USP‑CEU is seeking excellent postdoctoral researchers interested in applying for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA‑PF 2026).The University CEU holds the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) Award and is strongly committed to attracting and supporting international research talent.
USP‑CEU is a competitive and supportive host institution for MSCA‑PF candidates, with a strong track record including 10 awarded fellowships, an exceptional 100/100 score, and two recent successes in the MSCA‑PF 2025 call. We offer personalised guidance throughout the proposal preparation process, as well as our International Talent Retention Programme, which provides successful MSCA Fellows with an additional 6–12‑month contract to support long‑term career development.
Hosting Research Group
CEMBIO was funded to conduct top-level research in metabolomics applied to any biomedical challenge. Our team integrates over 35 international, diverse, and dynamic researchers from different backgrounds. We are proud to have already hosted MSCA fellows, and have introduced them to our broad network of international collaborators. CEMBIO laboratory comprises 3 different laboratories 2 laboratories are for sample treatment, (oven, vortex-mixer, stirrers, probe and bath ultrasound devices vacuum rotor evaporator, fume hood, tissue lyser, cryogrinder,…) and the other includes all the MS-hyphenated analytical techniques:
5 LC/MS: 1290 LC/6545 iFunnel QTOF M); 1290 LC/6546 iFunnel QTOF MS, 1290, LC/MS 1290 LC/6460 QqQ MS; 1260 LC/6470 QqQ MS; 2 GC/MS: 8890 GC/ 5977B Q-MS; 7250 GC-QTOF MS with MPS robot with SPME tool. 2 CE-TOF-MS: 7100 CE/6224 and 7100 CE/6230 TOF MS. All from Agilent Technologies.
Four offices offer up to 35 working places with PCs capable of processing the acquired signals (through Agilent MassHunter Quantitative, Qualitative, Profinder), the statistical treatment (with SIMCA P +, MATLAB) and the integration of data for its interpretation (Agilent Mass Profiler Professional).
Furthermore, CEMBIO benefits from special collaboration with hospitals in Madrid-lung cancer studies.
The supervisor, Antonia García is a Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Universidad CEU San Pablo and co‑founder of CEMBIO. She brings more than two decades of experience in advanced analytical chemistry, high‑resolution mass spectrometry and clinical and translational metabolomics.
Her research focuses on the development of innovative analytical workflows for both untargeted and targeted metabolomics, including applications to complex biological matrices (plasma, serum, urine, cell cultures and tissues). She has led multiple projects on method development, data quality, biomarker discovery and precision metabolic profiling.
Prof. García has secured >800,000 € as PI in competitive calls and collaborates actively with internationally renowned groups such as Imperial College London, BOKU Vienna, Universidade de São Paulo, NIH (Baltimore, USA), the center for oncology Clara Campal (START), Laboratorio Cajal de circuitos corticales (grupo de Javier de Felipe), Centro de Biología molecular CBM (Beatriz Cubelos). and major Spanish research institutes and hospitals (CSIC, CNIO, CIBERES, La Paz, Gregorio Marañón, Doce de Octubre, etc.).
She has extensive experience supervising early‑career researchers and fostering interdisciplinary environments that combine analytical chemistry, clinical research and systems biology. Her expertise and mentoring capacity make her an excellent hosting supervisor for your MSCA PF.
Relevant publications and projects
- Chamoso-Sanchez D, Panini M, .,.Garcia A* AC , Pellati F. Unveiling cellular changes in leukaemia cell lines after cannabidiol treatment through lipidomics. Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 17;15(1):2238. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-86044-5
- Gonzalez-Riano, C., León-Espinosa, G., Regalado-Reyes, M., García, A., DeFelipe, J., & Barbas, C. (2025). Advanced lipidomics using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS reveals novel lipids in hibernating syrian hamsters. Journal of chromatography. A, 1743, 465692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2025.465692
- Bajo-Fernández M, Montero G, Alonso-Herranz V, Barbas C, Rey-Stolle F, García A. AC (6/6). 2024. Structural elucidation of derivatives of polyfunctional metabolites after methyl chloroformate derivatization by high-resolution mass spectrometry gas chromatography. Application to microbiota metabolites. J Chromatogr A. 2024;1717:464656. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464656.
