Post-Doctoral research Fellowship

Offer Description

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE AWARD OF A POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Title: Post-Doctoral research Fellowship; 1 vacancy
Reference: BIPD/ToDeFuture-CBMA/2026

A call for applications is now open for the attribution of 1 grant of BIPD within the scope of the I&D project “ToDeFuture - Bridging Tradition and Innovation: Advancing Bread and Wine Production with the Yeast Torulaspora delbrueckii” / Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental (CBMA), reference COMPETE2030-FEDER-00733000, Operação No. 16175, co-financed by funds Portugal 2030, through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Molecular Microbiology
Recipient category: The BIPD are intended for doctorates in the area of Biology, Biochemistry or related areas.

Admission Requirements:

• Hold a doctoral degree obtained within three years prior to the date of submission of the scholarship application;
• To have carried out the research leading to the award of the doctoral degree in an organization other than the one hosting the scholarship; *
• Not exceed, with the conclusion of the contract in question, including possible renewals, an accumulated period of three years in this type of scholarship, consecutive or interpolated;
• Not to have previously held a post-doctoral scholarship contract with the same I&D Unit. Once the BIPD contract has ended, no new scholarship contract can be signed between the same host organization and the same scholarship holder.

Candidates who do not cumulatively meet the requirements described will be excluded.

* This includes different I&D Units, even if they are based in the same Organic Unit (UOEI) of UMinho (according to nº 4 and 5 of the Article 7º of the FCT I.P. Research Grants Regulations in force).

Applicants’ eligibility:
Candidates who meet the conditions set out in Article 9 of the Research Grant Regulations, No. 950/2019, of 16-12-2019, of FCT I.P. are eligible.
Nationals or citizens of other European Union member states, third-country nationals, stateless persons, and citizens with political refugee status are eligible to apply for this competition.

Candidate eligibility requirements:
a) mandatory requirements: PhD in the area of Biology, Biochemistry or related areas;
b) preferential factors: Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate strong knowledge and/or experience in the culture, functional characterization, biochemistry, and molecular biology of yeasts, particularly in the latter case, plasmid constructions and gene interruption/deletion. Additionally, the candidate must have knowledge/experience in the use of HPLC and flow cytometry, as well as in statistical analysis and bioinformatics.
Candidates should also demonstrate initiative, the ability to work methodically and rigorously, critical spirit, and aptitude for teamwork.

Workplan and objectives to be achieved:
The BIPD are restricted in time in order to stimulate scientific employment and the use of researcher contracts as a rule for hiring them - according to nº 2, article 7º of the FCT I.P. Research Grants Regulation (2019).
The work to be developed is included in the project objectives, specifically will be focus on tasks 1 and 4.
The work to be developed includes construction of genetic engineered yeast strains, establishment of microbial cultures and co-cultures and analysis of substrate consumption and metabolite production, and study of the correlation of different phenotypes with genomic information, and establishment of predictions.
In addition to these tasks, the successful candidate will be expected to:

• Participate in regular project monitoring meetings;
• Contribute to scientific publications and dissemination activities;
• Collaborate with team members and project partners.

Applicable legislation and regulations: Research Fellow Statute (EBI), approved by Law nº. 40/2004 of August 18, in its current wording and FCT Research Fellowship Regulation, approved by Regulation nº 950/2019, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, of December 16, 2019, in its current wording, and Scientific Research Fellowship Regulation (RBIC) of the University of Minho, approved by order nº 4998/2025, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, nº 81, of April 28, 2025 Amended and republished through amendment statement no. 634/2025/2, published in the Official Gazette, 2nd series, no. 132, of July 11.

Host/Contracting institution and scientific supervision: The workplan will be carried out in the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho, located in the Campus de Gualtar-Braga, under the scientific supervision of the Maria João Marques Ferreira de Sousa Moreira, Associate Professor with Habilitation, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho; and coordination of Maria Cláudia Gonçalves Cunha Pascoal, Full Professor, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho.

Fellowship duration: The grant will take place for a period of 6 months, with a provisional starting date on the January 2027. The fellowship grant may, eventually, be renewed up to the maximum limit allowed by the project and/or applicable legislation.

