The Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) welcomes motivated postdoctoral researchers interested in applying to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025. Our institute offers an ideal environment for advancing your scientific career, with strong mentoring, interdisciplinary research opportunities, and a vibrant international community.

ICMAB is a dynamic, multidisciplinary, and inclusive research center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), located at the UAB campus near Barcelona. The institute carries out cutting-edge research in advanced functional materials for applications in energy, electronics, health, and future technologies. ICMAB has been recognized with the prestigious Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence distinction—awarded for the third consecutive time—highlighting its leadership in materials science.

2025 MSCA hosting offers at ICMAB

Browse our 2025 MSCA hosting offers below and find the right match for your profile and interests:

• Chiral and nonreciprocal response of crystals with broken space-inversion or time-reversal symmetries
  
  • New materials properties that emerge from magnetic order, chirality, or the combination thereof, are currently a hot topic within the condensed-matter community. They can be grouped in three main categories, depending on whether they originate from the breakdown of time-reversal symmetry (Faraday and Hall effects), from the breakdown of space-inversion symmetry (e.g., optical and acoustical activity) or both (e.g., nonreciprocal phenomena such as the "optical diode"). This project aims at understanding these new phenomena from the point of view of first-principles theory, within the general framework of density-functional methods.
  • IP: Massimiliano Stengel, Electronic Structure of Materials (LEEM)

• Multifunctional nanocomposites for aqueous metal-air batteries
  • The project aims at developing novel sustainable multifunctional nanocomposites. These nanocomposites, having specific catalytic activities, will be implemented as electrodes in aqueous metal-air batteries, boosting their efficiency. At ICMAB, you will have access to cutting-edge facilities to develop those nanocomposites by advanced solution-based processes, to fully characterize them, and to study their activity and mechanisms in the battery.
  • IP: Pablo Guardia, Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites (N&N)

• Sustainable Integration of Cultivated Diatom Silica into Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes
  • The project aims to establish diatom microalgae as a sustainable feedstock for lithium-ion batteries by tailoring the properties of their nanoporous SiO₂ exoskeletons through controlled modifications of the culturing environment. Bridging biology, materials science, and electrochemistry, it will directly link cultivation conditions to structural and functional changes in the diatom skeletons. Advanced synchrotron-based characterization will be employed to elucidate the structure–property relationships of the resulting nanostructured anodes.
  • IP: Valeria Blanco, Solid State Chemistry (SSC), Inorganic materials and electrolytes for battery applications (Battery)

• Strongly Correlated Systems based on Twisted van der Waals Moiré Structures
  • The project explores correlated electron phenomena and superconductivity in twisted moiré structures through precision 2D stacking, lithographic device fabrication, and low-temperature magnetotransport studies. Systematic measurements as a function of twist angle, doping, temperature, and magnetic field will be performed using. Structural quality and twist angle uniformity will be verified via AFM, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic-scale STEM imaging.
  • IP: Gervasi Herranz, Laboratory of Multifunctional Oxides and Complex Structures (MULFOX)

• Dynamical tuning of the the thermal conductivity: the path towards phononics
  • The goal of this project is providing a theoretical framework aimed at understanding and controlling the manipulation of heat flux within functional materials. The successful candidate will perform numerical simulations in order to devise realistic approaches for the engineering of nanoscale thermal devices to be used in phonon-based logic, energy harvesting, and thermal management.
  • IP: Riccardo Rurali, Electronic Structure of Materials (LEEM)

• Development of high-quality ferroelectric oxide materials for next-generation IoT devices
  • There is an increasing demand of materials ab le to be integrated in the new era of devices in the age of the Internet of Things. These have further requirements of reliability and robustness. ICMAB has the capability to growth such ferroelectric material (HfO₂) with state-of-the-art crystalline quality. Thus, the framework of the present project is the development of full oxide devices based on highest quality ferroelectric oxide materials.
  • IP: Ignasi Fina, Ferroelectric oxide films for energy and memory devices (FOXEM)

Support for incoming researchers

In 2021, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and all its research centers were awarded the HR Excellence in Research seal. This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to improving human resources policies in accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

To further support your integration, CSIC has developed the "Landing at CSIC" guide, a practical tool to help international researchers navigate the process of relocating to Spain. It covers everything from required documentation and work permits to healthcare, banking, and accommodation—ensuring a smooth start to your research journey.

At ICMAB, we are fully committed to supporting MSCA candidates throughout the application process. Our Strategic Projects Unit and supervisors provide personalized guidance to help you prepare a competitive proposal, from the expression of interest to the final submission. Join a research environment that values collaboration, innovation, and talent development.

The call will close on 10 September 2025. 

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships are prestigious EU-funded opportunities designed to support the careers of researchers holding a PhD who wish to conduct research abroad, acquire new skills, and develop their careers. These fellowships promote international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility, allowing researchers to gain experience in different countries, disciplines, and non-academic sectors.

There are two main types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships:

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in research projects within EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships can last between 12 and 24 months.
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: Designed for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to conduct research in a non-associated Third Country for 12 to 24 months, followed by a mandatory 12-month return phase to an organization based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Both types of fellowships may include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship). Additionally, researchers can receive support to carry out a placement of up to six months in a non-academic organization based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country at the end of their fellowship.

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships provide funding for a living allowance, mobility allowance, and, if applicable, family, long-term leave, and special needs allowances. Additional funding is provided for research, training, and networking activities, as well as management and indirect costs.

For more information and to apply, please visit the official MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships page.

Tips to prepare a strong application

We strongly encourage you to carefully follow the 6-step guide provided on the official MSCA website. It includes essential tips on how to check your eligibility, identify a host institution, define your research project, and prepare your proposal. Taking the time to understand the structure and expectations of the call will significantly increase your chances of success.