HR Strategy
Excellence in Human Resources Management in Research
The IMDEA Water Institute is committed to the principles contained in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (Charter and Code, C&C), two documents containing 40 principles with recommendations on the responsibilities and obligations of researchers , employers and funders in relation to four themes: ethical and professional aspects, recruitment (open, transparent and based on merit), working conditions and social security and training.
The European Commission grants recognition for “Human Resources Excellence in Research” to those institutions committed to the Charter and the Code and who make an effort to align their Human Resources Policies with the 40 principles by adapting their Human Resources Strategy .
The “Human Resources Strategy” is a mechanism that helps research entities in the implementation of the Charter and the Code, in order to offer a stimulating and favorable working environment for researchers. The IMDEA Water Institute adhered to the principles established in the Charter and the Code and is committed to making the necessary efforts to guarantee an improvement in its human resources policies. In addition, and being aware of the importance of the integration of new employees, IMDEA Water provides information and assistance on relevant topics for researchers when they plan to move to Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).
In July 2010, the European Commission granted IMDEA Water official recognition for excellence in Human Resources management in research, becoming the first Spanish institution (and the eleventh in Europe) to obtain this important official distinction, thus obtaining the right to use the “Human Resources Excellence in Research” logo. In this way, IMDEA Water became part of the group of entities accredited with this distinction, which in July 2021 already has more than 700 institutions.
Progress made since obtaining the seal of excellence in 2010
IMDEA Water continues in a continuous process of improving its human resources strategy, currently adapted to the new strengthened system, whose stages can be seen in the attached figure.
For this, self-assessments are carried out and an action plan is defined for different periods. This is how those corresponding to the years were made:
Workgroup
The monitoring of the process is carried out by a working group that is made up of:
Dra. Raffaella Meffe
Researcher and deputy director
Eva Carrasco Marina
Technician in human resources
Sara García Rodríguez
Coordinator of the R&I Management Unit
José Ángel Gómez Martín
R&D manager support
Belén Barroeta
Science Communicator
Dra. Paula Elisa Redondo Hasselerharm
Researcher
Sara Mozo Pacheco
Predoctoral researcher
Alejandra Arcas Perea
Advanced laboratory technician
Dra. Raffaella Meffe
Researcher and deputy director
PhD in hydrogeology at the Freie Universität of Berlin (2011), MSc in Geological Science at the Sapienza University of Rome (2007).
- raffaella.meffe@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Eva Carrasco Marina
Technician in human resources
With extensive experience in developing Human Resources projects, Eva has promoted strategies for the attraction, retention, and management of talent, as well as collaborative work cultures across various sectors and companies.
See full profile- eva.carrasco@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Sara García Rodríguez
Coordinator of the R&I Management Unit
She holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2004. In 2005, she completed a Master’s degree in European Public Policy at the Institute of European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
- sara.garciar@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
José Ángel Gómez Martín
R&D manager support
José Ángel Gómez Martín holds a Bachelor degree in Environmental Sciences from Autonomous University of Madrid. He has complementary training related with with R&D Management (projects management, science and technology management).
- joseangel.gomez@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Belén Barroeta
Science Communicator
She has a degree in Journalism (1993, UCM), and postgraduate training in energy technology and socioeconomic journalism, with an extensive career in scientific communication.
- belen.barroeta@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dra. Paula Elisa Redondo Hasselerharm
Researcher
She has a bachelor`s degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid and a master`s dregree in Water Quality Techniques and Sciences from University of Granada. In 2020, she obtained a PhD in Environmental Sciences at the University of Wageningen (The Netherlands), which she carried out in the Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management group.
- paula.redondo@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Sara Mozo Pacheco
Predoctoral researcher
Graduated from the University of Alcalá obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Biology (2020) and a master’s degree in Advanced Biotechnology by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2022).
- sara.mozo@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Alejandra Arcas Perea
Advanced laboratory technician
Graduated in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) in 2016, she completed her academic training with a Master's degree in Agro-environmental and Agro-food Sciences (UAM-UNED) in 2017.
- alejandra.arcas@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Open, transparent and merit-based recruitment of investigators (OTM-R)
Within the framework of the Charter and the Code, the European Commission designed a help tool to carry out the selection and contracting processes. This tool is known as OTM-R for its acronym in English (Open, Transparent and Merit based Recruitment) and seeks open, transparent practices based on the curricular merits of the candidates. The IMDEA Water OTM-R Policy is aligned with these practices. The employment section of IMDEA Water can be accessed by clicking on the following image:
Equality plan 2022 – 2025
The IMDEA Water equality plan reflects the Institute’s commitment to equality and optimal working conditions. The general objective of the equality plan is to achieve equal treatment and opportunities, eliminating any possible discrimination based on sex in the field of IMDEA Water.
IMDEA Water has a ‘MIA Mentoring Programme’ with the dual objective of facilitating the incorporation of new employees and promoting professional career development by strengthening cross-cutting skills and guiding and informing IMDEA Water staff about the options available within and outside the academic world, with a special emphasis on those in the early stages of their professional careers (pre-doctoral researchers, research assistants, technicians, managers and young doctors).
MIA includes two types of mentoring:
- MIA-Career Development Mentoring (CDM). A voluntary programme for participants that will enable both mentors and mentees to improve their skills and abilities.
- MIA-Onboarding Mentoring (OM). A mandatory programme for mentees that will form part of the onboarding process already established at IMDEA Water, helping to reinforce it and facilitate the incorporation and integration of new employees at IMDEA Water, as well as supporting foreign employees in familiarising themselves with Spanish culture.
To find out more, visit our career development platform where you will find useful information on how you can explore your career options or learn about the competency framework and transversal training options:
On March 3, 2015, the European Commission organized a conference to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Charter and Code. At this event, IMDEA Water –which was among the first 200 institutions that adhered to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct (C&C)– received recognition for ‘Excellence in Human Resources in Research for its efforts to create conditions attractive job opportunities for researchers in Europe.
Additional information:
