Research Fellowship (BI) – Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning)

Offer Description

A call is now open for applications for a Research Fellowship (BI) under the project Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning).

The Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery project focuses on statistical decision-making for subscription revenue recovery, using contextual bandit algorithms and short-term reinforcement learning.

Funding Sources:

Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning) Project.

Scientific Fields:

Computer Engineering, Data Science, Other Engineering and Technology Sciences, or related fields.

Admission Requirements:

Graduates enrolled in an integrated master's or master's degree programme in the scientific fields listed above, or graduates enrolled in non-degree programmes that are part of the educational project of a higher education institution and developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.

Proof of enrolment must be provided by the time the contract is signed. Applicants may submit a declaration of honour confirming that they meet the admission requirements.

Where the degree has been awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August and Ordinance No. 33/2019 of 25 January. Any formalities required under these provisions must be completed by the date of hiring.

Preferential Requirements:

Knowledge of machine learning and Python. Good communication skills and fluency in both spoken and written Portuguese and English.

Work Plan:

Collaboration on various tasks within the project, namely:

1. Integration into the team and acquisition of the skills required for the project.
2. Supporting the formalisation of the problem and the definition of the decision model, including context, actions/playbooks, rewards, costs, and operational and economic constraints.
3. Developing the data simulator, which should enable the creation of payment failure episodes, model different recovery behaviours, and generate outcomes such as recovery, time to recovery, and cost.
4. Implementing decision-making strategies, including baseline/heuristic policies and at least one constrained contextual bandit algorithm, with the possibility of exploring short-term reinforcement learning.
5. Evaluating and comparing decision-making strategies through controlled experiments, comparing recovery rates, time, cost, efficiency, and compliance with constraints, including analysis across different contexts and scenarios.
6. Supporting the documentation of results and the conceptual definition of the integration blueprint, contributing to the provision of source code, datasets, and a reproducible benchmark, and assisting with the conceptual definition of the orchestrator, API, logging, monitoring, and audit/governance mechanisms.
7. Communication and dissemination activities.

Applicable Legislation and Regulations:

Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August, approving the Statute of Research Fellows, as amended by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of 27 August, Law No. 12/2013 of 29 January, Decree-Law No. 89/2013 of 9 July, and Decree-Law No. 123/2019 of 28 August; the FCT Research Fellowship Regulations, available at https://www.fct.pt; and the Research Fellowship Regulations of the Polytechnic University of Viseu (UPV), published in the Diário da República, 2nd Series, No. 112, of 9 June 2020.

Place of Work and Supervision:

The work will be carried out at the premises of the Polytechnic University of Viseu or at other locations required for the implementation of the project activities, under the scientific supervision of Professor Ana Raquel Ferreira de Almeida Sebastião.

Duration of the Fellowship:

The fellowship will have a duration of six months and may be renewed until the funding period ends.

Monthly Maintenance Allowance:

The fellowship amount is €1,090.98 per month, in accordance with the current FCT fellowship rate table for this type of fellowship.

Payment will be made on the 23rd of each month or, if this is not a working day, on the immediately preceding working day, by bank transfer to the bank account (IBAN) provided by the fellowship holder during the contracting process.

Selection Methods:

The selection and ranking methods to be used are as follows: Curriculum Evaluation (CE) and Selection Interview (SI).

The Final Score (FS), used to rank candidates, is expressed on a scale of 0 to 20 and is calculated according to the following formula:

The evaluation will consist of an assessment of the candidate’s profile, experience in conducting research in the relevant field, motivation, knowledge of the subject area, and demonstrated availability.

The three highest-ranked candidates based on the Curriculum Evaluation (CE) criterion will be selected for interview.

The selection panel reserves the right not to admit candidates to the interview stage if they do not achieve a minimum final score of 10 out of 20, as well as the right not to award the research fellowship under this call, depending on the results of the application assessment and the suitability of the applications in relation to the objectives of the Polytechnic University of Viseu (UPV).

