SEJ-658 – Laboratory for Cognition, Health, Training and Interaction among Humans, Animals and Machines (CHTI-HAM)

Organisation / Company University of Granada Department Didactics and School Organization Laboratory SEJ-658 – Laboratory for Cognition, Health, Training and Interaction among Humans, Animals and Machines (CHTI-HAM) Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

MSCA-PF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department ofDidactics and School Organisation.

Professor GIJÓN PUERTA, JOSÉ, from the Department ofDidactics and School Organisation at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidatesinterested inapplying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF)in 2026 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2026 call, please consult this link ) .

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain.With more than 57,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and almost 7,000 members of staff, the UGR offers 97 undergraduate degrees, 157 master’s degrees (7 of which are double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.

The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflectsthe institution’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 internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D; projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.

The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2025 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 301-400th position in the world and as the 3-8 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 Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Dentistry & Oral Sciences (ranked between 51th-75th position), Computer Science & Engineering, Education and Hospitality & Tourism Management (between 76-100th position), and in the areas of Food Science & Technology and Business Administration (between 101-150th position). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in the areas of Earth Sciences, Law, Management, Nursing, Psychology and Statistics, in which the UGR is positioned in the 151-200th position.

Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the prevoius Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a totalof124 projectswith a total funding of more than€30 million.For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained136 projects, so far, with a total funding of more than€38 million.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:

The SEJ-658 research group (CHTI-HAM Lab) at the University of Granada conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of education, health, artificial intelligence, and human–animal interaction. The group integrates educational sciences, affective computing, and behavioural research, with a strong focus on stress detection and modulation in academic contexts.

Current research includes the development of multimodal AI systems for detecting emotional and physiological stress (facial expression analysis, behavioural patterns, biosignals), as well as the design and evaluation of evidence-based interventions such as dog-assisted activities (DAA).

The group has led competitive projects (e.g., DAAP-SL)



and is actively developing AI-driven personalised support systems in higher education. It provides access to experimental programmes, real-world datasets, and international collaborations, combining quantitative, qualitative, and computational approaches to address complex wellbeing challenges.

This MSCA-PF project (MARES – Multimodal Analysis of Responses to Emotional Stress) aims to develop an integrated system for detecting, analysing, and modulating academic stress through multimodal data and human–animal interaction.

The fellow will design an AI-based framework combining computer vision, behavioural analysis, and physiological indicators (e.g., heart rate, cortisol) to identify personalised stress signatures in university students. A key innovation is the comparison of stress responses with and without interaction with trained therapy dogs, enabling the modelling of stress modulation processes.

The project includes three objectives: (1) development of a multimodal dataset based on structured interviews and observational protocols; (2) training of machine learning models for personalised stress detection; (3) evaluation of dog-assisted interventions as a stress regulation strategy.

The fellow will benefit from a highly interdisciplinary training environment, including advanced AI methods, multimodal data analysis, and human–animal interaction research. A personalised training plan will also cover transferable skills (academic writing, project management, open science, communication).

Supervision will combine regular mentoring with progressive autonomy, supporting publication strategies, grant writing, and international networking.

Secondments in technological and applied settings will strengthen both AI development and intervention implementation, enhancing interdisciplinary integration and career development.

The project aligns with priorities in mental health, artificial intelligence, and personalised education, offering strong scientific and societal impact.

Research Area:

- Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)
- Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor GIJÓN PUERTA, JOSÉ ([email protected] ):

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Msca-pf: joint application at the university of granada. department of didactics and school organisation.
🏢 International Research Projects Office
📍 Granada