Research Grant

Offer Description

A tender is hereby opened for the award of 1 (one) Research Grant(s) (RG) in the scope of R&D projects WIN-PLASTIC: World in Plastic – Impact of plastic on bioplastic ingestion on the gut and human health, at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Chemistry Department (reference COMPETE2030-FEDER-00843100) under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area: Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and related areas.

2. Funding Source: Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES, I.P., through national funds (PIDDAC), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, through the (indicate which Operational Program it funds) of Portugal 2030 indicate which Operational Program support the project.

3. Admission Requirements:
3.1. 4. Masters enrolled in courses that do not confer academic degree integrated in the educational project of a higher education institution.
3.2. 2. Master's Degree in: Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and related areas.

4. Other Requirements:
Preference Factors: 1) Experience in areas relevant to the project, namely in vitro cell culture and chemical analysis of micro and nanoplastics; 2) Ability to work on a challenging and innovative project and in a multidisciplinary team. Communication ability; 3) Publications and/or scientific communications; 4) Good knowledge of English

5. Eligibility: Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph a) of no.1 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, as well as nos. 1 and 2 of article 6 of the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

6. Work plan: The grant aims to carry out research work within the scope of the WIN-PLASTIC project, namely developing the following activities: (i) environmental degradation of plastics, characterization of micro and nanoplastics and chemical migration; (ii) maintenance of in vitro cell cultures; iii) planning and conducting toxicity tests with in vitro cell models.

7. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder, as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th; Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation); Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime for recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).

8. Workplace: The work will be carried out at Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Biology Department and Chemistry Department of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor/Doctor Verónica Isabel Correia Bastos e Professora Doutora Teresa Alexandra Peixoto Rocha-Santos.

9. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 6 months, starting in 1st of January of 2027, and may be renewed for additional periods up to the maximum limit of approved funding. Under no circumstances shall it exceed the limits defined in nos. 3, 4 and 5 of article 6, of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.).

10. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to €1.359,64 , according to the table of monthly maintenance allowance amounts set out in Annex I of Regulation no. 950/2019, subject to any updates that may be applicable, under the terms of no. 2 of article 18 of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.). The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.

11. Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be the following: curricular evaluation and, optionally, an interview (which will only be held if the jury does not consider itself sufficiently able to decide based solely on the curricular evaluation. For this purpose, the three highest ranked candidates in the curricular evaluation will be called for the interview, while the remaining candidates will be considered excluded from the competition) with the respective value of 0 to 20 points. The Curricular Evaluation (CE) will have a weighting of 100% (if there is no interview) and is subdivided into: Academic qualifications and curriculum vitae in the scientific area of the call (50%); Preferential factors (40%); and Cover and motivation letter (10%). In case the Interview is held, the final classification will be calculated using the formula: CE (60%) + Interview (40%). The jury reserves the right not to admit to the interview candidates with a CE score of less than 10 points, as well as not to award the fellowship to anyone obtaining a final score of less than 14 points, or if no candidate matches the desired profile.

12. Composition of the Selection Jury: Chair of the Jury: Verónica Isabel Correia Bastos, Junior Researcher at the Department of Biology; Effective members: Teresa Alexandra Peixoto da Rocha Santos, Principal Researcher with Aggregation at the Department of Chemistry; Helena Cristina Correia de Oliveira, Assistant Researcher at the Department of Biology. Substitute members: Fernanda de Oliveira Esteves Rosário, Junior Researcher at the Department of Biology and João Miguel Martins Novaes Pinto da Costa, Principal Researcher at the Department of Chemistry.

13. Deadline for applications (not be less than 10 working days) and how to submit applications: The call is open from 29-10-2026 to 11-11-2026, and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted.
Applications must be formalized by sending a letter of application accompanied by the following documentos: Curriculum Vitae, certificate of qualifications, declaration of honor and other supporting documents deemed relevant. They shall also indicate the e-mail address to which by such indication they accept to be notified for all purposes within this procedure.
Applications should be sent by e-mail to veronicabastos@ua.pt.

14. Form of publication/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be published through an ordered list by final mark obtained posted on the University's website, within 90 working days after the final date of submission of the application, and the successful candidate will be notified by email. For the purposes of prior hearing of interested parties, the deadline of 10 working days is set, as provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure. At the end of the period for hearing the interested parties, and in the absence of any response from them, the list of candidates will become final. Candidates may lodge a complaint against the final decision within 15 working days, or appeal to the maximum executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days after notification of the final decision, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

15. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until 31-01-2027 for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection.

Where to apply

E-mail: veronicabastos@ua.pt

Requirements

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

Additional Information

Website for additional job details: https://www.cesam-la.pt/concursos/bolsa-de-investigacao-no-ambito-do-projeto-win-plastic/

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies
• Country: Portugal
• City: Aveiro
• Postal Code: 3810-193
• Street: Campus Universitário de Santiago

Contact

• City: Aveiro
• Website: http://www.cesam-la.pt
• Street: Universidade de Aveiro, Edifício 3, Campus Universitário de Santiago,
• Postal Code: 3810-193