FPU for PhD Immunology

About this position

The CaixaResearch Institute is a newly established immunology research centre 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 Centre (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 predoctoral researchers interested in applying for a Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU) 2026 granted by Agencia Estatal de Investigación in the field of biomedicine.

FPU aims to support early-stage researchers in developing their scientific careers and completing a PhD. FPU fellows will carry out an original doctoral research project for 4 years, gaining advanced knowledge, skills and experience to contribute to scientific progress.

Candidates are encouraged to review the list of CaixaResearch Institute labs currently accepting FPU 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 16th October 2026 at Work with us – CRI.

Call deadline: 20th November 2026

Host laboratory and field of expertise

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

Héctor Huerga-Encabo Lab

We are looking for a PhD candidate interested in understanding how somatic mutations arising in hematopoietic stem cells shape immune cell development and function during ageing. The PhD candidate will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking clonal haematopoiesis with altered innate immune responses, combining human experimental models with genome editing , advanced flow cytometry and single-cell and epigenomic approaches. The project will explore how clonal evolution and inflammatory environments interact to influence immune function and resilience.

• Keywords: Clonal haematopoiesis, somatic mutations, hematopoietic stem cells, innate immunity, inflammation, immune ageing, clonal evolution, single-cell transcriptomics, epigenetics
• Preferred expertise: Immunology, haematology, stem cell biology. Experience with cell culture, flow cytometry, genome editing and/or bioinformatics is desirable. Candidates interested in combining experimental and computational approaches are particularly encouraged to apply.

María Mittelbrunn Lab

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join our lab under the FPU program , working on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune aging (immunosenescence).

The project combines animal models with longitudinal human samples to study how aging reshapes innate and adaptive immune cell populations and function, using state-of-the-art approaches including spectral flow cytometry, scRNA seq and functional assays. A key goal is to understand how age-related immune remodelling contributes to chronic low-grade inflammation ("inflammaging"), and susceptibility to disease.

• Keywords: Immune aging, immunosenescence, inflammaging,
• Preferred expertise: Background in immunology, aging biology, or cellular biology, experience with spectral flow cytometry or cell culture is a strong plus, Comfortable working with animal models , enthusiastic, with strong teamwork skills

María Martínez Lab

We are seeking a PhD candidate to investigate maternal immunity during pregnancy and lactation, and its impact on tumour progression . The project combines state-of-the-art single-cell transcriptomics , spectral flow cytometry , and functional assays to decipher immune remodelling and neuroimmunological crosstalk.

• Keywords: Maternal immunity, neuroimmunology, stress, tumour progression.
• Preferred expertise: background in immunology or neuroimmunology. Experience with in vivo mouse models, single-cell techniques and spectral flow cytometry is desired.

Gemma Moncunill Lab

We are seeking a PhD candidate interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the durability of antibody responses to malaria vaccines in African children. The PhD candidate will investigate the innate–Tfh–B-cell axis using longitudinal paediatric samples and state-of-the-art single-cell transcriptomic , TCR-sequencing , flow cytometry and functional approaches . The project will also determine how malaria exposure disrupts these immune pathways and contributes to vaccine-induced antibody waning.

• Keywords: Malaria, vaccine responses, cell immunity, single-cell transcriptomics, systems immunology, single-cell RNA sequencing, TCR sequencing
• Preferred expertise: background in immunology, infectious diseases, vaccinology or cellular biology. Experience with cell culture and spectral flow cytometry is desired

Gabriel Rabinovich Lab

We are looking for a PhD candidate interested in exploring how glyco-immune circuits shape anti-tumour immunity and therapeutic response , with a particular focus on solid tumours and pancreatic cancer. The candidate will join the Glyco-Immunology Laboratory, that investigates how glycan–lectin interactions regulate immunity , with the aim of translating these discoveries into novel therapeutic strategies and biomarkers.

• Keywords : cancer biology, immunology, glycobiology and tumour microenvironment
• Preferred expertise : cell culture, flow cytometry, molecular biology. Desired: T-cell biology, CAR-T cells, organoids, functional assays, mouse models, multi-omics

Josep Dalmau Lab

We invite applications from motivated PhD candidates interested in investigating the immunological and synaptic mechanisms underlying autoimmune encephalitis , using patient samples and mouse models.

The project will examine how treatments such as anti-CD20 therapies and CAR T-cells influence disease progression and pathogenic mechanisms. The candidate will also characterize immune alterations using single-cell RNA sequencing and transcriptomic approaches .

• Keywords : Autoimmune encephalitis, synaptic dysfunction, B-cell receptor sequencing, T-cell immunity, TCR sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing, single-cell transcriptomics.
• Preferred expertise : Background in neuroscience and/or immunology, with experience in or interest in monoclonal antibodies, animal models, cell culture, confocal microscopy, and spectral flow cytometry.