GreenME (Advancing Greencare in Europe: An integrated multi-scalar approach for the expansion of nature-based therapies to improve Mental health Equity) is described as a new-generation research project, which is driven by a transdisciplinary approach to research, based on mixed-methods study and knowledge co-creation.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, the project is co-ordinated by Drs Helen VS Cole and Margarita Triguero-Mas, from the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), part of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Based in Barcelona, the successful candidate would apply for a Joan Oró (FI-AGAUR 2024) PhD fellowship within the context of the project. They would be tasked with preparing the project proposal to be submitted as part of the fellowship application; and developing their own PhD dissertation, including study designs, data collection and analyses, manuscripts preparation, etc, based on the prospective available data in GreenME. The candidate will be supervised and work with both GreenME project co-ordinators.

Among the GreenME project’s objective are to:

• develop a comprehensive understanding of the current state of nature-based therapy (with their integration or not in healthcare systems) and green care in different study European regions;
• provide new strong evidence on the degree to which and how specific nature-based therapies (and green care broadly) benefit mental health and wellbeing; and
• empower green care actors to ensure the scaling-up of green care and its integration in healthcare systems.

The project will include interviews with various green care stakeholders, and studies designed to evaluate the associations between exposure to nature and adults’ mental health, with a particular focus on evaluating the potential differences on these associations by gender.

Drs Cole and Triguero-Mas said: “If granted by the funding agency, this position will present an extraordinary chance for a talented individual to advance research at the intersection of environmental sciences, social sciences, and public/planetary health, while making significant contributions to the growth and development of our academic community.

“Ideally, we are seeking a candidate with a strong background in health sciences. However, owing to the interdisciplinary nature of our project, we welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds who can offer unique perspectives and enrich our research project.”

Interested applicants should send the following information to margarita.triguero@uab.cat by 31 July 2023: motivation letter (including preferred topic for the thesis dissertation); CV; example of written work, such as a student’s paper or master thesis (ideally in English); contact details of two referees; and a copy of their highest diploma (the minimum requirement is a diploma qualifying for doctoral studies in Spain (e.g. Master degree), but students in their last year may apply as long as they will be graduated by the end of September 2023).

The three-to-four-year full-time role would begin in Spring or Summer 2024.