PhD position in Participatory Research focused on occupational health, climate change and the green transition, and opportunities for intervention

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is a cutting-edge institute addressing global public health challenges through research, translation into policy and education. ISGlobal has a broad portfolio in communicable and non-communicable diseases including environmental and climate determinants, and applies a multidisciplinary scientific approach ranging from the molecular to the population level. Research is organized in five programs: Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health; Environment and Health over the Lifecourse; Global Viral and Bacterial Infections; Malaria and Neglected Parasitic Diseases; and Maternal Child and Reproductive Health. ISGlobal is accredited with the Severo Ochoa distinction (first accreditation in 2019 and renewed in 2024), a seal of excellence of the Spanish Science Ministry.

The ISGlobal PhD Programme brings together doctoral candidates from different health fields, and universities, to enjoy the added benefits of developing transdisciplinary research at our Institute.

We offer a PhD fellowship, supported by the Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence Accreditation, open to both national and international students who wish to undertake rigorous research training and complete the following research project focused on participatory research, occupational health, climate change and the green transition.

PhD Research Proposal: Participatory research focused on the occupational health impacts of climate change and the green transition, and opportunities for intervention

Supervisor: Michelle Turner (michelle.turner@isglobal.org)
Co-Supervisor: Xavier Basagaña (xavier.basagana@isglobal.org), Ana Requena (ana.requena@isglobal.org)

Proposal Description: Ongoing research as part of the European INTERCAMBIO project includes intervention and natural experimental studies on topics of climate change and the green transition on occupational health in five main sectors (construction, health care, public transit, renewable energy, and recycling). Methods include sensor-based technologies, external and internal exposome approaches, and co-creation and participatory research methods.
This PhD position seeks to contribute to and build upon work being conducted in INTERCAMBIO to develop new initiatives in occupational health research in climate change and the green transition among vulnerable workers in Spain, including among agricultural workers. The PhD student will:
1. Work with outdoor workers and workers in green industries in Spain, to understand current concerns regarding occupational hazards and to co-design priorities for multi-level intervention.
2. Collect and analyse personal occupational and environmental exposome and health outcome data, in interventional and observational studies.
3. Evaluate interventions in terms of exposure, health parameters, and compliance.

Related links: INTERCAMBIO Project
Keywords: Climate change, occupational health, co-creation, participatory research

Eligibility Criteria

ISGlobal will recruit a prospective doctoral candidate of any nationality, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation or age to undertake this PhD in Global Health.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Candidates can be of any nationality
• Candidates must have obtained a University Degree and a Master’s Degree in biomedicine, epidemiology, computer sciences, environmental sciences, biostatistics, or a related discipline within the European Higher Education Area (minimum 300 ECTS - European Credit Transfer System, of which at least 60 are at master’s level), or an equivalent University Degree that allows to start a PhD thesis in Spain by the fellowship starting date

  NOTE: the selected candidate will be assessed for eligibility by the corresponding PhD programme following University admission criteria; the selected candidate will need to be admitted to a University PhD Programme by the fellowship starting date – University PhD programme admission will be managed after completion of the selection process

• Candidates must demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to pursuing a scientific research career with an interest in global health and population studies
• Candidates already holding a PhD are not eligible
• Candidates beneficiary of a PhD Fellowship by the Spanish Government are not eligible
• Candidates must not have held a PhD contract exceeding twelve months by the fellowship starting date. The months in which the candidate has enjoyed a predoctoral contract will be discounted.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Research Development: design and implement research projects that involve co-creation methodologies.
• Data Management: collect, analyze, and interpret data generated through co-creation initiatives.
• Worker Engagement: foster relationships with workers, companies and stakeholders to encourage participation in research activities.
• Publication and Dissemination: prepare research findings for publication in academic journals and present at conferences and public forums.
• Collaboration: work with interdisciplinary teams including scientists, educators, and community organizers. Be coordinated with the ISGlobal Science for Society Group.

LANGUAGE LEVEL:

• Candidates must have good command of English
• Ability to communicate in Catalan and/or Spanish is also requested.

How to Apply

Applicants must fill in the request form and attach the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae in English including the name of two reference contacts that could be contacted by ISGlobal during the selection process
• Motivation letter in English (1-page MAX, A4, Arial, size 11, single space), justifying the interest and suitability for the  PhD research proposal.
• A scan of the student’s academic transcripts (degree and masters), showing grades obtained. If the academic transcripts are not in Catalan, Spanish or English, applicants should also attach a translation in one of the above-mentioned languages, and the grading system should be explained.