Amount of the research grant: The amount of the grant corresponds to 1901,00 €/month, according to the table of FCT grants in the country (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM>-2026.pdf) and the table of values of the Scientific Research Scholarships of the University of Minho, updated annually by decision of the Management Board.
Payment is made on the 23rd of each month, through bank transfer to the Bank Identification Number of the fellow identified in the contratualization process.

Other benefits: Reimbursement of Voluntary Social Insurance, if the candidate chooses to receive it, corresponding to the 1st step of the contribution base (for scholarships of 6 months or more) and Personal Accident Insurance.

Exclusivity regime: The grantee will perform the activities under exclusivity, as foreseen in article 5º of the Research Fellow Statutes and applicable regulations.
Selection panel:
President: Maria João Marques Ferreira de Sousa Moreira, Associate Professor with Habilitation, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho;
Effective members:
Susana Alexandra Rodrigues Chaves, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho;
Ricardo Filipe Azevedo Franco Duarte, Assistant Investigator, Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho;
Substitute members:
Ana Paula Fernandes Monteiro Sampaio Carvalho, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho.
Isabel João Soares Silva, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho.

The first effective member will substitute the President of the selection panel in case of impediment, being nominate the first substitute member in the place of the first effective member.

Criteria and procedures for applications assessment and selection: The applications assessment will focus on the candidate's Merit, following evaluation criteria, valued on a scale of 0 to 5 values:
Applicant Merit - AM (100%):

• a) Academic path (considering the classifications of academic degrees in area of the competition and work to be developed), with a weighting of 30%;
• b) Personal curriculum (considering professional and scientific background with evidence of knowledge, experience, and interest in the indicated area of yeast biology, mentioning their experimental skills and alignment with the work to be carried out, with particular emphasis on the doctoral degree, as well as previous experience in research projects), with a weighting of 40%;
• c) Motivation letter, where the clarity, relevance and alignment of the candidate's objectives with the project's theme will be analyzed, with a weighting of 30%.

The final classification of the applicant’s merit with the achieved through the following formula:
AM=(a*0.3) +(b*0.4) +(c*0.3)

Application deadline and submission: The call for applications is open for a period of 15 working days from the date of publication. Applications must be submitted by email to bolsas@ecum.uminho.pt, indicating the reference number of the competition in the subject line: BIPD/ToDeFuture-CBMA/2026. Only applications submitted within the established deadline and accompanied by the following documents will be accepted:

• a) Candidate's updated curriculum vitae and proof of the information indicated on it, such as for training, skills, publications, etc;
• b) Certificates of the academic degrees obtained or, if applicable, the candidate's declaration of honor that he/she has completed the degrees required in the notice by the application deadline (not applicable to research initiation grants).

For degrees obtained abroad, the record of recognition of the academic degrees and record of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale must be presented, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor from the candidate.
This declaration must attest to facts that occurred prior to the application. In the event of a discrepancy between the information contained in the declaration and the documentation submitted for the purposes of contracting the scholarship, only the information contained in the latter will be considered. If it is found that the documents proving the academic degree and diploma, or their recognition under the terms of Decree-Law n. º 66/2018, of August 16, do not correspond to the classifications awarded in the assessment of the academic career and may consequently alter the candidate's ranking, the scholarship will not be contracted;

• c) PhD Thesis in Portuguese or English;
• d) Letter of motivation.

Form of publication/notification of results: The results of the evaluation are published in a single list (in alphabetical order or by final score obtained), posted in a visible and public place in the host unit, as well as by email to all candidates, attaching, for this purpose, the minutes of the jury's deliberations, within a maximum period of 90 working days from the deadline for submission of applications.
Candidates are informed, at a preliminary hearing, in accordance with Articles 121 and 122 of the Administrative Procedure Code, of the likely outcome of the final decision, and may comment within 10 working days of this notification.
The waiver of the hearing for interested parties, if applicable, will be justified in accordance with Article 124 of the CPA.
An appeal may be lodged against the final decision within 15 working days, or an appeal may be lodged with the highest executive body of the funding entity within 30 days, both after the respective notification (Article 12(nº6) of the FCT Research Grant Regulations).
Within 10 working days of notification of the grant award, the applicant must declare their acceptance in writing.
In case of non-acceptance, the next highest ranked applicant will be notified immediately.

