aim of quantifying rubber particles and associated chemical compounds, including metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and antioxidants such as 6PPD.
• Conducting mesocosm experiments to assess the effects of tire wear particles on the abundance and composition of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates, as well as on ecosystem functions such as energy transfer and the transfer of essential fatty acids through food webs.
• Performing laboratory toxicity tests with selected species to identify the most sensitive organisms and investigate the mechanisms underlying observed effects.
• Assessing ecological risk through the integration of environmental exposure data and toxicity thresholds.

The selected candidate will join the Applied Aquatic Ecology Group (AQUAE) and will be supervised by Dr. Fernando Chaguaceda Borjabad and Dr. Paula Redondo Hasselerharm.

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must:

• Hold a university degree (Licenciatura, Engineering degree or equivalent), or an official Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, or a related field, together with an official Master’s degree totaling at least 300 ECTS credits and granting access to a doctoral programme.
• Have obtained a minimum average grade of 8.0/10 in their undergraduate studies. Applicants who completed their studies at foreign universities may convert their grades using the official Spanish online grade equivalency system.
• Not hold a doctoral degree awarded by a Spanish or foreign university.
• Not have previously benefited from more than twelve months of predoctoral employment contracts or equivalent grants/fellowships for the same purpose.
• Be enrolled, admitted, or pre-admitted to a doctoral programme at a university with headquarters or a permanent establishment in the Community of Madrid, or be in a position to obtain such admission before submission of the grant application.
• Meet the nationality, residence, or student visa requirements established in the call.
• Have a good command of spoken and written English.

Desirable qualifications

The following will be considered an advantage:

• Training or experience in aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology, limnology, environmental pollution, or microplastics research.
• Experience designing and conducting laboratory, microcosm, or mesocosm experiments.
• Experience culturing, maintaining, or identifying aquatic organisms.
• Experience in biochemical laboratory analyses, particularly lipid analysis, microplastics, and related pollutants.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis and proficiency in R or similar software.
• Experience with scientific data processing and visualization.
• Previous participation in research projects, Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis projects related to the topic.
• Conference presentations, scientific publications, or other research outputs.
• Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Valid Category B driving licence.

Predoctoral fellowship application

The application to the 2026 Community of Madrid Predoctoral Research Training Grant Programme will be prepared jointly with IMDEA Water. The eventual recruitment of the selected candidate will be conditional upon the grant being awarded by the Community of Madrid.

If awarded, the candidate will be offered a full-time predoctoral contract, in accordance with the terms, duration, funding, and salary conditions established in the corresponding call and applicable regulations.

Selection by IMDEA Water for proposal preparation does not imply award of the grant nor guarantee subsequent employment.

The 2026 call for applications is expected to be published during the second half of September 2026, with the final funding decision anticipated during the second half of April 2027.

Application procedure

Interested candidates should send the following documents to empleo@agua.imdea.org, indicating “TWIST expression of interest” in the subject line:

• Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English.
• Official academic transcript including:
  • Student’s full name,
  • University name,
  • Degree programme(s) completed,
  • All courses and grades organized by academic year.

Deadline for submitting expressions of interest: 7 September 2026.