Professor Lucas J. Ruiz Díaz, from the Department of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in 2026 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2026 call, please consult this link).
Brief description of the institution:
The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With more than 57,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and almost 7,000 members of staff, the UGR offers 97 undergraduate degrees, 157 master’s degrees (7 of which are double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.
The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the institution’s commitment to continuously improve its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.
The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2025 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 301-400th position in the world and as the 3-8 highest ranked University in Spain, reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. From the perspective of specialist areas in the ARWU rankings, the UGR is outstanding in Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Dentistry & Oral Sciences (ranked between 51th-75th position), Computer Science & Engineering, Education and Hospitality & Tourism Management (between 76-100th position), and in the areas of Food Science & Technology and Business Administration (between 101-150th position). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in the areas of Earth Sciences, Law, Management, Nursing, Psychology and Statistics, in which the UGR is positioned in the 151-200th position.
Additionally, the UGR counts with 4 researchers at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list, most of them related to the Computer Science and Mathematics scientific areas. It is also well recognised for its presence in the top 200 Universities in Europe at 83th place.
Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the prevoius Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a total of 124 projectswith a total funding of more than €30 million. For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained 136 projects, so far, with a total funding of more than €38 million.
Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:
The SEJ-133 Research Group: International and European Legal Studies, which has been funded by the Regional Government of Andalusia since 1988, is part of the Department of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Granada. This Research Group is classified as a high-quality group, meaning it achieves the full 25 points available under the criteria currently applied by the Regional Government of Andalusia. The main lines of research are as follows:
- Adaptation of the international and European legal framework to globalisation.
- Borders, immigration and international and European judicial cooperation.
- Foreign policies of Spain and the European Union.
- Conflict resolution.
Project description:
We are seeking ambitious candidates to develop innovative projects within the following core research pillars:
- Preventing Radicalisation in the European Union: In an era of shifting geopolitical tensions and digital transformation, understanding the drivers of violent extremism is paramount. We propose research that moves beyond traditional security frameworks to explore, for instance, the role of algorithmic curation and “echo chambers” in fostering extremist narratives, or analysing the current trends in radicalization.
- Building a “Europe of Defence”: As the EU strives for strategic autonomy, the evolution of a common defence architecture faces unprecedented challenges. Potential research areas include Strategic Autonomy & NATO; European Digital / Technological Sovereignty; and Cyber Defence.
Research Area:
- Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)
For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Lucas J. Ruiz Díaz (lucasruiz@ugr.es):
- CV
- Letter of recommendation (optional)
