Pre-doctoral Researcher

Reference Number: PID2025-168829NB-I00 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

Offer Description

Applications are invited by the University of Alicante President to create a pre-shortlist of candidates for the recruitment of research staff (contract type: fixed-term contract; job category: pre-doctoral researcher) to collaborate on the project “FORensic AGE Estimation for Undocumented Young Migrants Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence (FORAGE)” of the University Institute for Computer Research. Reference: I-PI 75-26

Pursuant to the provisions on the regulations governing calls for applications of research staff to cover a contractual research position, approved by the Governing Council of 29 June 2021 (BOUA of 30 June 2021) and with instructions of the University of Alicante Offices of the Registrar and the Comptroller, which establish the mandatory use of electronic means for the submission of applications, documentation, payment of fees, communications, notifications and all other procedures of the selection procedures for the temporary contractual administrative and services staff and research staff and other general applicable regulations, the University of Alicante calls for applications in accordance with the following terms:

First. General terms.

1.1. Purpose of the call

The purpose of this call is to create a pre-shortlist of candidates for the recruitment of research staff (job category: pre-doctoral researcher) for the project “FORensic AGE Estimation for Undocumented Young Migrants Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence (FORAGE)”.

The project in which the successful applicant(s) will collaborate, as well as the number of available vacancies and the characteristics of the job role, are set out in the annex I hereto.

1.2. Talent pool creation and contacting candidates in the pool

The panel in charge of the recruitment process may decide to create a talent pool including candidates whose applications were unsuccessful but who participated in all the stages of the process. In such a case, the panel may set a minimum score for candidates to be placed in the pool. The pool will list candidates in descending order of score. Candidates in the pool may be contacted if a successful applicant does not accept the position offered or, after accepting it, is on a temporary leave of absence, resigns or is dismissed. They may also be contacted to cover additional needs of the project, as long as the tasks to be fulfilled are related to the job profile specified in this call for applications. If candidates are offered a position, they will be contacted in the order listed in the pool.

1.3. Gender representation (relevant in the event of a tie)

In accordance with the provisions of the agreement of the Governing Council of 27 January 2022, which approves the University of Alicante 4th Plan for equal opportunities between women and men, and with article 61.2. f) of Valencia Government Law 4/2021, of 16 April, of the Valencian Civil Service it is hereby stated that the percentage distribution in the contractual job vacancies of pre-doctoral researcher for research projects is 49.01% for women and 50.99% for men, so there is no under-representation of either sex in this job category.

Second. Requirements for applicants.

Compliance with the requirements listed below must always refer to the date of expiry of the deadline for the submission of applications and must be maintained until the date of entering into the contract. Applicants must:

2.1. General requirements

2.1.1. Be a Spanish national or be in one of the situations listed in article 57 of Royal Legislative Decree 5/2015, of 30 October, which approves the revised text of the Act on the Basic Statute of Public Employees (BOE of 31 October). In the case established in point 4 of this article, when entering into the employment contract, the successful applicant must be a legal resident in Spain.

2.1.2. Have a good command of any of the official languages of the Valencia Region for the performance of the job.

2.1.3. Be at least 16 years of age and not exceed the maximum compulsory retirement age.

2.1.4. Possess the physical and mental capacities and aptitudes that are necessary for the performance of the corresponding functions or tasks.

2.1.5. Not have been dismissed, following disciplinary proceedings, from the service of public administrations, public universities or constitutional or statutory bodies, nor have been totally or specially disqualified from public service by a court decision. Nationals of another state must not be under disqualification or equivalent status, nor have been subjected to a disciplinary or equivalent sanction that prevents, under the same terms, access to public service in the relevant state.

2.2. Specific requirements

2.2.1. Hold or be in the process of obtaining an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering (Spanish MECES level 2 or EQF level 6), or any other degree with equivalent content, plus a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (Spanish MECES level 3 or EQF level 7) or any other official Master’s degree with equivalent content. Applicants who are not in possession of the degree certificate must provide proof of payment of the diploma issuing fee or submit an academic certificate stating that they have completed all the studies leading to the award of said certificate.

2.2.2. Qualifications gained abroad

Have a document (if the required qualification was obtained overseas) confirming that the relevant official approval or statement of comparability has been secured.

In the event of qualifications for which the relevant official approval, statement of comparability or recognition has not been secured by the application deadline, the following will apply:

• The applicant will be required to present evidence that, prior to entering into the contract, they have initiated the official approval, comparability or recognition process.
• When a statement of comparability is submitted, it must be accompanied by the qualification certificate and the academic transcript on which the statement of comparability is based, in order to determine whether the relevant qualifications are indeed equivalent.

2.2.3. Meet the academic requirements necessary for admission to the University of Alicante PhD programme in Computer Engineering (Spanish MECES level 4 or EQF level 8). Proof of admission to such a doctoral programme must be submitted, at the latest, when entering into the contract.