Candidates holding degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be assessed according to the same criteria as candidates holding degrees awarded by Portuguese institutions, provided that they submit, together with their application, proof of specific recognition of their academic degrees and conversion of their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, in accordance with the legislation in force.

Candidates holding foreign degrees who do not provide proof of conversion of their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale will be assessed using the minimum grade. In all cases, fellowship agreements with candidates holding degrees awarded by foreign institutions will only be signed upon submission of proof of recognition of their academic degrees and conversion of their final grade, as specified above.

Composition of the Selection Panel:

Chair: Ana Raquel Ferreira de Almeida Sebastião

Full Members: João Pedro Menoita Henriques and Rui Pedro Monteiro Amaro Duarte

Alternate Member: Carlos Alberto Tomás Simões

Publication/Notification of Results:

The final results of the selection process will be published in a ranked list displayed in a visible and publicly accessible location at the Central Services of the Polytechnic University of Viseu. Candidates will be notified by email.

By decision of the selection panel, a reserve list of candidates may be established, valid for six months from the date of completion of the selection process.

The final results will remain conditional upon compliance with the provisions of the Statute of Research Fellows.

The selected candidate must submit a written declaration expressing their intention to accept the fellowship. If the candidate declines the offer, the fellowship will be awarded to the next candidate on the ranked list, according to the Final Score of eligible candidates.

Following publication of the evaluation results, candidates shall have 10 working days to submit their comments, if they so wish, in accordance with the Portuguese Code of Administrative Procedure (Código do Procedimento Administrativo — CPA). The final decision shall be made within a maximum of 15 working days following the conclusion of the prior hearing of interested parties. An appeal for reconsideration may be lodged within 15 working days of notification of the decision.

Contract and Final Report Templates:

The contract template and the final report to be prepared by the fellowship holder and the supervisor are those provided in the annexes to the UPV Research Fellowship Regulations.

Application Deadline and Submission Procedure:

The call for applications will be open from 20/10/2026 to 02/11/2026. Only applications submitted within the established deadline will be accepted.

• Applications must be compiled into a single PDF file named after the applicant’s full name and submitted exclusively by email to ipv_nbolseiro@univiseu.pt, indicating the project reference in the subject line (Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery). Applications must include the following documents:
• Motivation/Application Letter: A letter explaining the reasons for applying, the applicant’s academic and professional background, and areas of interest. The letter must be dated and signed.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae: Including a telephone number, an email address to which the applicant agrees to receive all notifications relating to this procedure, and any documents considered relevant by the applicant. The CV must be dated and signed.
• Academic Qualifications: Certificates confirming the applicant’s academic qualifications.
• Declaration of Honour or Proof of Enrolment: A declaration of honour confirming that the applicant will enrol, by the date of signing the fellowship agreement, in a master’s degree programme in Computer Engineering, Data Science, Other Engineering and Technology Sciences, or a related field, or in a non-degree programme forming part of the educational project of a higher education institution and developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units. Alternatively, proof of enrolment in one of the aforementioned programmes may be submitted.
• Bachelor’s Degree Certificate: Required for applicants applying on the basis of enrolment in a non-degree programme forming part of the educational project of a higher education institution in a related scientific field and developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.
• Letter of Recommendation: Optional.

Applications submitted in person or by postal mail will not be accepted.

The Vice-Rector of the Polytechnic University of Viseu, Helena Maria Vala Correia

Where to apply

E-mail: ipv_nbolseiro@sc.ipv.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Engineering » Computer engineering
• Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Universidade Politécnica de Viseu
• Country: Portugal

Contact

• State/Province: Selecione
• City: Viseu
• Website: https://www.ipv.pt/
• Street: Av. Cor. José Maria Vale de Andrade - Campus Politécnico
• Postal Code: 3504-510
• Phone: 232480700