You will earn 6 research credits over 8 weeks, conducting a faculty-supervised, hands-on, directed study research project with results that will culminate in the preparation of a research paper.
You will complete a minimum of 240 hours on research in and out of the laboratory. Your dedicated research location is determined by your project and will differ between IISTA and UGR.
To prepare for this experience you will speak with your research mentor before arriving in Spain to work on a literature review.
| Course ID | Title | Credits | Syllabus |
| GRAN RSLW 392S | International Independent Research in STEM Fields | 6 |
| Course ID | Title | Credits | Syllabus |
| GRAN RSLW 392S | International Independent Research in STEM Fields | 6 |
The atmosphere is composed of gases, clouds and aerosol particles. Aerosols are minute particles suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols interact both directly and indirectly with the Earth's radiation budget and climate. They are a key component of the atmosphere since they scatter and absorb sunlight. Their scattering of sunlight can reduce visibility (haze) and redden sunrises and sunsets. As an indirect effect, aerosols in the lower atmosphere are responsible for cloud formation and can modify the properties of cloud particles. However, they are very difficult to characterize because of their large spatial and temporal variability. Because of this, there is still a gap of knowledge related to aerosol particles and their impact on climate change. A better characterization of their spatial and temporal distribution based on experimental data is key to understanding and mitigating climate change.
Sun photometers are remote sensors that can measure the aerosol load in the atmosphere and their properties from the Earth’s surface. Using these properties, it is possible to distinguish the different aerosol types in the atmosphere and their effects. AERONET NASA’s network is a worldwide network of sun-photometers, providing global information about aerosol properties. In Granada, 20 years of measurements using sun photometer measurements are available. The goal of this project is to characterize the aerosol types in this city and their temporal variation. The analysis can also be extended to other stations in any part of the world using AERONET data.
In this research project, we aim to learn how to exploit the database from AERONET sun photometers, to apply aerosol typing classification schemes and to analyze the temporal trends of aerosol properties. This will allow us to characterize aerosol composition and temporal variations. The research will be performed under the supervision of María José Granados Muñoz (PhD) and Juan Antonio Bravo Aranda (PhD), in the IISTA, a state-of-the-art atmospheric research center where great aerosol experts and young students and researchers work together in a great environment. The students will have the opportunity to work with all the available instrumentation and do hands-on training with the instruments and databases.
What is a typical day/week like?
Students are expected to work at the lab/ research facilities Monday through Friday. The project will be developed 100% in person.
Students will begin with training on AERONET and sun photometer fundamentals. Weekly tasks may include:
By the end of the project, students will be familiar with global aerosol monitoring systems and be capable of producing scientific insights based on long-term observational data.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
The atmosphere is full of hidden wonders, and one of the most fascinating yet challenging to understand is the boundary layer. This part of the atmosphere plays a crucial role in everything from weather patterns to air quality, but because of its dynamic and complex nature, it’s tough to pin down. Understanding boundary layers is key for improving climate models, weather forecasts, and environmental management—and that’s where our work comes in. Using remote sensing tools like elastic and Doppler lidar, we’re working to shed light on the boundary layer with unprecedented detail.
The boundary layer is the lowest part of the atmosphere, extending just a few kilometers above the Earth's surface. It’s here that rapid changes in temperature, humidity, and wind speed take place, directly affecting environmental processes like pollution, energy transfer, and local weather. Traditionally, studying the boundary layer has been tricky, but with advancements in remote sensing, we now have powerful tools that can give us precise and detailed observations. Elastic and Doppler lidar, in particular, are helping us see boundary layers in a whole new way, providing real-time, high-resolution data.
In this research project, we’ll use these remote sensing techniques to better understand how boundary layers behave under different environmental conditions. Students will learn how to operate elastic and Doppler lidar systems, process the data, and analyze key boundary layer properties like height, thickness, wind speed, turbulence, and aerosol content. By the end of this project, the goal is to develop improved methods for tracking boundary layer dynamics, which will help enhance weather forecasts, air quality monitoring, and even climate models.
This research will take place at the Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA) in Granada, under the guidance of Dr. Juan Antonio Bravo-Aranda and Dr. Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado. We’re looking for motivated students with a strong interest in atmospheric science, and who work well in teams. You’ll be joining a group of experts, learning cutting-edge techniques, and contributing to research that makes a real-world impact.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
The atmosphere is composed of gases, aerosol particles… and clouds! Clouds are a key component of the atmosphere that is often dismissed when considering its components. They are crucial in the interaction with radiation and in the hydrological cycle, but very difficult to characterize because of their large spatial and temporal variability. There is still a gap of knowledge related to cloud formation and the physical processes occurring within. Because of this, they are usually not accurately characterized in climatic, forecast and radiative transfer models. A better characterization of clouds and processes occurring within based on experimental data is key to understanding and mitigating climate change.
Measurements within clouds are usually difficult to perform because of their high altitude and are very scarce and here it is where remote sensors become useful. Remote sensing observations from the ground and space have provided key datasets for understanding the Earth´s atmosphere, including clouds. Satellites provide a wide spatial coverage, but with low temporal and vertical resolution. Ground-based measurements are located at local sites, but they provide high temporal and vertical resolution, so the combination of the different measurements is needed to obtain comprehensive information.
In Granada, we have a Doppler cloud radar that can continuously provide information about cloud properties and with high-vertical resolution. It also has scanning capabilities that allow the study in 4D. Furthermore, there are multiple algorithms to retrieve different properties of the liquid water droplets forming the cloud, which will also allow us to characterize them. In this research project, we aim to learn how to operate cloud radars, to exploit their database and to familiarize with cloud properties. Study may be extended characterizing cloudiness over the city of Granada making use of our long-term database. The research will be performed in the IISTA under the supervision of María José Granados Muñoz (PhD) and Juan Antonio Bravo Aranda (PhD) looking for motivated candidates with team play skills. Students will be encouraged to pursue specific questions of interest, with potential contributions to scientific presentations or publications.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere which play a crucial role in Earth’s climate system and air quality. One key parameter to study aerosols is the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), which tells us how much sunlight is blocked by these particles. This project focuses on South America, a region influenced by both natural (e.g., fires, deserts, volcanoes) and human-made (e.g., traffic, industry) aerosol sources.
The research aims to analyze how reliable satellite-derived reanalysis products are for monitoring aerosols in regions where direct observations are limited. We will compare AOD data from MERRA-2, a NASA global reanalysis dataset, with ground-based measurements from AERONET, a worldwide network of solar photometers. Once validated, we’ll explore long-term aerosol trends across South America to understand how aerosol loads change over time and space.
The student will:
This project is ideal for students interested in climate science, environmental monitoring, or data analysis.
Relevant majors: Environmental Science, Physics, Atmospheric Science, Data Science, Earth Science, Engineering
Understanding how Earth’s atmosphere works is essential to predicting how life will adapt to climate change. A key part of this system is atmospheric aerosols: tiny particles like dust, droplets, or pollution that float in the air. These particles affect climate in multiple ways: they reflect or absorb sunlight (direct effect), change how clouds form (semi-direct effect), and even act as seeds for cloud droplets and ice crystals (indirect effect).
However, aerosols and clouds are constantly changing across time and space, making them difficult to measure accurately. In fact, the latest IPCC report highlights aerosols as one of the biggest uncertainties in understanding Earth’s energy balance. To reduce these knowledge gaps, scientists need better data and more advanced tools to monitor aerosols, especially in under-studied regions like South America.
In this project, you will join a dynamic research initiative funded by the European Commission through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchange program: AERIS (Advances in Aerosol Retrievals and Impacts on South America). This is a unique chance to contribute to cutting-edge climate and health-related science while building skills in environmental monitoring and data analysis.
Students can choose between two exciting tracks:
1. Aerosols in South America
Aerosols play a critical role in the Earth’s climate system, yet their effects remain among the biggest uncertainties in climate science. In this track, you will support the development of a standardized, quality-assured ground-based lidar network for South America, one of the most under-monitored regions in the world. You will also work with real atmospheric data, helping analyze aerosol properties and their climate impacts. Your contribution will directly support both local and global scientific efforts to improve climate models and environmental forecasting.
2. Real-Time Bioaerosol Monitoring and Public Health
Climate change is increasing allergy rates worldwide. You will help to validate cutting-edge sensors that detect airborne pollen and fungal spores in real time (vital tools for healthcare and public warning systems). Using data from Spain, you will calibrate and compare automated devices (like the APS-400) against traditional methods (Hirst samplers) to improve accuracy before transferring this technology to South America.
This is more than an internship: it’s your chance to be part of a global scientific network working on one of today’s most urgent challenges: climate and environmental health.
Relevant majors: Environmental Science, Physics, Atmospheric Science, Data Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Biology
Precipitation, a critical part of the hydrological cycle, affects ecosystems, agriculture, water supply, and even atmospheric dynamics. Yet, despite its ubiquity, rain remains one of the most variable and complex atmospheric processes to measure and understand. Factors such as drop size distribution, intensity, and temporal variability make accurate characterization of rain essential but challenging. Improved understanding of rainfall patterns is essential to better predict hydrological impacts and to improve climate models, weather forecasts, and water management strategies.
Traditional methods of measuring rainfall, such as pluviometers, offer insight into the total precipitation over time. However, they provide information at the surface level and lack the ability to give detailed information about rain microphysics. New approaches include disdrometers and micro rain radars (MRRs), giving us complementary information such as drop sizes and rain vertical structures. At our research facility in Granada, we have them all! Indeed, measuring side by side, they provide us with an enhanced observation of rain events. Each tool offers unique data: pluviometers provide accumulated rainfall, disdrometers give us drop size and velocity, and MRRs offer detailed vertical profiles of precipitation. By combining these instruments, we can obtain a comprehensive view of rainfall events, including intensity, distribution, and vertical dynamics.
In this research initiative, motivated students will be introduced to each of these instruments and trained on how to operate them. They will learn how to collect, process, and analyze rain data, bridging the gap between theory and practice. The research will be conducted at the IISTA under the supervision of Dr. María José Granados Muñoz and Dr. Juan Antonio Bravo Aranda. With their support, the research will continue toward a better understanding of rainfall patterns over Granada and how this data can be used to improve weather prediction models.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
Atmospheric aerosol particles can affect the Earth’s radiative budget by means of their interaction with radiation and with clouds. Aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) cover the ability of aerosol particles to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nucleating particles (INP), allowing the formation of droplets and ice crystals in clouds. The different properties of aerosol particles regarding their origin, size, or chemical composition have a direct impact on cloud properties, affecting their albedo or lifetime and influencing the precipitation of the cloud. In particular, INPs play a crucial role in cloud properties, since they are responsible for around 70% of precipitation over land in mixed-phase clouds.
In this project, we will investigate the ability of aerosol particles to activate as INPs in the immersion freezing regime. To do so, we will use the recently developed droplet freezing assay GRAINS (GRAnada Ice Nuclei Spectrometer). Students will be involved in sampling and laboratory analysis, creating their own data for analysis.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
Atmospheric aerosol particles play a significant role in the Earth's climate system by influencing the planet’s radiative energy balance. These tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air can interact directly with solar and terrestrial radiation through scattering and absorption. This is known as the direct effect. Additionally, aerosols can alter cloud properties and lifetimes by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles, which leads to the indirect effect on climate.
The optical properties of aerosols—such as their ability to absorb or scatter light—depend largely on their size, shape, and chemical composition. To better understand these complex interactions, several global monitoring networks and satellite missions have been established. These use a variety of ground-based remote sensing and in-situ instruments to observe aerosol characteristics.
In this project, students will explore open-access global aerosol datasets to investigate how aerosol properties vary across regions and seasons, and to assess their potential impact on the Earth’s climate. By analyzing real-world observations, students will gain hands-on experience in atmospheric science and data analysis.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
Atmospheric aerosol particles play an important role on climate, air quality, ecology, historical heritage and also in human health. From the point of view of health impact, the different origins of atmospheric aerosol particles result in a wide range of sizes, shapes and types of particles that affect in different ways on health. In this sense, aerosol particles have been identified as a risk factor in cardiorespiratory diseases, bronchial asthma episodes, tumours, the alteration of respiratory system development in children, etc.
From the point of view of air quality, exposure limit values to protect human health are based on the mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5. However, some studies showed that urban environmental conditions usually considered as good in terms of pollution levels (low mass concentrations concerning PM10 and PM2.5 values) do not serve as air quality standards for ultrafine particles. Due to the difficulties of the human in-vivo studies, several models have been developed to analyze particle deposition on the human respiratory system. In this sense, MPPD model (Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry Model) is a mathematically complex multipath model, which is based on a lung structure constructed from real airway measurements that will become a promising tool.
On this premise, the aim of this project is to use the MPPD model to study the deposition of the atmospheric particles in the human respiratory system under different real conditions. For that, the student will manage the dataset of atmospheric particle size distributions measured in the IISTA-CEAMA. Also, the student will learn to use the MPPD model and apply the model to different atmospheric conditions. Finally, the student will study if events of high ultrafine particles significantly increase the pulmonary particles deposition under the same concentrations of PM10.
Relevant majors: Physics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil/Environmental Engineering
Air pollution remains a major health risk in urban areas, often driven by traffic emissions and influenced by weather conditions. In this project, students will explore how to predict the Air Quality Index (AQI) in major Spanish cities using historical data on pollutants, meteorology, and traffic intensity.
The goal is to develop a predictive model using Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), to forecast AQI levels up to three days in advance. The model aims to support the creation of an early-warning system for public authorities and citizens, enabling informed decisions and healthier urban living. The student will:
Relevant majors: Environmental Science, Data Science, Atmospheric Science, Engineering, Physics, Earth Science
EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Its main goal is to enhance our understanding of the role of clouds and aerosols in the Earth’s climate system and its radiation budget (Illingworth et al., 2015). The satellite provides high-precision measurements of cloud and aerosol properties, as well as radiative fluxes entering and leaving the Earth’s atmosphere.
EarthCARE is equipped with four state-of-the-art instruments that operate synergistically: ATLID (Atmospheric Lidar), CPR (Cloud Profiling Radar), MSI (Multi-Spectral Imager), and BBR (BroadBand Radiometer). Together, they enable the detailed, high-resolution profiling of clouds and aerosols, contributing valuable data for improving climate models and reducing associated uncertainties.
This project aims to validate aerosol-related products from the EarthCARE mission by comparing them with ground-based observations. Specifically, we will use data from the E-PROFILE ceilometer network and the AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sun photometer network. E-PROFILE includes more than 400 stations across 22 European countries and delivers near-real-time vertical profiles of aerosols on a continental scale.
Combined with AERONET measurements and advanced inversion algorithms, we can retrieve both optical and microphysical aerosol properties.
Key aerosol products to be validated include the planetary boundary layer height, the Ångström exponent, and the aerosol backscatter profile. Their validation is essential for improving the reliability of atmospheric and climate models.
The project will begin with a literature review on aerosol retrieval techniques and instrument capabilities. Selected EarthCARE products will be matched with observations from specific ground stations. Ground-based data will be processed using the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) inversion algorithm to derive vertical profiles of aerosol microphysical properties.
Next, satellite products will be statistically compared with ground-based retrievals to assess their accuracy. Discrepancies will be analyzed, considering potential sources of error such as instrumental differences or atmospheric variability. The final goal is to evaluate the validity of EarthCARE aerosol products and propose improvements for future validation studies.
Relevant majors: Atmospheric Science, Physics, Engineering, Earth Science, or Data Science
The Earth's atmosphere contains liquid and solid matter in the form of particles and droplets, which is known as atmospheric aerosols and are critical to better understand changes in the Earth – Atmosphere radiative system. During the last decades there have been great advances in remote sensing techniques for aerosol studies. Many international networks emerged, the most relevant being the Aerosol Robotic Network hosted in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. However, AERONET measurements are only representative of the entire atmospheric column. This limitation can be addressed using lidar technologies, whose simplest versions operating only at one wavelength permit continuous and unattended operations, giving to the development of international networks such as MPLNET hosted by NASA or the European E-PROFILE. More complex lidar systems such as multiwavelength Raman lidars can obtain independent profiles of aerosol backscattering and extinction, and are even capable of providing a proxy of aerosol microphysical properties.