2.2.4. Not hold a PhD awarded by a Spanish or foreign university.

2.2.5. Have a C1 level of English.

2.3. Obligation to meet all requirements throughout the recruitment process

If an applicant, at any point during and before the completion of the recruitment process, no longer meets all the necessary conditions, they will be required to file a request to withdraw from the process. Otherwise, as soon as it is detected that they do not comply with all the requirements, they will be excluded from the process.

Third. Submission of applications.

3.1. Application period and procedure

Candidates must submit their applications via the University of Alicante e-Services Portal (https://seuelectronica.ua.es/)--Trámites [‘Procedures’]--Procesos selectivos y de provisión [‘Recruitment processes’]--Solicitud de plazas de personal investigador para proyectos de investigación [‘Applying for research staff positions on research projects’] or by accessing the following link: https://s.ua.es/_MZz. Applications submitted through other channels will not be accepted.

3.2. Logging into the application platform (applicants with login credentials)

To apply, candidates will be required to log in using a digital certificate, their Cl@ve system credentials or their University of Alicante username and password.

3.3. Logging into the application platform (foreign applicants without login credentials)

If the applicant is unable to access the application form by any of the above means and is not a Spanish national, they will have to request their login credentials by sending an email to seleccion.pi@ua.es, with “Solicitud de credenciales de acceso para personas extranjeras” [meaning ‘Request for login credentials for foreigners’] as the email subject. The email must contain the following information: a) reference code of the relevant call for applications; b) name and surnames; c) ID number; and d) email address (to which the login credentials will be sent). They must also attach a copy of a valid ID or passport.

Candidates are advised to submit their request at least two working days before the application deadline to ensure timely receipt and processing.

3.4. Notifications and veracity of information

The electronic means to be used in the application process will be those specified on the UA e-Services Portal. The Guide on how to apply for research staff positions on research projects, available on the website of the UA Recruitment Service (link to the guide: https://s.ua.es/es/27NC) contains all information relating to the application process.

Whenever a decision or other documents relating to the recruitment process are published on the candidate’s electronic file, an email will be sent to the address provided in the application. This email is for information purposes only and does not replace the relevant notification (to be carried out in accordance with section 8 of the call for applications) under any circumstances.

By submitting their application, candidates confirm that the information provided in the application is true and that they meet all the requirements set out in the call for applications. They also undertake to provide proof that the information contained in the application is true and correct.

3.5. Documentation to be provided (holders of foreign qualifications)

Holders of a foreign qualification must provide both the official qualification certificate and the official academic transcript, in order to determine whether the qualification is indeed equivalent to the required qualification and/or the one to be considered for the merit-based assessment.

3.6. Documents submitted in a foreign language

Any supporting documents submitted in a language other than those with official status in the Valencia Region must be accompanied by a sworn translation. Otherwise, said supporting documents may be excluded or not considered.

3.7. Obligation to present proof of achievements and verification of original documents

Achievements for which no valid proof has been provided by the deadline for candidates to correct their applications after publication of the provisional list of accepted and rejected candidates (fourth section of the call) will not be taken into account.

At any point during the process, candidates may be required to present the originals of the submitted documents and, where applicable, the sworn translation of said documents.

Fourth. List of accepted and rejected candidates

Verification of compliance with requirements and grounds for exclusion

If at any point during the recruitment process the panel becomes aware that a candidate does not meet all the requirements set out herein, and once said candidate has been heard, the panel will propose to the University President that the candidate be excluded from the process. In order to ensure that the appropriate measures are taken, the panel will also specify the inaccurate or false information provided by the candidate in their application. Should the candidate be excluded from the recruitment process, they may file an appeal for the decision to be reviewed by the University President.

Sixth. Two-stage selection system

6.1. Selection system

Merit-based assessment and personal interview. The score awarded for the interview, which is mandatory and may be recorded, will range from 0 to 2.

6.2. Proof of identity

Applicants of Spanish nationality must prove their identity by presenting their Spanish ID, passport, driving licence or, where applicable, a document issued by a police station that contains their Spanish ID number. Applicants who are not Spanish nationals must prove their identity by presenting a document issued by the relevant authorities of their country of origin or residence; the document must be a valid proof of identity, age and nationality. Copies or photocopies of said documents are not accepted under any circumstances.

6.3. Weather emergency

The interview will be suspended if the University of Alicante issues a red weather warning and all in-person activities are cancelled; therefore, candidates are advised to check the UA website for the latest updates on weather warnings. For information purposes, any measures adopted will be published (in advance if possible) in the candidate’s electronic file as well as on the web page of the recruitment process.