Fellowship contractualization: The scholarship is awarded through the signing of a contract between the University of Minho and the scholarship recipient, in accordance with point 2.4 of the Rules for the Award and Management of Scholarships https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Normas_de_Atribuicao_de_Bolsas_2021.pdf and the draft contract in Annex II of the University of Minho's Scientific Research Scholarship Regulations.
The contract can only be signed after receipt of all the documentation required for the type of scholarship, which must occur within a maximum period of 6 months, including proof of academic degrees or diplomas, as well as enrollment in non-degree study cycles or courses, as applicable.
Once all the documentation has been received, the contracting entity has 60 working days to sign the scholarship contract. Once received by the scholarship holder, the contract must be returned, duly signed, within 15 working days.

Term and cancellation of fellowship contracts: Without prejudice to the other grounds laid down in the University of Minho's Regulations for Scientific Research Scholarships and in the Research Fellow Statute, the scholarship will cease on completion of the contracted work plan, as well as on expiry of the period for which it was granted or renewed.
The final report must be submitted to the scientific advisor, in accordance with the defined objectives and evaluation criteria, no later than 60 working days after the end of the scholarship and must be drawn up in accordance with Annex I of the Regulations of the University of Minho.
Non-discrimination and equal access policy: Universidade do Minho actively promotes a policy of nondiscrimination and equal access, so that no candidate may be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty due, namely, to ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union membership.

Declaration of Honor

Academic qualifications
I, (full name), candidate for the vacancy for the award of a (type of scholarship), within the scope of the project (name or reference of the project), with the reference (ref. notice), declare on my honor that I have completed the academic degree of (academic degree), qualifying for the type of scholarship in the competition, namely the course (designation), by the (University conferring the degree), on the date XX/XX/XXXX, with a final average of XXXXX values on the YY scale.
As it is not possible for me to present proof of qualifications until the end of the competition, I declare that I undertake to present the aforementioned certificate at the moment of the scholarship contract, in the event that I am selected for the vacancy in the competition.
As this is true, I hereby date and sign this declaration.
(Place), (date).
__________________________
(full name)

NOTE: The declaration may only attest to facts that occurred prior to the application.
In the event of a discrepancy between the information contained in the declaration and the documentation submitted for the purpose of contracting the scholarship, only the information contained in the latter will be taken into account.

Declaration of Honor

I, (full name), bearer of identification document number (XXXX), candidate for a research grant (type of grant), within the scope of the project (name or reference of the project), with the reference (ref. call for proposals), declare on my honor that (I have not received any research grants to date / I have received the following research grants) under the Research Grant Holder Statute.
University Funding Entity Project Type of Grant Duration Start Term
As this is true, I hereby date and sign this declaration.
(Place), (date).
__________________________
(full name)

Where to apply

E-mail: bolsas@ecum.uminho.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology
• Education Level: PhD or equivalent
• Research Field: Biological sciences » Other
• Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications: Please you can find the information in the Offer Description section.

Specific Requirements: Please you can find the information in the Offer Description section.

Additional Information

Benefits: Please you can find the information in the Offer Description section.

Eligibility criteria: Please you can find the information in the Offer Description section.

Selection process: Please you can find the information in the Offer Description section.

Website for additional job details: https://www.ecum.uminho.pt/pt/Investigacao/Paginas/Emprego-Cientifico.aspx

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Universidade do Minho
• Country: Portugal
• State/Province: Campus de Gualtar
• City: Braga
• Postal Code: 4710-057
• Street: Braga

Contact

• State/Province: Braga
• City: Braga
• Website: https://www.uminho.pt
• Street: Campus de Gualtar
• Postal Code: 4710-057
• E-Mail: bolsas@ecum.uminho.pt