PhD Positions

and Legal Sciences and the Humanities, within the UAM MOTYVES programme, co-funded by the European Union through the Choose Europe for Science programme (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-COFUND-02-01). The aim of the programme is to provide the selected researchers with a suitable environment for research, in an attractive, inspiring and interdisciplinary setting, with very favourable financial conditions, so that they may secure a permanent position at the UAM as teaching and research staff upon completion of the programme, should they so wish and provided they meet the requirements set out in the programme itself and by ANECA. Annex I (to be downloaded from https://www.uam.es/uam/investigacion/ofertas-empleo/tomasyvaliente2026 ) sets out the priority strategic areas proposed by the departments and submitted by the centers for this 2026 call for applications. Applicants must affiliate their application to one of the departments listed in Annex I, as, if selected, they will join that department as well as the MIAS. Where to apply Website: https://www.madrid-ias.eu/es/ Requirements Research Field: All Education Level: PhD or equivalent Specific Requirements Have the legal capacity to enter into an employment contract in accordance with Article 7 of the Workers’ Statute. Hold a PhD (in accordance with the MSCA guidelines) As this call is aimed at researchers at the early or intermediate stages of their academic careers, candidates who obtained their doctoral degree between three and ten years prior to the last day of the year in which this call is published are eligible to apply. For the purposes of this call, the date of obtaining the doctoral degree shall be understood to be the date of the defense and approval of the doctoral thesis. An extension to the lower deadline for obtaining a doctoral degree, as set out in the previous paragraph, shall apply provided that the full periods of interruption arising from the situations described below have occurred between the date of the defense and approval of the doctoral thesis and the closing date for the submission of applications under this call: Periods of leave taken for maternity or paternity in accordance with the protected circumstances set out in the General Social Security Scheme. An extension of one year will be granted for each child. Serious illness or accident affecting the applicant, with sick leave of three months or more. An extension equal to the period of justified sick leave will be applied, rounded up to full months. Care for dependent persons, in accordance with the provisions of Law 39/2006 of 14 December on the promotion of personal autonomy and care for dependent persons, for a minimum period of 3 months. An extension equal to the justified period shall apply, rounded up to full months. Completion of military service or alternative social service in the applicant’s country of nationality. An extension equal to the justified period shall be applied, rounded up to full months. These periods must be duly indicated and substantiated at the time of submitting the application. Not having resided in, or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in, Spain for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the date of the call for applications. Demonstrate verifiable high-quality research experience at an institution other than the UAM during the three years prior to applying for the contract. Such experience must be substantiated by a contractual (or similar) relationship with the institution with which the applicant was affiliated and must have lasted for at least one year, either as a continuous period or in separate periods. Priority will be given to participation in activities related to international programmes and projects, as well as to research and/or professional experience gained at foreign centres or institutions during the three years prior to applying for the contract. The reference date will be the start date for the submission of applications for this call, and any months during which there was an interruption will be deducted, in accordance with the same considerations set out in the previous section. Applicants must not have previously held a Tomás y Valiente, Ramón y Cajal, CAM Talent Attraction (Modality 1), ATRAE or César Nombela contract. Possess the functional capacity to carry out the proposed tasks. Not to have been dismissed, following disciplinary proceedings, from the service of any public administration, nor to be subject to absolute or special disqualification from public employment or office by court order, or from performing duties similar to those previously carried out in the case of contract staff. If a candidate holds a nationality other than Spanish, they must not be in an equivalent situation nor have been subject to a disciplinary sanction or equivalent measure which, in their own country, prevents access to public employment. Additional Information Benefits The successful research staff member will sign a contract with a monthly cost of €6,085, which will include gross remuneration and employer’s social security contributions (Social Security paid by the employer), a sum which shall be deemed to include any family allowance. A monthly allowance of €615 will be added to these costs to support mobility. In total, the annual cost will be €80,400, resulting in an annual gross salary (after deduction of the employer’s social security contributions) of €60,909. The contracts will include an additional allocation of €7,500 per year to support research and cover training costs. This allocation will be made available at the start of the contract. Participants in the programme will be covered by the general Social Security scheme. The contracts will be on a full-time basis. Those employed may receive additional payments from R&D projects and, where applicable, from contracts entered into pursuant to Article 60 of Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March on the University System and Law 14/2011 of 1 June on Science, Technology and Innovation, and Law 17/2022 of 5 September, amending Law 14/2011, as well as supplementary grants funded by the European Commission to promote the training and mobility of researchers, provided that such grants do not involve the formalisation of employment contracts. Eligibility criteria Once the face-to-face interview has taken place, candidates will be notified of the outcome of the second phase and the results will be published on the UAM’s Official Notice Board and on the MIAS website from 24 May 2027, with those interviewed being granted a period of 10 working days from the date of official publication to submit any representations they deem appropriate. Once this period has elapsed, the final decision on places awarded and reserved places will be published on the UAM’s Official Notice Board and on the MIAS website. An optional application for reconsideration may be lodged against the final decision on awards—which concludes the administrative procedure—with the body that issued it within one month, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 123 and 124 of Law 39/2015 of 1 October. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a contentious administrative appeal may be lodged against the decision in the concession procedure before the Contentious-Administrative Courts of Madrid within two months, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 11.1.a) and 46 of Law 29/1998 of 13 July on Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction. Selection process Applications must be submitted online via the MIAS website ( http://www.madrid-ias.eu/ ), where applicants must complete an online form and attach the required documents. Applications received by any other means will not be accepted. To do so, applicants must create their own account on the online platform, providing an email address which they must verify. They will then receive a link at that address, which they must click to confirm that the email address provided is valid. The application will only be submitted once the applicant has clicked the ‘Submit application’ button. The applicant will then receive an acknowledgement of receipt at the registered email address, confirming the status of the submission. The application period will run from 8 September 2026 to 7 December 2026 (until 17:00, Madrid time). Additional comments 1. The following documents (to be downloaded from https://www.uam.es/uam/investigacion/ofertas-empleo/tomasyvaliente2026 ) must be attached to the online application in electronic format: An abridged curriculum vitae (CVA) in accordance with Annex II, in English, not exceeding 4 pages, in Arial font size 11 or larger with single spacing, using the template provided as an annex to the call for applications, which must include a list of publications. Up to two letters of reference may be attached, in English (Annex III). A proposal for the research project to be undertaken (Annex IV), in English, not exceeding 8 pages, excluding the summary, using Arial font size 11 or larger and single spacing, following the template provided as an annex to the call for applications. Any excess pages will result in exclusion. The proposal must be accompanied, in a separate document, by a bibliography for the project, not exceeding two pages. A copy of a valid national identity card or passport. A copy of the doctoral degree certificate or academic certificate, clearly stating the date on which the doctoral degree was awarded. If the certificate is not in Spanish, English or French and the applicant is selected, a certified translation into Spanish will be required in order to formalise the contract. A sworn statement regarding the accuracy of the qualifications (Annex V). Applicants undertake to provide documentary evidence of the qualifications declared whenever required at any stage of the selection process. Applicants who wish to invoke the grounds for interruption set out in Article 2.1.c) must state this on the application form and attach the relevant supporting documents. Applicants must select the area of expertise to which their project relates from the drop-down menu on the online form. Annex I sets out the priority strategic lines proposed by the departments and submitted by the centers for this 2026 call for applications. Applicants must assign their application to one of the departments listed in Annex I. Successful applicants will be integrated into the relevant department, as well as into the MIAS. Areas of expertise at the UAM that have formally expressed their wish not to participate in the UAM MOTYVES 2026 program cannot be selected. Documentation proving that the applicant has not resided in Spain or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) there for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the opening date of the call for applications. Documentation demonstrating verifiable, high-quality research experience at an institution other than the UAM during the three years preceding the contract application. Such experience must be substantiated by a contractual (or similar) relationship with the institution with which the applicant was affiliated and must have lasted for at least one year, either as a continuous period or in separate periods (see Article 2(e) of this call for applications). For the purposes of the evaluation process, only the information contained in the curriculum vitae and the research project proposal as at the closing date for the submission of applications will be taken into account. It will not be possible to update the information contained in these documents at a later date. Failure to submit the curriculum vitae and/or the research project proposal cannot be rectified. The absence of these documents or a lack of content therein will result in the exclusion of the application.