Research Grant (BI) - Assembling Urban Communities

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

Offer Description

A call is hereby opened for the award of one Research Grant (BI) within the research project “Assembling Urban Communities: Participatory Socio-technical Infrastructures for Collective Sense-making”, hosted by UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia and funded through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia via UID/00711/2025 (UNIDCOM/IADE), DOI 10.54499/UID/00711/2025 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/00711/2025)

The grant will support doctoral-level research integrated into the project’s scientific framework. The grant holder will contribute to its empirical, analytical and theoretical development through qualitative and ethnographic inquiry focused on socio-spatial relations, community dynamics and socio-technical mediation in contexts of urban transformation.

Grant: Research Grant (Bolsa de Investigação – BI) for a Master’s degree holder enrolled, or eligible to enrol, in a PhD programme.

Reference: IP.ASSEMBLING.26

Scientific areas: Design; Human–Computer Interaction; Social Sciences; and Digital Media.

Scientific sub-areas: User Experience (UX); Interaction Design; Design Research; Design Ethnography; Science and Technology Studies (STS); Urban Studies; Sociology; and Anthropology.

Where to apply

E-mail: alexandre.monteiro@universidadeeuropeia.pt

Requirements

Research Field: Arts » Other

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Eligibility requirements:

1. Applicants must satisfy all of the following requirements:
2. hold a Master’s degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Media, Communication, Urban Studies, Geography, Information Systems, or a related field;
3. be enrolled in a PhD programme under Portuguese law.
4. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate:
5. previous experience or a strong interest in user research, design research, and qualitative or ethnographic methods;
6. experience in user research, usability testing, interviews, participant observation, fieldwork, or community-based ethnographic research;
7. an interest in urban transformation, socio-technical systems, community dynamics, and / or critical studies of technology;
8. the ability to work in interdisciplinary research environments;
9. strong analytical, organisational and writing skills;
10. fluency in Portuguese and proficiency in English.

Specific Requirements

Application period and submission procedure: Applications must be submitted by email to alexandre.monteiro@universidadeeuropeia.pt, with the subject line “Application – Research Grant (BI) – Assembling Urban Communities”, and must include the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae;
• certificate of the Master’s degree and the corresponding academic transcript;
• motivation letter;
• proof of enrolment in a PhD programme;
• up to two letters of reference supporting the applicant’s academic and research profile (optional);
• any other documents the applicant considers relevant.

For academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, recognition of the degree is required in accordance with Decree-Law No 66/2018 of 16 August. If recognition has not yet been obtained by the application date, the applicant must submit a declaration on honour stating that recognition will be obtained before the grant contract is signed. In all cases, proof of recognition must be presented before the grant is formalised.

The call will remain open for 10 working days, counted from the working day immediately following publication of this notice.

Languages: ENGLISH

Level: Good

Research Field: Arts » Other

Years of Research Experience: 1 - 4

Additional Information

Benefits

Monthly maintenance allowance: The monthly maintenance allowance of 1359,64€ corresponds to the amount established for this type of grant in the FCT table in force and will be paid monthly by bank transfer. The grant also includes personal accident insurance and, where applicable and at the grant holder’s option, reimbursement of contributions to the Voluntary Social Security (SSV) scheme at the first contribution bracket, under the applicable rules.

Eligibility criteria

Eligibility requirements:

1. Applicants must satisfy all of the following requirements:
2. hold a Master’s degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Media, Communication, Urban Studies, Geography, Information Systems, or a related field;
3. be enrolled in a PhD programme under Portuguese law.
4. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate:
5. previous experience or a strong interest in user research, design research, and qualitative or ethnographic methods;
6. experience in user research, usability testing, interviews, participant observation, fieldwork, or community-based ethnographic research;
7. an interest in urban transformation, socio-technical systems, community dynamics, and / or critical studies of technology;
8. the ability to work in interdisciplinary research environments;
9. strong analytical, organisational and writing skills;
10. fluency in Portuguese and proficiency in English.

Selection process

Selection methods: Applications will be assessed on a scale from 0 (zero) to 20 (twenty) points. The final score (FS) will be calculated using the formula FS = (AP × 40%) + (MSR × 20%) + (INT × 40%), according to the following criteria:

• Academic and Professional Profile (AP) - 40%: academic qualifications, professional trajectory, previous research or design experience, methodological competencies, and overall suitability for the scientific scope and work plan of the project.
• Motivation Statement and Supporting References (MSR) - 20%: motivation, research interests, critical orientation, alignment with the project’s scientific objectives and, where submitted, the quality of letters of reference supporting the applicant’s academic or professional potential.
• Interview (INT) - 40%: scientific maturity, critical thinking, communication skills, reflexive capacity, motivation, learning potential, and overall suitability for the research environment and doctoral work.

