Research Fellowship (BI) for Master's Degree Holder

Offer Description

Call for Applications

Grant for 1 (One) Research Fellowship (BI) for Master's Degree Holder

The University of the Azores opens a call for the award of 1 (one) Research Fellowship in the scientific areas of Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Oceanography, Marine Biotechnology, Marine Sciences, Biology, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, or related scientific fields within the scope of the project FAITH – From active to inactive: biodiversity and functional Trends of deep-sea Hydrothermal vents – development of Tools for vulnerable marine ecosystem conservation (REF.ª 2025.07521.PRIZE), under the Research Fellowship Regulation of the FCT (RBI) and the Research Fellow Statute (EBI).

1. APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The call is open for 10 working days, starting the day following the publication of this notice.

Applications and candidate supporting documents required in this Call Notice must be submitted by email to maria.aa.colaco@uac.pt, addressed to the Panel Coordinator.

Each applicant may submit only one application; multiple submissions will result in the cancellation of all submitted applications.

Providing false statements or committing plagiarism by applicants is grounds for application cancellation, without prejudice to the adoption of other disciplinary or legal measures.

2. TYPE AND DURATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP

The Research Fellowship aims to finance research activities carried out by the fellow within the scope of the FAITH project.

Research activities will take place at the facilities of the Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOS, University of the Azores, located in Horta (Faial Island).

The research activities of the selected fellow aim at characterizing the biodiversity, functional diversity, ecological functioning, and community dynamics associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

The fellowship awarded will be of the "fellowship in the country" type, taking place entirely at the University of the Azores.

The fellowship duration is 12 months, on an exclusive basis, potentially renewable under the terms of applicable legislation and project execution.

3. FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

The Research Fellowship is intended for Master's students enrolled in a doctoral program or in a non-degree-conferring course, under the terms of the FCT Research Fellowship Regulation (RBI).

4. ELIGIBILITY

4.1 Candidate Eligibility Requirements

The following candidates may apply:

• National citizens or citizens of other European Union Member States;
• Third-country citizens;
• Stateless persons;
• Citizens holding political refugee status.

To apply for the Research Fellowship, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a Master’s degree in Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Oceanography, Marine Biotechnology, Marine Sciences, Biology, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, or related scientific fields.
• Comply with the Research Fellowship Regulation, specifically regarding mandatory enrollment in a degree-conferring study program (in this case, a PhD) or a non-degree-conferring course.

Preference will be given to candidates with training and/or experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Marine ecology, biodiversity, and benthic community ecology, preferably in deep-sea ecosystems;
• Biodiversity assessment (alpha, beta, and functional), community analysis, functional ecology, and trait-based approaches;
• Statistical processing and analysis of ecological data using R;
• Multivariate analysis, ecological modeling, and biological database processing;
• Image processing and analysis, photogrammetry applied to marine ecology;
• Sample preparation for stable isotope analysis and/or experience in interpreting isotopic data (δ13 C, δ15 N, and amino acids);
• Food web reconstruction using isotopic mixing models (e.g., MixSIAR or equivalent);
• Participation in oceanographic cruises or field work in marine environments;
• Preparation of scientific manuscripts, conference presentations, or participation in research projects.

4.2 Application Eligibility Requirements

It is mandatory, under penalty of non-admission to the Call, to attach the following documents to the application:

• Copy of identity card / citizen card / passport;
• Detailed and signed Curriculum Vitae of the applicant;
• Copies of degree certificates, mandatory specifying the final classification and marks obtained in all completed subjects;
• Copy of the recognition record of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and record of the conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale; or, alternatively, a self-declaration of honor stating that, if selected, the candidate will submit the recognition process of the equivalent foreign degree and conversion of the final grade. Failure to prove possession of the academic degree or its recognition during the contracting phase will result in the annulment of the candidate’s evaluation due to an error in factual premises. Failure to present the conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese scale may result in assigning the minimum grade of 10 points in sub-criterion A1;
• Cover letter / Motivation letter;
• Other documents considered relevant for curricular evaluation, namely proof of experience mentioned in point 4.1, scientific publications, conference participation, and recommendation letters.