But ground-based remote sensing measurements are only representative of the measurement place. However, the development of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites during the last decades has helped to have a global picture of aerosols reaching remote areas. Most operational space systems are based on passive remote sensing, whose reduced cost of the latest state-of-the-art sensors have permitted planning more missions - for example the European Union program Copernicus led the Sentinel program in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). The simplest space sensors are multiwavelength imagers, but they have many limitations for aerosol retrievals. Multiwavelength multi-angle polarization (MAP), however, presents enhanced capability for retrieving more specific column-integrated aerosol and microphysical optical properties. Currently, recent satellite missions are based on MAP such as NASA/PACE or ESA/EUMESAT 3MI. Nevertheless, MAP alone has limitations for vertically-resolved aerosol optical properties. Ideally, this is solved with co-located multiwavelength lidar measurements and space agencies’ cooperations also permitting more advanced and coordinated missions (e.g. EarthCARE).
This research project proposes a unique combination of ground-based lidar measurements with passive remote sensing from space sensors. The student will familiarize with the basis of remote sensing and light scattering theory, including polarization of light. Also, he/she will acquire advanced knowledge of current and upcoming satellite missions for aerosol studies. Finally, through the use of state-of-the-art radiative transfer software it is expected that the student will combine space and ground-based measurements to obtain aerosol vertical profiles, particularly of the optical and microphysical properties. The results of this study can serve as a baseline for the upcoming NASA Atmospheric Observing System (AOS) mission where a multi-angle multi-wavelength polarimeter will fly together with a multiwavelength lidar system.
Relevant majors: Atmospheric Science, Physics, Engineering, Earth Science, or Data Science
Patient samples from medical specialties such as oncology, cardiology, and neurology will be collected using buccal swabs. These samples will be processed to extract DNA using standard procedures. DNA extraction will be performed following a non-organic proteinase K digestion and salting-out protocol. The extracted DNA will then be genotyped for specific pharmacogenetic markers recommended by clinical guidelines (e.g., DPYD, TPMT, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, NUDT15, ERBB2) using TaqMan assay technology. Based on the genotyping results, phenotypic interpretations will be made to classify each patient’s metabolizer status and recommend appropriate drug dosing regimens. This interpretation will be conducted using the PharmGKB platform, which compiles evidence-based pharmacogenetic clinical guidelines from internationally recognized sources such as the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC), the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG), and the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety (CPNDS).
Relevant majors: Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Students will be involved in the design of primers for doing genotyping and gene expression analysis in these long non coding genes and main SNPs. They will learn about the basic molecular biology assays and how these techniques could be applied to current biomedical sciences in medicine management in cancer.
We will focus on these SNPs in present gene.
Relevant majors: Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Students will be involved in the design of primers for doing genotyping and gene expression analysis in these long non coding genes and main SNPs. They will learn about the basic molecular biology assays and how these techniques could be applied to current biomedical sciences in medicine management in cancer.
We will focus on these SNPs in present gene.
Relevant majors: Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
The student will be introduced to the basic analysis of Sanger sequencing data and its preliminary interpretation in genetic diagnostic studies:
Relevant majors: Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Genestics, Biochemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
The student will be introduced to the preliminary analysis and interpretation of results obtained from MLPA, a widely used technique for detecting deletions or duplications in clinically relevant genes:
Relevant majors: Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Genestics, Biochemistry, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
The following information is vetted and provided by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) on the Electronic Database for Global Education (EDGE).
| Spanish | Abbreviation | Translation | Numeric | U.S. Equivalent |
| Sobresaliente | SB | Outstanding | 9 - 10 | A |
| Notable | NT | Very Good | 7 - 8.99 | B+ |
| Bien | B | Good | 6 - 6.99 | B |
| Aprobado | AP | Passing | 5 - 5.99 | C |
| Suspenso | S/I | Fail | 0 - 4.99 | F |