Barcelona Ref. 2026/086

Call for a R1B- Predoctoral Researcher the Molecular Physiology of the Synapse Group. Deadline: 23 June 2026, 15:00 h.

About the Unit / Group

The Molecular Physiology of the Synapse Laboratory was established in 2012 at the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona and is led by Dr. Àlex Bayés (group website: www.molecular- synapse.org). Our goal is to understand how the synaptic proteome is organized and functions, particularly at excitatory synapses in the cortex and hippocampus. We study how this set of proteins regulates synaptic plasticity and, consequently, cognition and behavior. We also investigate how molecular alterations can lead to cognitive disorders such as intellectual disability and autism.

We apply Systems Biology approaches, combining mass spectrometry-based proteomics with bioinformatics analysis. In addition, we have recently acquired expertise in electroencephalographic (EEG) analyses. This has led us to conduct studies integrating proteomic and bioinformatic data with EEG data, with the aim of understanding how different patterns of brain activity modulate, in the medium and long term, the characteristics of the synaptic proteome and therefore its functional properties.

Another fundamental area of the group's research is the characterization of the molecular pathology of the synapse in cognitive disorders. We focus particularly on non-syndromic intellectual disability, as many of the genes involved in these disorders are located at the synapse. Within these neurodevelopmental disorders, we mainly investigate encephalopathy caused by SYNGAP1 deficiency.

The research project for which we are recruiting a predoctoral researcher aims to expand some of our most recent findings. On the one hand, we have identified Camk2 as a potential therapeutic target for SYNGAP1 deficiency and wish to study whether modulation of its activity may have beneficial effects on this neurodevelopmental disorder at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. Secondly, we have demonstrated in affected individuals that SYNGAP1 deficiency significantly reduces a type of sleep-related brain wave known as sleep spindles, which play a key role in long-term memory and can be detected through EEG. The same phenotype is also observed in animal models of this neurodevelopmental disorder. Our proteomic studies in these animals suggest that the molecular mechanisms involved in synaptic stabilization, which are essential for the formation and maintenance of long-term memory, are severely altered as a consequence of the deficit in sleep spindles. (The manuscript containing these results is currently under review: “NREM Oscillations Mediate Sleep-Dependent Proteome Dynamics to Support Synaptic Stabilization”, del Castillo-Berges et al.; available on bioRxiv). This could represent a relevant pathophysiological mechanism for this and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The predoctoral researcher will be able to work on either of these two research lines, which aim to demonstrate the direct relationship between sleep spindle alterations and the observed proteomic changes. In addition, we aim to assess whether genetic restoration of

Syngap1 in adult animals can restore these brain waves and, if so, whether this recovery has a positive impact at both the proteomic and cognitive levels. Most Relevant Publications – Last 15 Years

del Castillo-Berges et al. bioRxiv, 2026
Reig-Viader et al. Nature Communications, 2025
Feuermann et al. Nature, 2025
Trubetskoy et al. Nature, 2022
Kilinc et al. eLife, 2022
Koopmans et al. Neuron, 2019
Ramos-Vicente et al. eLife, 2018
Bayés et al. Nature Communications, 2017
Kirov et al. Molecular Psychiatry, 2012
Bayés et al. Nature Neuroscience, 2011
Bayés et al. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2009

Essential requirements

Minimum qualification required: Higher Education (University Degree)
Be a PhD student enrolled and admitted to a doctoral programme
Oral and written knowledge of the two official languages of Catalonia or, failing that, the successful candidate will have to demonstrate, or promise to obtain, within a period not exceeding one year, a correct knowledge of the two official languages of Catalonia.
Intermediate level of English
Intermediate knowledge of office tools (excel, word, power point, etc). Skills will be valued
Strong academic record.
Intermediate or advanced English level, minimum B2.
Academic or professional experience abroad.
High level of motivation for basic and translational research.
Research experience in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Experience handling experimental animal models.
Official accreditation to work with laboratory animals (A, B, C).
Programming skills in R and/or Python.
Ability to work independently and think autonomously and critically.
Teamwork and collaborative skills.

Functions

Cellular and molecular biology studies.
Proteomics and bioinformatics studies.
Electroencephalography studies.
Pharmacological studies.
Animal behavior studies.
Participation in general laboratory maintenance tasks.
Participation in group meetings and national and international conferences.

Offered

Predoctoral contract.
Annual working schedule of 1,627.5 hours (37.5 hours/week).
EPIF salary conditions.
Research Group: Molecular Physiology of the Synapse.
Opportunity to undertake a PhD in Neurosciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona within the framework of the research projects developed by the Research Group.
Support for applications to competitive public calls for predoctoral research contracts (AGAUR, ISCIII, MICIU, etc.).

Documentation and deadline for submission

Interested parties should preferably deliver the documentation (1) in PDF, by e-mail to the Management of the Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital Research Institute Foundation, address ir_seleccio@santpau.cat , indicating the reference 2026/085:

(1) Application letter and updated Curriculum Vitae and signed Data Processing Authorization**

At the request of the Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital Research Institute Foundation, the candidates must present the documentation accrediting the merits mentioned in the curriculum vitae. Applications will be resolved within a maximum period of one month from the end of the deadline for submission of documentation. At the end of this period, without having been notified of an express resolution, the interested parties will be entitled to understand that their applications have been rejected. Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital Research Institute Foundation may declare this call for applications closed if, according to its criteria, the candidates does not meet the conditions that the Institution considers necessary to fill the position. The interpretation of the requirements and their enforceability to the candidates will be exclusive to the Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital Research Institute Foundation. **It is essential to attach the duly signed data processing authorization (document attached at the end of the call)***

The deadline for submitting applications will end on June 23th 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

Barcelona, Tel: 93 291 90 50, NIF: G-60136934,

Apply to this offer

CV * Accepted File Extensions: PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, TXT (max 10 MB)

Cover letter * Accepted File Extensions: PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, TXT (max 10 MB)

Authorisation of personal data processing

AUTHORISATION FOR THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA

Dear candidate,

The Sant Pau Research Foundation (Fundació Institut de Recerca de l’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau), with tax ID G-60136934 and registered office at C/Sant Quintí, 77-79, 08024 Barcelona, as data controller, informs you that it will process your data for the following purposes:

Receipt of applications.
Analysis of applications with the aim of recruiting the candidate to the team of the Sant Pau Research Foundation, for a current vacancy and for future selection processes matching your profile.
Conducting personnel selection processes, as well as formalising the hiring of the candidate, where applicable.
Complying with the required legal obligations.

The legal basis for the processing of the data is the legitimate interest in managing this job offer, in accordance with Article 6.1 b) of the General Data Protection Regulation, given that your data are necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or for the application, at the data subject’s request, of pre-contractual measures.

Likewise, we inform you that your data (i) will only be processed by those departments or areas of the Institute that, according to their competences and functions, have an interest in personnel selection; (ii) may be disclosed to public authorities and bodies for the fulfilment of a legal obligation, as well as to service providers and third parties necessary for the management and execution of the relationships arising from the application; and (iii) will be retained for the periods foreseen for the prescription of legal liabilities.

Finally, we inform you that you have the right to access your personal data, to rectify them, to request their deletion, to object to their processing and to withdraw your consent to such processing. In certain circumstances you may request the limitation of the processing of your personal data, in which case we will only keep them for the exercise or defence of claims. In addition, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. If you have any question about the processing of your data you can contact the entity’s Data Protection Officer by sending an email to dpo@santpau.cat.

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