Looking for GLOBAL MSCA PF 2026 candidates: Universidad de Sevilla (Spain) - Department of Engineering and Materials and Transport Science.

Brief description of Supervisor /Research Group :The selected candidate will be supervised by Dr. Víctor M. Candelario, Senior Researcher at the University of Seville, Department of Materials and Transport Engineering. Dr. Candelario has more than 14 years of experience in the synthesis, processing and application of ceramic materials, with a strong focus on advanced ceramic membranes for water and gas separation, wastewater treatment, environmental remediation, catalysis and circular-economy applications.  His research line focuses on ceramic membranes and functional materials with photocatalytic, thermocatalytic and antifouling properties. The group combines materials synthesis, structural characterization, membrane fabrication, process engineering and performance assessment under real industrial conditions. Current topics include SiC, ZrO2 and Al2O3-based membranes, sustainable membrane supports from recycled feedstocks, additive manufacturing of ceramic components, pollutant removal, water reuse and resource recovery.  Dr. Candelario is Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the MSCA Industrial Doctoral Network UP2MEM, devoted to upcycling materials to fabricate advanced membrane technologies for the water and food industries. He has extensive experience in international R&D projects, industry-academia collaboration, technology transfer, patents and supervision of doctoral and master’s students. The fellow will join an applied and internationally connected research environment aimed at developing innovative membrane technologies with scientific, industrial and societal impact. 

Project description :The project aims to develop low-carbon ceramic membranes from recycled waste streams for solar-driven photocatalytic membrane processes. The selected candidate will contribute to the design, fabrication and functionalization of sustainable ceramic membranes with enhanced 
separation, antifouling and photocatalytic performance for water treatment, pollutant removal, water reuse and circular-economy applications.  The project will combine recycled ceramic precursors, membrane shaping and sintering strategies, nano-functionalization with photoactive materials, surface modification and performance validation under relevant operating conditions. Particular attention will be given to reducing the carbon footprint of membrane production while improving durability, catalytic activity and scalability.   

The fellowship is conceived as a Global MSCA-PF project. The outgoing phase (24 months) will involve: an initial phase at the University of Seville (Spain) (3-month secondment), focusing on material selection, benchmarking and proposal refinement. The fellow will then receive training at Technical University of Denmark (3-month secondment) on nano-functionalization strategies; followed by 14 months at Victoria University, Melbourne (Australia), with Prof. Mikel Duke, focused on surface modification, industrial process optimization and scale-up. Finally, validation under solar-driven conditions will be performed at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (Spain) (4-month secondment). 

The final return phase (12 months) at the University of Seville (Spain) will be dedicated to technology transfer, integration with ongoing membrane research lines and preparation of high-impact outputs.  An optional additional non-academic placement of up to 6 months may be included in Seville at Viva Materials Consulting S.L., further supporting industrial validation, entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer. 

The project can be tailored to the candidate’s expertise, provided that it remains within the framework of advanced membrane technologies, sustainable ceramic processing and photocatalytic water treatment.  

Evaluation panel: Environmental Sciences and Geology (ENV) 

IMPORTANT: Applicants should check their elegibility to apply for a GLOBAL fellowship to the MSCA PF 2026 Call:  

• Nationality: European national or long-term resident of a Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (Global Fellowship)  

• Be in a possession of a doctoral degree (PhD)  

• Have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date of award of the doctoral degree  

• Comply with the mobility rule (in this case, for Australia): not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organisation for the outgoing phase (Australia) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Victor Manuel Candelario Leal (vcandelario@us.es)

CV  / Motivation letter / 2 recommendation letter