Call for 'Expression of Interest' to submit research proposals on Alzheimer’s disease prevention to the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026

Are you a postdoctoral researcher pondering the next step in your scientific journey? The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is eager to back excellent researchers who are interested in applying for an EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in the area of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.

About the employer

The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is a research centre dedicated to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the study of cognitive functions affected in healthy and pathological ageing. It was established in 2012 by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation (FPM) with the support of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). FPM, UPF and “la Caixa” Foundation are permanent members of the BBRC Board.

The FPM is a private, non-profit organisation founded in 2008 by Pasqual Maragall who publicly announced his AD diagnosis and believed research was the best way to fight the disease. FPM´s main scientific activities are carried out through its research center, BBRC, which focuses on disease prevention and studying cognitive functions affected in healthy and pathological aging. Additionally, it provides administrative infrastructure and strategic access to a large community of more than 110.000 associates, many with a family history of AD, who actively participate in research initiatives and citizen science. This community enables large-scale studies on risk perception, biomarker disclosure and prevention programmes, while strengthening the link between scientific advances and society.

BBRC is committed to decipher and prevent biological and cognitive changes associated with AD and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Its flagship research project is the ALFA study, which includes nearly 3.000 cognitively unimpaired individuals with higher risk for AD. Two additional cohort studies, ALFA+ and Beta AARC provide distinct approaches to understanding AD and cognitive decline risk. BBRC is a young, multidisciplinary research center with a team of researchers and scientific professionals across clinical operations, scientific coordination, facilities, and research management. In parallel, the FPM professionals provide management and administrative support, ensuring a strong operational backbone. Moreover, has been awarded with the European Commission’s “HR Excellence in Research” seal, recognizing its commitment to high-quality scientific careers and researcher-friendly policies.

BBRC is located at the Ciutadella Campus of the UPF (Barcelona) and it houses the most advanced platforms for AD research, including a state-of-the-art 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a Fluid Biomarkers Facility equipped with cutting-edge technologies, and spaces for conducting Clinical Trials, amongst others.  State-of-the-art scientific facilities, effective management and continuous high-standard peer-review evaluation are the BBRC core proceedings to ensure achieving world-class research results. Additionally, BBRC forms part of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), a large research facility that hosts seven other research institutions related to biomedical research, including the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University (CEXS-UPF), the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE CSIC-UPF), the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) and the Barcelona site of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), among others, in a multidisciplinary, collaborative and stimulating international environment in close contact with a clinical setting, thereby conducive to translational research. 
To strengthen the link between research and clinical practice, the BBRC jointly operates the Barcelona Brain Health Centre (BBHC) with Hospital del Mar. This innovative clinical-research structure was created to bridge the gap between cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research and real-world healthcare, providing integrated prevention, follow-up and care for individuals at different levels of cognitive risk, including asymptomatic individuals who currently lack a defined care pathway in the conventional health network. The BBHC thus constitutes a translational arm of the BBRC, linking scientific excellence with the clinical expertise of the Hospital del Mar Neurology Service.