Composition of the Selection Jury:

Chair: Professor Rui Ramos - Principal Investigator, UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia.

Full member: Professor António Gorgel Pinto - Co-Principal Investigator, UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia.

Full member: Professor André Sabino - UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia.

Full member: Professor Cláudia Sevivas Ribeiro - UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia.

Full member: Professor Juliana Duque - UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia.

Application period and submission procedure: Applications must be submitted by email to alexandre.monteiro@universidadeeuropeia.pt, with the subject line “Application – Research Grant (BI) – Assembling Urban Communities”, and must include the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae;
• certificate of the Master’s degree and the corresponding academic transcript;
• motivation letter;
• proof of enrolment in a PhD programme;
• up to two letters of reference supporting the applicant’s academic and research profile (optional);
• any other documents the applicant considers relevant.

For academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, recognition of the degree is required in accordance with Decree-Law No 66/2018 of 16 August. If recognition has not yet been obtained by the application date, the applicant must submit a declaration on honour stating that recognition will be obtained before the grant contract is signed. In all cases, proof of recognition must be presented before the grant is formalised.

The call will remain open for 10 working days, counted from the working day immediately following publication of this notice.

Additional comments

Work plan: The work will be developed within the scientific scope of the project and will explore community dynamics, socio-spatial relations and situated practices in contexts of urban transformation. It will use qualitative and ethnographic approaches to examine how communities experience, negotiate and make sense of social and spatial change, while contributing to wider discussion of collective knowledge production, socio-technical mediation and urban coexistence.

The activities may include:

• developing qualitative and ethnographic research in relevant empirical contexts;
• contributing to the collection, organisation and analysis of empirical materials;
• engaging with community actors and participatory processes as part of the research;
• examining social, spatial and relational dynamics emerging from the research context;
• contributing to the design, prototyping and evaluation of participatory digital interfaces and community-based research technologies developed within the project;
• contributing to scientific dissemination through conference papers, journal articles and the doctoral dissertation.

The work will be carried out in close coordination with the research team and is expected to contribute to broader debates in design ethnography, urban studies and critical socio-technical research.

Applicable legislation and regulations: The grant is governed by the Portuguese Research Fellowship Holder Statute and by the FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation, in its consolidated version, including the amendments approved by the Board of Directors of FCT, I.P. on 10 December 2025 and in force from 25 December 2025, except for Article 13-A, whose effects are retroactive to March 2025. The consolidated regulation is available at:

FCT Research Grants Regulation — consolidated version

Place of work: The work will be carried out at UNIDCOM/IADE – Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal, under the scientific supervision of Professor Rui Ramos and in collaboration with Professor António Gorgel Pinto and the project research team. Research activities will involve working at Oriente Green Campus and eventually at other external locations relevant to the project.

Grant duration: The grant may have a foreseeable duration of up to 24 months, with an expected start date in October 2026, and may not exceed the maximum duration established by the applicable legislation and regulations.

Publication and notification of results: The final evaluation results will be published as a ranking list ordered by final score and communicated to all applicants by email in accordance with the FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation. The minutes of the selection procedure will be made available for consultation.

Following notification of the provisional results, applicants may, if they wish, submit comments within 10 working days under the prior-hearing procedure for interested parties, pursuant to Article 121 and subsequent articles of the Portuguese Administrative Procedure Code.

An administrative complaint may be lodged against the final decision within 15 working days, or an appeal may be submitted to the highest executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days, in both cases following notification.

If no applicant meets the eligibility criteria and/or the needs of the research project, the host institution reserves the right not to award the grant.

Non-discrimination and equal access policy: UNIDCOM and IADE – Universidade Europeia promote non-discrimination and equal access. No applicant may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged or deprived of any right, or exempted from any duty, on grounds of ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, 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, or trade union membership.

This call complies with the applicable Portuguese legislation and institutional regulations governing research grants.

Website for additional job details: https://univeuropeiapt-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/alexandre_monteiro_universidadeeuropeia_pt/IQA217GwP_ZSRKM5v3EAjcGnAVOS--jH-K8-SsHPpVhXhjo?e=ET3y8y

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1

Company/Institute: Europeia ID

Country: Portugal

City: Moscavide

Postal Code: 1885-081

Street: Oriente Green Campus, 1885-081 Moscavide, Portugal.

Contact

State/Province: Portugal

City: Moscavide

Website: https://www.unidcom-iade.pt/

Street: Oriente Green Campus, 1885-081 Moscavide, Portugal.

Postal Code: 1885-081

E-Mail: alexandre.monteiro@universidadeeuropeia.pt