The CaixaResearch Institute is a newly established immunology research center with the mission of becoming a global leader in immunological research. It focuses on studying immune system processes and their interaction with the most prevalent diseases, including neurological, oncological, and infectious conditions, as well as on analysing the influence of environmental factors. The institute is devoted to understanding the role of the immune system in health and disease, analysing the environmental factors that influence these processes, and developing advanced technologies to observe and decode them in greater detail.

The institute is part of the rich ecosystem of biomedical research centres supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, which includes ISGlobal, the Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center (BBRC), VHIO, IRSICaixa, and the Sant Joan de Déu Foundation—all based in Barcelona—as well as The Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) in Lisbon.

CaixaResearch Institute invites applications from outstanding postdoctoral researchers interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 in the field of biomedicine. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. Fellows develop an original and personalised research project while acquiring new skills and competences to address current and future scientific challenges.

Candidates are encouraged to review the list of CaixaResearch Institute labs currently accepting MSCA fellows (see below) to identify research areas that align with their interests and find an appropriate CaixaResearch Institute supervisor.

Key dates

To apply: contact us by 30 June 2026

Call deadline: 9 September 2026

Eligibility

Please carefully confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria for this call before applying. More information: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 Guidelines.

Doctoral degree

• Applicants must hold a doctoral degree or have successfully defended their doctoral thesis by the call deadline.
• The successful defence must be unconditional, with no further requirements or corrections pending, and must take place before the call deadline.

Research experience

• At the call deadline, applicants must have a maximum of eight years of full-time equivalent research experience, measured from the date of award of their doctoral degree.
• For nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries wishing to reintegrate into Europe, research experience acquired in non-associated third countries will not be counted towards the maximum research experience.
• The eight-year limit may be extended for the following reasons:
  • Maternity leave (18 months per child born after the PhD award date, or the exact duration of maternity leave taken, whichever is longest).
  • Paternity leave (exact duration per child born after the PhD award date).
  • Compulsory national service.
  • Time spent not working in research.
  • Long-term sick leave (periods > 30 days).

Mobility

Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Resubmissions

Proposals involving the same recruiting organisation and individual researcher submitted to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call that received a score below 80% are not eligible for resubmission.

Nationality

Any nationality.

What we offer

• The opportunity to join a newly established immunology research centre with state-of-the-art infrastructure and a highly collaborative research environment.
• Access to the ecosystem of biomedical research centres supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation.
• Institutional support throughout the preparation and submission of the MSCA proposal.
• Guidance from experienced principal investigators and support services during the application process.
• A vibrant international scientific environment in Barcelona.

Selection procedure

Candidates will be selected based on their CV, research track record, and alignment with the host laboratory.

Host laboratory and field of expertise

The CaixaResearch Institute labs currently accepting MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship candidates are the following:

Héctor Huerga-Encabo Lab

• Keywords: Somatic mutations, bioinformatics, clonal evolution, inflammation, scRNASeq, epigenetics
• Expertise in hybrid wet/dry research, combining cutting-edge experimental and computational approaches, will be highly appreciated.

If you are interested in applying for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with this lab as host please contact [email protected]. Kindly include “MSCA-Huerga-Encabo Lab” in the subject line of your email.

María Mittelbrunn Lab

• Keywords: Immune Aging, Lipid metabolism,
• Postdoctoral scientist with a strong background in immunology, tissue regeneration, peroxisome biology, and/or lipid metabolism.

If you are interested in applying for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with this lab as host please contact [email protected]. Kindly include “MSCA Mittelbrunn Lab” in the subject line of your email.

María Martínez Lab

• Keywords: neuroimmunology, stress, tumor, brain
• Expertise in Mutiome, ATAC seq.

If you are interested in applying for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with this lab as host please contact [email protected]. Kindly include “MSCA Martínez Lab” in the subject line of your email.

Gemma Moncunill Lab

If you are interested in applying for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with this lab as host please contact [email protected]. Kindly include “MSCA Moncunill Lab” in the subject line of your email.

• Key words: Systems Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Responses
• Preferred Expertise: Multi-omics and data integration, computational immunology, spectral flow cytometry, high-dimensional immune profiling, and/or immune organoid models.

Josep Dalmau Lab

• Keywords: Keywords: animal models, CAR T-cell technology, flow cytometry, development of monoclonal antibodies.

If you are interested in applying for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with this lab as host please contact [email protected]. Kindly include “MSCA Dalmau Lab” in the subject line of your email.