Published: 26 Oct 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company: Universidade do Minho
- Department: CMEMS
- Research Field: Engineering » Biomedical engineering
- Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
- Positions: PhD Positions
- Application Deadline: 9 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)
- Country: Portugal
- Type of Contract: Not Applicable
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Offer Starting Date: 27 Oct 2026
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
- Reference Number: SAFEWALK - 01179400 – BIPD – 01/2026-CMEMS
- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE AWARD OF A POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Title: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship – Safewalk (1 vacancy)
Reference: SAFEWALK - 01179400 – BIPD – 01/2026-CMEMS
A call for applications for 1 (one) research grant, within the scope of the I&D project “SAFEWALK - Robotic Pyramid combining Bio-inspired controllers, Artificial Intelligence and data for Real-Time Fall Prevention”, from the Center for Electromechanical Microsystems, ref.ª NORTE2030-FEDER-01179400, funded by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission | CCDR-N, through the Portugal 2030 Framework Programme, Northern Regional Operational Programme | NORTE2030, under the following conditions:
Scientific Area: Biomedical Engineering.
Recipient category: The BIPD are intended for doctorates in the area of Biomedical Engineering or related fields, with the following admission requirements:
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 the research unit other than the one hosting the scholarship; *
- The research activities do not require post-doctoral experience;
- 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 UMinho Organisational Unit (UOEI) (according to nº 4 and 5 of the Article 4º of the University of Minho's Scientific Research Scholarship Regulations).
Applicants’ eligibility: Candidates who meet the conditions set out in Article 9 of the Research Grant Regulations, No. 950/2019, of [contact details available in the full listing], 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: It is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to the competition, to attach the following documents to the application:
- The candidate's curriculum vitae;
- 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, the candidate's declaration of honor (not applicable to research initiation grants);
- Motivation letter.
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 main activities include:
- Scientific and technical coordination and oversight of the project, including risk management, monitoring the implementation of activities, and financial management related to the project;
- Planning and implementation of data collection protocols, including the collection of gait data during activities of daily living (ADLs) and in situations of induced falls, as well as biomechanical analysis, assessment of physical exertion, data preprocessing, and the creation of the respective datasets;
- Development and validation of computational tools for estimating indicators of gait, balance, fatigue, and metabolic cost; gait recognition; and assessment of fall risk, quality of life (QoL), and well-being, including the performance of benchmarking analyses;
- Integration and validation of the systems developed, specifically through the integration of sensory systems with the Robotic Pyramid, validation of the final prototype in a laboratory setting, and evaluation of its performance and the benefits associated with gait assistance and fall prevention;
- Communication and dissemination of scientific results through the development and implementation of the project’s communication and dissemination plan, the preparation of scientific publications, and participation in outreach events.
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 Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center (MEtRICs), at the Azurém Campus, 4800-058 Guimarães, under the scientific guidance of Doctor Eurico Augusto Rodrigues de Seabra, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Minho, and Doctor Cristina Manuela Peixoto Santos, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Electronics, School of Engineering, University of Minho, and coordinated by Doctor José Carlos Fernandes Teixeira, Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Minho, and Director of the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center (MEtRICs).
Fellowship duration: The grant will take place for a period of 12 months, with a provisional starting date on the 1st of 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 1 901,00 €/month, according to the table of FCT grants in the country (http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores) 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 components of the research grant: Define other components of the scholarships, as provided for in Article 18º of the FCT Research Scholarship Regulations (RBI).
Other benefits: Reimbursement of Voluntary Social Insurance, if the candidate chooses to receive it, corresponding to the 1st level of discounts (for research grants with a total duration 6 months or higher) 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: The selection panel is constituted by the following members:
- President of the selection panel: Doctor Eurico Augusto Rodrigues de Seabra, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Minho;
- Effective member: Doctor Graça Maria Henriques Minas, Associate Professor with Habilitation, Department of Industrial Electronics, School of Engineering, University of Minho;
- Effective member: Doctor Luís Miguel Valente Gonçalves, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Electronics, School of Engineering, University of Minho;
- Substitute member: Doctor Alexandre Manuel Ferreira Silva, Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Electronics, School of Engineering, University of Minho;
- Substitute member: Doctor Susana Oliveira Catarino, Adjunct Professor, Department of Industrial Electronics, School of Engineering, 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 1 to 5 values:
Applicant Merit - AM (100%):
- Academic path (considering the classifications of academic degrees), with a weighting of 45%;
- Personal curriculum (considering professional and scientific background), with a weighting of 45%;
- Motivation letter, with a weighting of 10%.
The final classification of the applicant’s merit with the achieved through the following formula:
MC = (a*0.45) + (b*0.45) + (c*0.10)
A positive evaluation is required for the granting of the scholarship.
Note: Candidates with degrees obtained abroad must present proof of recognition of their qualifications in Portugal and conversion of their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, or a declaration as indicated above. Candidates who fail to comply with either of these requirements will receive a grade of “0” for the course. Candidates will be evaluated on the remaining parameters.
Application deadline and submission: The competition is open for a period of 10 working days, counting from the date of publication of the notice.
Applications must be submitted by email to [contact details available in the full listing], indicating the reference number of the competition in the subject line. Only applications submitted within the established deadline and accompanied by the following documents will be accepted:
- Candidate's updated curriculum vitae;
- 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).
- Representative document (such as an article, thesis, or conference presentation) aligned with the field of the call;
- Letter of motivation;
- Any other documents that the candidate considers relevant for the evaluation process.
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;
Note: The jury may request other documents that it considers relevant to the evaluation process.
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 must 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.
Constitution of a selection reserve list: The applicants ranked in the next positions on the ordered list will be included in a selection reserve list, which can be used until 15/01/2027.
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/wpcontent/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 Scientific Research Scholarship Regulation 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: University of Minho actively promotes a policy of non-discrimination 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 conclusion 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 | Financing 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: [contact details available in the full listing]
Requirements
- Research Field: Engineering » Biomedical engineering
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
- Skills/Qualifications: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
- Specific Requirements: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
Additional Information
- Benefits: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
- Eligibility criteria: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
- Selection process: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
- Additional comments: “For more informations, please consult/para mais informações, por favor consultar:”
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: Universidade do Minho
- Country: Portugal
- State/Province: Guimarães
- City: Guimarães
- Postal Code: 4800-058
Contact
- State/Province: Guimarães
- City: Guimaraes
- Website: https://www.cmems.uminho.pt/, https://www.cmems.uminho.pt/available-positions/, https://www.cmems.uminho.pt/jobs/post-doctoral-research-fellowship-safewalk-1-vacancy/, https://www.cmems.uminho.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Edital-Bolsa_BIPD-01.2026-PT-SafeWalk.pdf, https://www.cmems.uminho.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Edital-Bolsa_BIPD-01.2026-ING-SafeWalk.pdf
- Street: CMEMS‐UMinho, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Azurém
- Postal Code: 4800-058
- E-Mail: [contact details available in the full listing]
- Phone: [contact details available in the full listing]
