join us
How to apply to CEPIMA, and what to add for each profile.
We welcome motivated students and researchers who want to work with us on process systems engineering, circular economy and environmental engineering. The way to apply is the same for everyone: one email with a complete set of documents, in which you show why CEPIMA is the right place for you and how your stay can be funded.
How to apply
Send your application to cepima@upc.edu. It must include the three items below. We can only follow up on complete applications, so take the time to prepare them.
CV and academic records
- Your curriculum vitae.
- Transcripts of your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, where applicable.
- An official document stating the average mark of the graduates of your year or institution, if one exists.
- Degrees from outside Spain: the official equivalence of your average mark in the Spanish system. Most Spanish and Catalan funding calls require it.
Letter of intent
This is where you make your case. A letter that could be sent to any group will not convince us, so address each of these points explicitly:
- Objectives: what you want to achieve during your stay and where you want it to lead, whether scientifically, academically, professionally or personally.
- Why CEPIMA: which of our research lines you want to work on, and how it connects to what you have done so far.
- Experience: your background in research, academia or industry, particularly in areas related to our work.
- Funding: how you plan to fund your stay (own resources, a grant you hold or will apply for, a research project…) and the costs it has to cover: travel, accommodation, fees, materials.
- Availability: when you could start, for how long, and with what dedication.
- Formalities: what you will need from us (an invitation or acceptance letter, an agreement…) and what your home institution will require to recognise your stay.
References
- Names and contact details of your referees, or their recommendation letters.
- Anything else you consider relevant.
Funding is part of your application
We need to know that your stay is feasible. Look at the recurring calls listed for your profile below, check that you are eligible, and tell us which ones you plan to apply to. Calls have fixed deadlines, so write to us well in advance.
What we value
Skills, knowledge and experience in process control, system modelling, optimisation, statistical analysis, operations scheduling and computational tools.
Suggested subject: Application – PhD / Postdoc / Student / Visit – your name
Additional information by profile
On top of the documents above, each profile has its own priorities and funding routes.
PhD candidates
You need a Master’s degree in chemical, industrial or environmental engineering or a related field, or to be about to complete one. Your thesis will be part of UPC’s doctoral programme in Chemical Process Engineering.
Degrees from outside Spain? The grade equivalence is essential
Include the declaration of equivalence of your average mark in your first email. Most predoctoral calls in Spain and Catalonia require it, and the average mark weighs heavily in their evaluation. Without it, you cannot apply to them.
How to obtain it- FPU and FPI contracts (Spanish government)
- FI grants (AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya)
- UPC predoctoral grants
- Industrial Doctorates, together with a company
- For international candidates: Fundación Carolina (teaching staff at Latin American universities), the CSC-UPC programme (China) and scholarships from your home country
Most general calls open between October and February (see the UPC Doctoral School’s overview). Contact us at least one month before the deadline.
Postdoctoral researchers
In your CV, give detailed, quantitative indicators of:
- Publications: their quality, not only their number (citations, impact factor…).
- Projects: competitive research projects you have led or taken part in, and their funding.
- Patents and technology transfer: patents being exploited and technology transferred, with their value.
- Leadership and independence: funded proposals you secured, PhD and Master’s theses you supervised.
- Other scientific activities: peer reviewing, conference organisation…
In your letter of intent, relate your background and your research proposal to specific CEPIMA projects or publications, and make the case for the originality, rigour and relevance of your current and future results. Add a short research proposal (1–2 pages).
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (EU)
- Beatriu de Pinós (AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya)
- Juan de la Cierva and Ramón y Cajal (Spanish government)
Letters of support need at least four weeks’ notice before the call deadline.
Master & undergraduate students
We host Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis projects at the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE) and in the Master’s in Chemical Engineering.
Stress in your application the courses and projects closest to our work, such as process simulation, control or optimisation.
UPC students: the topics we offer are published on the EEBE’s official platform. To propose your own, follow the procedure above.
Students from other universities: tell us what your university requires (learning agreement, internship agreement, credits) and the dates of your stay.
- Erasmus+ for students at European universities
- Mobility grants from your home university or country
Visiting researchers
Stays of 3 to 12 months are possible for doctoral students and researchers from other institutions.
Stress in your application
- Your publications and other relevant achievements.
- The research line you want to work on, the work you plan to do during your stay, and how it fits with ours.
- If you are a doctoral student: a short letter of support from your supervisor.
- The documents you need from us (invitation letter, host agreement, visa support) and by when.
- Mobility grants from your home institution or country
- Erasmus+ staff mobility, between European universities
- Sabbatical leave
Get in touch
Applications: cepima@upc.edu · for questions about a specific topic, see Staff and contact the relevant researcher directly.