MSCA-IF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department of Physiotherapy (Occupational Therapy) and Health Sciences.

Professor José Manuel Pérez Mármol, from the Department of Physiotherapy (Occupational Therapy) and Health Sciences at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF) in 2020 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (more information: http://sl.ugr.es/0aNV).

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the UGR’s commitment to continuously improve its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also a leading institution in research, located in the top 5/10 of Spanish universities by a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, or international funding.

UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking (http://sl.ugr.es/0aw0). The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) places the UGR in 268th position in the world and as the 4th highest ranked University in Spain, reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. From the perspective of specialist areas in the ARWU rankings, the UGR is outstanding in Documentation (ranked in the 36th in the world) or Food science technology (ranked 37th in the world), Mathematics and Computer Science (ranked among the top 76-100 in the world).

The UGR has 4 researchers at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list in the Computer Science area. With regard to broader subject fields, the UGR is ranked in 45th position in the universities worldwide in the discipline of Engineering. It is also well recognized for its web presence (http://sl.ugr.es/0a6i) taking 36th place in the top 200 Universities in Europe. Internationally, we bet decidedly by our participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the last two Framework Programmes, the UGR has obtained a total of 66 projects, with total funding of 18.02 million euros, and for H2020, 80 projects with total funding around 20.6 million euros.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group

Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA):

The ibs.GRANADA is a Health Research Institute based on a collaboration agreement signed between the Ministry of Health of the Andalusian Government, the University of Granada, the Andalusian Health Service and the Public Foundation for the Biosanitary Research of Eastern Andalucia - Alejandro Otero. The ibs.GRANADA is located within the collaboration framework established between the University of Granada and the University Hospitals of Granada, centers linked with a high level of care of the Public Health System, both Primary Care and Hospital Care.

The main aim of this research institute is to develop, promote and strengthen a multidisciplinary scientific research space in biomedicine where innovative, strategic, evidence-based studies are formulated and implemented. This, in turn, promotes the integration, partnership, and co-operation between research, clinical, wet-lab basic science, and applied health sciences teams whose mandate and outputs lead to key translational research achievements. The ibs.GRANADA aims to be a benchmark in scientific excellence, quality and innovation within the translational research sphere, within the fields of Biomedicine and Health Sciences, both nationally and internationally.

The main institutional strategies are: 1) to develop a scientific biomedical research agenda of excellence based innovative, evidence-based, cost-effective studies in areas that will have key, direct, and timely positive in the field of human health and well-being; 2) to establish state-of-the-art, inventive, financially sound, and timely knowledge transfer mechanisms of key biomedical research findings to inform clinical practices of health care providers; 3) to promote inter-institutional collaboration in biomedical research; 4) to advance the training and education of biomedical and health sciences researchers; and 5) to support the productive and effective cooperation and collaboration with other researchers through the formation and of and participation in thematic networks.

Project description

The human health-nature relationship: Investigating the physical, mental, cognitive and social benefits of humans engaging in natural environments

Green is the new gold approach to recovery for many health processes and functions of the human beings. Humans interacting with nature is essential not only for survival but for physical health, psychological well-being, cognitive ability, and social cohesion. However, nowadays, there is a concern that many people, particularly modern city dwellers, are losing or distancing their fundamental connection to nature.

Humans are multisensory, and it seems likely that many physical, mental, cognitive and social health-related benefits are delivered through our senses. To date, most of the research literature has been focused on the passive receipt of positive factors from nature but these benefits could be more actively derived from a more dynamic engagement of human beings with the natural environment. Moreover, the physiological, psychological, cognitive and physical mechanisms by which these benefits are generated, provided, created or released are not well understood as of yet. Hence, all of the possible avenues that connect us with our natural context should be actively investigated using different method research approaches.

This project aims to study whether and how the experiences of people interacting and engaging with nature influence their connection with nature (in other words, their human-nature relationship). These findings will be used to design new assessment methods and preventive and rehabilitative interventions for patients and their families to increase the potential therapeutic benefits of health treatments based on human-nature interactions. We are convinced that nature’s positive impact on human health is an important public health matter.

Research Area

Environment and Geosciences (ENV) and Life Sciences (LIFE)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor José Manuel Pérez Mármol (josemapm@ugr.es):

• CV
• Letter of recommendation (optional)