USP-CEU welcomes early stage postdoctoral researchers with an excellent track record, to apply to the European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA-25) Postodoctoral Felloships or any other R2 reseach calls, such as: Juan de la Cierva (Spanish Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation) or Atracción Talento (Madrid Regional Goverment).

Selected candidates will be provided with special assistance for proposal writing and development. Our University has been beneficiary of 8 MSCA PF since 2017, including one MSCA-PF with an evaluation of 100/100 in 2021.

Hosting Research Group

The Research Group on Skills, Employment, and Talent Development studies the impact of skills on career development, including labor market access, reskilling, and upskilling within companies. Its goal is to understand, assess, and enhance the relationship between transferable skills and professional success. The group analyzes soft skills, their importance in the workplace, and their influence on securing employment and career advancement. It also seeks to identify methods to measure these skills, aligning them with current and future labor market demands. Additionally, the group explores how these skills vary across different fields, cultures, and socioeconomic environments to understand their broader impact. The ultimate aim is to propose strategies to strengthen soft skills in educational and professional settings, improving employability and performance. 

Hosting Supervisor: Prof. Ángel Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7056-8855  and Prof. Sonia Martín Gómez https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9377-1941  

Relevant publications and projects

1. Luna, A. B. M. de, & Gomez, S. M. (2025). The Three-Factor Model and Skills for Employability. Journal of Posthumanism, 5(2), 836–853. https://doi.org/10.63332/joph.v5i2.459. https://posthumanism.co.uk/jp/article/view/459 
2. Cortejoso Lino, M., Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna, Ángel, & Martín Gómez, S. (2025). Research on the Concepts of Employability and Competencies as a Driver of Educational Change through a Bibliometric Study. Street Art & Urban Creativity, 11(2), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v11.5743. https://visualcompublications.es/SAUC/article/view/5743 
3. Gomez, S. M. and Luna, A. B. M. de (2025). The current state of e-learning in university studies: bibliometric analysis and study of networks. Campus Virtuales (Vol. 14, Num. 01). 63-82. https://doi.org/10.54988/cv.2025.1.1429. http://www.uajournals.com/campusvirtuales/es/revistaes/numerosanteriore… 
4. Cortejoso Lino, M., Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna, A., & Martín Gómez, S. (2024). Assessment of Employment Competencies from the Perspective of University Graduates : Using a Reflective Structural Equation Model. VISUAL REVIEW. International Visual Culture Review Revista Internacional De Cultura Visual, 16(6), 147–164. https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v16.5337. https://visualcompublications.es/revVISUAL/article/view/5337 
5. Martín-Gómez, S., & Muñoz de Luna, Ángel B. (2025). ¿Coinciden la comunidad científica y la sociedad sobre el uso de la Inteligencia Artificial en educación? [Do the scientific community and society agree on the use of Artificial Intelligence in education?]. Pixel-Bit. Revista De Medios Y Educación, 72, 139–157. https://doi.org/10.12795/pixelbit.107530. https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/pixel/article/view/107530 

• PROJECTS: Corporate Training: Skills 2 Market (Project under the Spanish National Research Plan, in which we are involved as scientific coordinators)

   

Research Project Description

The field of study will be employability and transversal competencies. To understand, evaluate and improve the relationship between these skills and employment success. It seeks to analyze in depth what soft skills are, their importance in the workplace and how they affect people's ability to get jobs and advance in their careers. In addition, we seek to identify methods to measure these skills, aligning them with the demands of the current and future labor market. The purpose is to propose strategies to strengthen these competencies, both in educational and work environments, in order to improve employability and professional performance. It also studies how these skills vary in different labor fields, cultures and socioeconomic environments to understand their impact in various situations. In summary, the group focuses on understanding and improving soft skills to contribute to the integral development of individuals. 

Candidate requirements: Postdoctoral candidates of any nationality (max. 8 years after defense) with:

• Conceptual Mastery of Competencies and Employability 
• Critical and Interdisciplinary Thinking 
• Design and Application of Mixed Research Methods 
• Prospective and Contextual Vision
• Communication and Knowledge Transfer Skills
• Research Ethics and Social Commitment

An expression of interest shall be sent to abartolome@ceu.es and margom@ceu.es  (Attn.: Dr. Ángel Bartolome and Dr. Sonia Martín). Your file should contain the following elements:

• A short CV (Max. 2 pages)
• A one-page research proposal
• A short statement explaining why CEU would be the best host institution for your research.
• Two letters of reference. 

Those files received before 15th of June y will be considered for MSCA-PF 2025. Applications received after this date, will be considered for other calls after discussion with the candidate.

Keywords: Employment, soft skills, career development, Upskilling