PhD Student - Characterization, air pollution impacts and mitigation strategy assessment of NH3 emissions (R1)

Job Reference

410_26_ES_AC_R1 Position

PhD Student - Characterization, air pollution impacts and mitigation strategy assessment of NH3 emissions (R1) Closing Date

Thursday, 17 September, 2026 Reference: 410_26_ES_AC_R1 Job title: PhD Student - Characterization, air pollution impacts and mitigation strategy assessment of NH3 emissions (R1)

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

In recent years, ammonia (NH3) has become a major focus in European air quality policy, with the new Ambient Air Quality Directive 2024/2881 recognising it as a pollutant of emerging concern. NH3 has important implications for both human health and ecosystems. On the one hand, it plays a key role in the formation of inorganic secondary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and, on the other, NH3 emissions alter nitrogen cycling in soils and water, contributing to biodiversity loss and affecting ecosystem functioning.

The Atmospheric Composition group from the Earth Science department at the BSC-CNS searches for a highly motivated candidate who wishes to undertake a PhD on improving the characterisation of Spanish NH3 emissions and their impacts on air pollution, by combining satellite and in situ observations with atmospheric chemistry models, and to evaluate the effectiveness of selected mitigation strategies.

The person appointed will be involved in both EU and national-funded projects, and will collaborate with scientists of reputed international institutions. Successful candidates will benefit from expert training and BSC staff benefits: international multidisciplinary scientific environment and advanced applied research training.

Key Duties

• Undertake original research on NH3 modelling methodologies to constrain sources of origin and impact on air quality levels
• Collection and processing of novel NH3 observations for evaluation of modelled emissions and concentrations
• Advance the BSC emission and air quality modelling tools
• Quantification of the impact of selected NH3 emission abatement measures
• Development of methodologies to update and improve emission estimates
• Participate in collaborative projects with partner institutions
• Presenting research findings at international conferences; writing manuscripts in top peer review publications
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Education
  • Master’s degree in physical sciences, engineering or related discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Meteorology, Physics, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering)
• Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
  • Knowledge in environmental, atmospheric sciences
  • Experience in emission and/or air quality modelling
  • Experience in programming and code development (Python and/or R)
  • Experience working in Unix/Linux environments
• Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
  • Experience in similar fields will be valued.
  • Experience with revision control systems (e.g., SVN or Git)
  • Knowledge of atmospheric science data formats (GRIB, NetCDF)
• Competences
  • Very good interpersonal skills
  • Fluent English, both written and spoken
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to take initiative, prioritize and work under set deadlines
  • Ability to work both independently and within a team

Conditions

• The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
• We offer a full-time contract (35h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
• Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
• Holidays: 22 days of holidays + 6 personal days + 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
• Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
• Starting date: 1/10/2026

Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

• A full CV in English including contact details
• A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.

Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

• Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
• Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment [at] bsc [dot] es.

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Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.

BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.

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