The application and all associated documents, including motivation letters, must be written in Portuguese or English.

Notes regarding the eligibility requirements above:

Recognition of foreign academic degrees/diplomas and the conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese scale can be requested at any public higher education institution or at DGES (Directorate-General for Higher Education, only for automatic recognition), in compliance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16. Formalities must be fulfilled by the contracting date. For further info, visit: http://www.dges.gov.pt.

Only candidates who have completed the Master’s degree cycle by the end of the application deadline will be admitted. The award of the fellowship is conditional upon presenting proof of academic qualifications during the contracting phase.

5. WORK PLAN

• Assessment of alpha, beta, and functional biodiversity at active, inactive, and satellite hydrothermal vents, using species occurrence, community composition, and functional trait data;
• Calculation and interpretation of functional diversity indices (e.g., functional richness, evenness, and dispersion) and identification of species potentially vulnerable to deep-sea mining;
• Sample preparation and processing for isotopic analyses (δ13 C, δ15 N, and amino acids), interpretation of results, and reconstruction of food webs using isotopic mixing models;
• Statistical processing, analysis, and visualization of ecological data using R or equivalent software;
• Participation in oceanographic cruises, laboratory activities, preparation of scientific reports, publications, and project dissemination actions.

Scientific supervision of the selected fellow will be carried out by Dr. Maria Ana Almeida Colaço.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BONUS

6.1 Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation considers the candidate's merit, focusing on academic background and personal curriculum.

Admissible applications will be scored on a scale of 0 to 20 for each of the following criteria:

Criterion A – Candidate Merit (100%)

• Sub-criterion A1 – Relevance of academic degree to fellowship goals (25%): Evaluation of background field affinity with the work plan;
• Sub-criterion A2 – Relevant scientific experience (30%): Scientific experience in marine ecology, biodiversity, functional ecology, community ecology, or deep-sea ecosystems;
• Sub-criterion A3 – Technical and computational skills (20%): Skills in statistical analysis and ecological data processing using R (or equivalent software), including multivariate analysis;
• Sub-criterion A4 – Experience in specific methodological areas (15%): Experience in image analysis & 3D models, stable isotopes, food web reconstruction, functional trait analysis, and oceanographic cruises;
• Sub-criterion A5 – Scientific output and language skills (5%): Evaluation of scientific production, participation in research projects, conference presentations, and proficiency in written and spoken English, demonstrated via CV or certificates;
• Sub-criterion A6 – Motivation Letter and Personal Profile (5%): Evaluation of motivation, capacity for autonomous work, critical thinking, organization, and ability to integrate into multidisciplinary/international teams, as detailed in the Motivation Letter.

The Candidate Merit (MC) score will be calculated as follows:

MC=(0.25×A1)+(0.30×A2)+(0.20×A3)+(0.15×A4)+(0.05×A5)+(0.05×A6)

In case of equal scores, tie-breaking will be handled considering, in order:

• Higher score in criterion A2;
• Higher score in criterion A3.

If no candidate achieves a final score (MC) equal to or greater than 14 points, the jury reserves the right not to award the fellowship.

Important notice for candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

Candidates with foreign degrees may apply and will be evaluated with the same criteria as Portuguese degree holders, provided they submit proof of degree recognition and grade conversion during application.

Candidates who do not submit proof of grade conversion will receive the minimum score (10 points) in sub-criterion A1.

Fellowship contracts with foreign degree holders will only be signed upon presentation of proof of degree recognition and grade conversion.

Candidates whose application receives a final score below 10 points are ineligible for the grant.

7. EVALUATION PANEL

The evaluation panel consists of the following members:

Effective Members:

• Dr. Maria Ana Almeida Colaço (Panel Coordinator)
• Dr. Daphne Cuvelier (Effective Member)
• Prof. Maria Manuela Juliano (Effective Member)

Alternate Member:

• Dr. Monica Silva (Alternate Member)

The panel will evaluate applications according to the criteria set out in this Call Notice.