6.4. Talent pool

The panel may decide to create a talent pool including candidates whose applications were unsuccessful, in accordance with section 1.2 of this call for applications.

ANNEX I

PURPOSE OF CALL I-PI 75-26 AND JOB PROFILE

Project PID2025-168829NB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the ERDF-EU

This project is carried out in accordance with Order CIN/1025/2022, of 27 October, and its amendments (Order CNU/1459/2023, of 26 de December, and Order CNU/307/2024, of 4 April), which approve the regulatory basis for the award of public funding under various programmes and subprogrammes of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021-2023, managed by the Spanish State Research Agency, according to the procedure for the accelerated implementation of funding programmes, for the year 2025, targeted at Knowledge Generation Projects and pre-doctoral research staff training actions associated with these projects, in the framework of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2024-2027.

1. Project in which the successful applicant will collaborate:

1.1. Name of the project: “FORensic AGE Estimation for Undocumented Young Migrants Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence (FORAGE)”.

1.2. Reference: PID2025-168829NB-I00.

1.3. Funding agency: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – Spanish State Research Agency.

1.4. Co-funding agency: ERDF-EU.

1.5. Dept. / Institute: University Institute for Computer Research.

2. Number of vacancies and features of the job vacancy.

2.1. Entering into the employment contract, as well as its terms and conditions, will be subject to the receipt of the funding for the project from the relevant agencies, i.e. the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – Spanish State Research Agency and the ERDF-EU.

2.2. Number of job vacancies: one.

2.3. Job position: pre-doctoral researcher.

2.4. Working hours: 37.5 hours/week in morning/afternoon sessions.

2.5. Remuneration: €1,644 gross/monthly (each monthly payment includes the amount corresponding to the extra payment for that month), corresponding to the remuneration set for a pre-doctoral researcher during the first year of their contract. Where a successful applicant had been previously employed under a pre-doctoral contract, their remuneration will be that set by law, taking into account how long they were on a pre-doctoral contract.

In any case, the remuneration amounts may not be less than 56% of the salary set for the equivalent categories in the relevant collective bargaining agreements during the first and second year, than 60% during the third year or than 75% during the fourth year, as set out in Article 7 of Spanish Royal Decree 103/2019, of 1 March, approving the Pre-doctoral Researchers’ Statute; nor may it be less than the minimum interprofessional wage established each year, in accordance with Article 27 of the Recast Version of the Workers’ Statute Law.

2.6. Initial duration of the contract: 1 year.

In any case, the duration of the contract will be linked to the duration of the project and its budgetary availability.

2.7. Tasks to be carried out:

The successful applicant will collaborate on the research project “FORensic AGE Estimation for Undocumented Young Migrants Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence (FORAGE) (PID2025-168829NB-I00)”, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – Spanish State Research Agency and by the ERDF-EU, undertaking doctoral training in cooperation with the University of Alicante Research Group in Robotics, Vision and Smart Technologies, to pursue a doctoral thesis within the scope of the aforementioned project and carrying out the following research tasks:

• Development of bone age regression methods based on medical images.
• Development of algorithms for medical image segmentation.
• Use of foundational AI models for age bone regression.
• Use and management of databases.
• Writing of scientific articles in international English-language journals and participation in international conferences (both tasks are to be carried out under the supervision of the principal investigator).

Third. Job profile.

Preference will be given to those with:

3.1. Experience and training related to the tasks listed in section 2 of this annex, as well as to:

• Development of AI algorithms using 3D image analysis models, particularly for the analysis of thoracic images.
• Analysis of results of medical image segmentation using standard metrics.
• Use of Slicer3D software.
• Programming in Python for medical imaging.

3.2. Knowledge of English. Only levels higher than that required in section 2 of the call for applications will be considered.

3.4. Official qualifications: Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (Spanish MECES level 3 or EQF level 7) or any other official Master’s degree with equivalent content.

Please note that you must use the University of Alicante's standard CV format https://s.ua.es/es/nSdB for Project-based Research and Technical Staff Recruitment, which is mandatory and is available at the following address on the University's website: https://s.ua.es/es/nlJf It must be attached in the section ‘Modelo currículum’.

Full terms and conditions of this call can be found at the following link (IN SPANISH): https://dogv.gva.es/es/resultat-dogv?signatura=2026/29983

Not a civil servant

Where to apply

Website: https://ssp.ua.es/en/selecinvest/academic-research-staff-recruitment.html

Requirements

Research Field: Computer science » Informatics
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: UNIVERSITY OF ALICANTE
Country: Spain
State/Province: Alicante
City: San Vicente del Raspeig
Postal Code: 03690
Street: Ctra. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n

Contact

State/Province: Alicante
City: San Vicente del Raspeig
Website: https://www.ua.es/
Street: Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n
Postal Code: 3690
E-Mail: seleccion.pi@ua.es