For more information, please visit: www.fpmaragall.org and www.barcelonabeta.org 

About the job

MSCA-PF grantee will be supervised by Dr. Andrea Horta-Barba, Program Lead for Dementia Risk Communication at the BBHC–BBRC.
Her team focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of structured clinical protocols (Standard Operating Procedures, SOPs) for the stratification and ethical communication of individual AD risk in cognitively asymptomatic individuals. This line of research sits at the intersection of neuropsychology, neurology, translational neuroscience, bioethics, and health systems science.
More specifically, the group studies how high-precision blood-based biomarkers (particularly p-tau217) and multifactorial risk calculators can be integrated into a clinically safe and ethically robust framework for individual risk assessment and disclosure. The team investigates how asymptomatic individuals perceive and respond to probabilistic risk information about AD, examining the psychological impact of the risk communication process, decisional quality, and the factors influencing people's choices about whether or not to learn their individual risk. A key component of the group's work is also understanding population-level preferences and attitudes towards risk disclosure, in order to ensure that emerging clinical models are person-centred, equitable and socially acceptable.
The research vision of Dr Horta-Barba's team emphasizes the urgent need to bridge the growing gap between technological capacity to detect biological AD risk and the clinical reality of communicating this information responsibly. Drawing on Dr Horta-Barba's extensive clinical background in genetic counselling for Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, and inspired by established risk communication models from oncology and genetic medicine, the group seeks to adapt and validate these approaches for the AD preclinical context. The ultimate goal is to generate transferable SOPs and clinical decision-support tools that can be implemented in memory units and Brain Health Services within the Spanish National Health System (SNS), establishing a rigorous ethical and clinical standard for precision medicine in neurodegeneration.
If your research interests align with the ones above, then we want to hear from you!
Researchers with an exceptional scientific background and a concept for a research project in the field of AD risk communication, Brain Health Services, clinical neuropsychology, biomarkers in preclinical AD, or related areas are encouraged to get in touch with us. The selected candidates will be provided with special support from the BBRC and BBHC teams to devise and submit a successful application to this highly competitive programme

What we offer

• Join a team with deep expertise in AD neuropsychology, clinical biomarker research, risk communication, bioethics, data management and clinical operations — embedded in a unique clinical-research environment at the BBHC.
• Direct integration in the clinical activity: The fellow will participate in real-world consultations focused on cognitive health, contributing to the development and piloting of risk communication and stratification protocols with cognitively healthy individuals.
• Access to world-class longitudinal cohorts of cognitively healthy individuals at risk of AD (ALFA, ALFA+, Beta-AARC), with over 2.700 participants characterised with blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment.
• A unique translational platform linking basic research at the BBRC with real-world clinical practice at Hospital del Mar Neurology Service.
• Access to a community of over 110.000 FPM associates, enabling large-scale population studies on risk preferences and AD prevention.
• A professional development and training program designed to enhance scientific and transversal competencies for a successful research career.
• State-of-the-art scientific facilities and professional research support in project management, funding, technology transfer, and dissemination.
• Possibility to participate in outreach activities throughout the year.
• Hybrid working model (on-site + teleworking).
• The Foundation offers the possibility of benefiting from flexible working hours. BBRC is committed to ensuring a work-life balance for its employees and promotes a diverse and inclusive environment.
• We offer work in a highly stimulating team. 

Who can apply?

• These fellowships are open to excellent researchers from any part of the globe who have obtained a doctoral degree and have no more than 8 years of full-time research experience since their PhD completion.
• We are looking for applicants with a PhD and research experience in one or more of the following areas:
  o    Clinical neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, or neurology,
  o    AD biomarkers, preclinical AD, or related neurodegenerative diseases,
  o    Risk communication, genetic counselling, or predictive medicine,
  o    Bioethics, health psychology, or patient-centred care,
  o    Clinical research methods, health services research, or implementation science,
  o    Brain Health Services, cognitive prevention programmes, or clinical practice in pre-symptomatic or at-risk populations.
• Candidates must not have been residing in Spain for more than 12 months of the past 36 months at the date of the official MSCA-PF call deadline to be eligible

Position details

•  Contract with a competitive living allowance.
• Funded international research stays in academic or in industry sectors. The fellowship includes additional funds for research and training activities.
• The fellowship is for a period of 2 years.
• The feedback from the call is expected in early 2027 and, if successful, the estimated starting date will be from May 2027 onwards, with the official contract to be formalized once the selected candidate has obtained all the necessary documentation for legal employment in Spain.

Application

Candidates interested in this position should submit their Expression of Interest application to talent@barcelonabeta.org
The application should provide information on the applicant's research background and work experience, including:
1.    A complete CV, including personal contact information.
2.    A motivation letter, outlining the 5 most relevant research results (1-page).

Deadline of the pre-selection process
 

• Candidatures will be evaluated regularly, upon receipt.
• If you wish to have BBRC as your host institution please send us your proposal by 20th of April (3 pm, CET).
• Questions or clarifications about this call or the application process can be directed to talent@barcelonabeta.org