Please note that all documents must be in pdf format and each submitted document must be named as: CandidateSurname_CandidateName_filetype (e.g. Smith_John_cv, Smith_John_letter). Candidates must ensure that all required information is submitted before the application deadline of  24th of October 2025. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Conditions

• PhD fellowships conditions
  Duration (years)

  4 years max^‡

  Expected remuneration*
  (annual gross salary)

  Y1-Y2 = 20.808€
  Y3-Y4 = 24.350€

  Expected starting date

  Early 2026. The exact date will be agreed upon with selected candidate^§

  Dedication

  Full time

  Additional contribution

  6.860€^◊

  
  

  ^‡If the doctoral degree is obtained before the predoctoral fellowship ends, a Postdoctoral Orientation Period (POP) can be funded from the time the doctoral degree is obtained until the end of the predoctoral fellowship, with a maximum duration of 12 months (i.e. predoc contract + POP = max. 4 years in total).

  *As per ISGlobal’s salary scale and according to the grant CEX2023-0001290-S by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Please note that the final salary will be agreed upon candidate’s selection. The contract is linked to the registration to Social Security, a public system of protection against situations of illness, disability, unemployment, old age, accidents at work, maternity. This also gives access to a public health-care system that offers universal assistance to city residents. All these costs are covered by the employer institution, so the candidates do not need to pay for them.

  ^§The predoctoral fellowship necessarily starts on the 1st of the month. 

  ^◊The predoctoral fellowship provides an amount of 6.860€ in total to support covering expenses derived from carrying out stays in other R&D centers and enrollment in a university PhD programme, according to what is established in the grant CEX2023-0001290-S by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The approximate distribution is:

  - Support for enrollment fee in doctoral studies: 1.600€ approx. in total (400€ approx. per year).

  - Support for a research stay: 5.260€ approx. The research stay needs to be agreed with the doctoral supervisor(s), and needs to take place throughout the duration of the predoctoral fellowship, with a minimum duration of 1 month. The research is aimed at completing and consolidating the research training and promoting the development of the doctoral thesis. The research stay needs to be carried out in an R&D center located in a different place from the centre where the PhD is carried out and different from the beneficiary’s place of origin. Provided support: support for expenses derived from lodging and meals, travel expenses, and medical and accident insurance abroad during the stay. Please note that expenses are limited by the Ministry (Decree 462 of the BOE) and vary according to the country of the stay.

• This fellowship is funded through the ISGlobal Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa grant (CEX2023-0001290-S) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the Spanish Research State Agency (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033).

Selection Process and Selection Criteria

All applications are reviewed by an ad hoc Internal Committee, with representatives of Principal Investigators at ISGlobal with no conflict of interest.

Candidates are selected on the basis of academic excellence, performance in research, adequacy of candidate’s experience to the selected research proposal, and a commitment to pursuing a scientific research career with an interest in global health and population studies (see detailed selection criteria and subcriteria below). 

Selection criteria and subcriteria: 100 points in total

Criterion 1. Candidate’s academic and/or scientific-technical background (up to 50 points).

• Subcriterion 1.a): Scientific and technical contributions (up to 45 points). The academic and other curricular merits of the candidate will be assessed, as well their suitability for the duties to be performed in the doctoral study.
• Subcriterion 1.b): Mobility and internationalization (up to 5 points). The relevance and impact of the candidate's stays in national and international centres and/or in the industrial sector on his/her research career will be assessed, taking into account the prestige of the institution hosting the stay and the activity carried out there.

Criterion 2. Adequacy of candidate’s experience to the research activities to be conducted in the doctoral study (up to 50 points). The suitability of the candidate for the research activities to be carried out in the framework of the selected PhD research proposal will be assessed, on the basis of the candidate’s previous training and experience. For this, it will be taken into account the added value that carrying out the research activities will bring to the candidate’s career, as well as the added value the candidate will bring to the Centre and to the host research team.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an online interview.

Selected candidates will be notified shortly after the interview period.

Applicants who have not been successful but have received a positive evaluation will be put on a waiting list to cover possible renunciations and for future positions.

Contact

For any additional information, please contact research.management@isglobal.org.