The 'Severo Ochoa' Excellence PhD Programme offers up to six 4-year working contracts, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, to provide highly talented PhD students with the opportunity to start their scientific career at one of the first class research centers in Europe, the Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB).

In 2014, the CNB was accredited as one of the seven Spanish 'Severo Ochoa' Centres of Excellence in the area of Life Sciences and Medicine. The CNB is a multidisciplinary research centre that engages in the most relevant areas of red and green Biotechnology, with a strong focus on four major societal challenges, namely infectious diseases, inflammation & cancer, sustainability of food production, and environmental pollution. These areas are covered by complementary research approaches in the areas of:

• Macromolecular Structures


• Cellular and Molecular Biology


• Microbial Biotechnology


• Plant Molecular Genetics


• Immunology and Oncology


• Systems and Synthetic Biology

The Severo Ochoa Excellence PhD Programme reflects on our centre's effort to implement novel research approaches related to Systems and Synthetic Biology. During their PhD training, students will become immersed into a versatile and multidisciplinary scientific approach, combining gene-based technologies with frontier research in functional and structural biology to bridge information gaps between the wealth of newly identified biological blocks and their functional interplay in living organisms. They will have the opportunity to participate in international flagship projects of contemporary Systems & Synthetic Biology. They will have access to excellent research facilities (high-throughput genomics, proteomics etc.) and state-of-the-art technology (genetic engineering, structure solving, imaging, computational biology etc.). Training at the CNB will prepare PhD students to lead discovery and application of Biotechnology to meet the needs of a modern society and the challenges of a dynamic world.

We encourage applications from highly talented and motivated PhD students with outstanding qualifications. Before applying, please consult our web on http://www.cnb.csic.es/index.php/en/investigacion/departamentos.html to find out which research group(s) best fit your expectations.

On-line applications are directed directly to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

DEADLINE: September 19, 2014