All panel members, including the coordinator, commit to duties of impartiality, declaration of potential conflicts of interest, and confidentiality. Panel members cannot act as supervisors for applications submitted to the call.

A final evaluation sheet will be produced for each application, stating clear and consistent arguments for assigned scores.

Minutes (ata) will be produced for panel meetings, including:

• Name and affiliation of all panel members;
• Identification and justification for excluded applications;
• Adopted methodology for special cases;
• Final Evaluation Sheets for each candidate;
• Provisional ranking list of candidates in descending order of final score;
• Conflict of Interest Declarations (DCI) from panel members;
• Any vote delegations due to justified absences.

8. PUBLICATION OF RESULTS

Evaluation results will be communicated via email to the address provided by the candidate, and published on the UAc website at: https://uac.pt/pt-pt/recrutamento.

9. PRIOR HEARING, COMPLAINTS, AND APPEAL PROCEDURES

Following notification of provisional results, candidates have 10 working days to present comments under a prior hearing of interested parties (audiência prévia), pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Code.

The final decision will be issued after analyzing comments submitted during the prior hearing. A complaint can be filed within 15 working days against the final decision, or an appeal submitted within 30 working days, both starting from the notification date. Complaints must be directed to the head of the funding entity.

10. FELLOWSHIP AWARD REQUIREMENTS

The fellowship contract will be signed directly with the University of the Azores.

The following documents must be submitted upon conditional award for contracting purposes:

• a) Copy of civil, fiscal, and (where applicable) social security identification documents;
• b) Copy of academic degree certificates;
• c) Presentation of foreign degree recognition and grade conversion records, if applicable;
• d) Proof of enrollment in a PhD program or non-degree course;
• e) Document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime.

The fellowship award remains dependent on:

• Compliance with requirements in this Call Notice;
• Evaluation results;
• Absence of unjustified non-compliance with fellow duties under previous funded fellowship contracts;
• Budgetary availability of the funding entity.

Failure to deliver required contracting documents within 6 months from the conditional award notification date results in the forfeiture of the grant award and closure of the process.

11. FUNDING

Fellowship payments begin after the candidate returns the signed contract, which must occur within a maximum of 15 working days from its receipt.

The fellowship awarded under this call will be funded by the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation and the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under the FAITH project.

12. FELLOWSHIP COMPONENTS

The fellow receives a monthly maintenance allowance according to the table in Annex I of the RBI.

The fellowship may include other components under Article 18 of the RBI and values in Annex II.

All fellows benefit from personal accident insurance for research activities, covered by the funding entity (Article 21 of RBI).

Fellows not covered by a social protection scheme may join the voluntary social insurance system (Seguro Social Voluntário), with contributions covered by the funding entity within the limits of Article 10 of the EBI.

13. PAYMENT OF FELLOWSHIP COMPONENTS

Payments are made via bank transfer to the account specified by the fellow. Monthly maintenance allowances are paid on the first working day of each month.

Registration, enrollment, or tuition fee components are paid directly by the funding entity to the national institution where the fellow is enrolled.

14. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY

The UAc promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access. No candidate may be privileged, favored, prejudiced, deprived of any right, or exempted from any duty based on ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic status, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin, race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.

15. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS

This Call is governed by this Call Notice, the FCT Research Fellowship Regulation (Regulation No. 950/2019), the Research Fellow Statute (Law No. 40/2004, in its current wording), and applicable national and EU legislation.

Ponta Delgada, August 21, 2026

THE RECTOR

(Signature)

Susana Mira Leal

Where to apply

E-mail: maria.aa.colaco@uac.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Biological sciences » Other
• Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Universidade dos Açores
• Country: Portugal
• State/Province: Azores
• City: Horta
• Postal Code: 9901-862
• Street: Rua Prof. Doutor Frederico Machado, N.º 4

Contact

• State/Province: Azores
• City: Horta
• Website: https://www.uac.pt
• Street: Rua Prof. Doutor Frederico Machado, N.º 4
• Postal Code: 9901-862
• E-Mail: maria.aa.colaco@uac.pt