- Review: Bajo-Fernández M, Souza-Silva ÉA, Barbas C, Rey-Stolle MF, García A. AC (5/5). 2024. GC-MS-based metabolomics of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath: applications in health and disease. A review. Front Mol Biosci. 2024; doi: 10:1295955. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1295955.
- Rey-Stolle F; Dudzik D; Gonzalez-Riano C.., García A. AC (7/7). Low and high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for untargeted metabolomics: A tutorial. ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.339043.
- FEDER/MICIU. Ref: PID2024-162248NB-I00. Advanced Developments and Strategies for Current Challenges: Uncovering Hidden Information in Metabolomics. García, Antonia (Principal Investigator, PI). 2025–2028. €240,000.
- Thematic Network and Cooperative Research Centers (RICORS) ALLERGY. García, Antonia. Researcher. 2025–2029.
- European Project: HUMAN – Harmonising and Unifying Blood Metabolomic Analysis Networks (HUMAN).García, Antonia. Researcher. 01/02/2023 – 31/01/2027.
- Community of Madrid. P2022/BMD-7227 MOIR-ACTOME. Advancing Knowledge of New Mediators, Mechanisms and Tissue Interactome in Insulin Resistance Conditions. MOIR-ACTOME-CM. García, Antonia (Principal Investigator, PI, Metaboall group). 2023–2026. €923,000.
Research Project Description
Despite solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) advances in exhaled breath analysis, low-abundance VOC biomarkers (<1 ppb) remain undetected, limiting their validation as non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic tools for lung cancer. Several strategies for VOCs preconcentration before the analysis can overcome the lack of sensitivity specially for small molecules in human exhalates. Comprehensive plasma multi-platform metabolomics (HILIC/RP-LC-QTOF-MS) reveals disease signatures that can be correlated with biomarkers in breath.
This project aims to discover volatile organic compound (VOC) signatures in human exhaled breath as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer progression. A high-sensitivity methodology based on SPME-GC-MS will be implemented to achieve at least a 10-fold improvement in sensitivity (sub-ppb limits of detection) for small molecules. This approach will be validated against multiplatform plasma metabolomics from the same individuals.
Our established breath collection-SPME-GC-MS workflow and proprietary "VOCs in exhalates" mass spectral library (retention index + MS) will be employed to cohorts (n>100)-healthy controls, untreated lung cancer patients, and immunotherapy-treated patients stratified by responders and non-responders. Parallel plasma analysis employs HILIC-LC-QTOF-MS (polar metabolites) and RP-LC-QTOF-MS (lipidomics), enabling direct cross-comparison through integrated multivariate statistical analysis.
This establishes breath VOCs as validated non-invasive surrogates of systemic lung cancer metabolic alterations, creating gold-standard references for European clinical implementation.
Under Prof. Antonia García and CEMBIO's metabolomics expertise, the fellow acquires breathomics and multiplatform metabolomics integration, advanced chemometrics, and clinical translation skills for EU breathomics leadership.
Candidate requirements:
Dynamic postdoctoral candidates of any nationality (max. 8 years after defense) with:
- PhD in Chemistry (analytical, biochemistry) or Pharmacy or Biotechnology
- Strong background on mass spectrometry, breath analysis, SPME-GC-MS, bioinformatics, metabolomics
Applicants are encouraged to submit an expression of interest to antogar@ceu.es (Attn.: Antonia García PI), before 01/05/2026. Your file should contain the following elements:
- A short CV (Max. 2 pages)
- A one-page research proposal
- Two letters of reference (recommended)
For MSCA-PF 26 call, at the deadline for the submission of proposals (09/09/2026) candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activities in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the abovementioned deadline.
Those files received before 15th of June will be considered for MSCA-PF 2026 call. Applications received after this date, will be considered for other calls after discussion with the candidate.
Keywords: breathomics, SPME-GC-MS, lipidomics, multiplatform metabolomics, lung cancer