Research Grants (2BI-2/CESAM/GLOW/2026)

Offer Description

A tender is hereby opened for the award of two (2) Research Grants (RG) in the scope of R&D project GLOW - Coastal Wetlands Conservation Action: public access data for education and conservation, funded by a Private Charitable Foundation, from the Centre for Environmental and Marine Research, University of Aveiro, under the following conditions:

1. 1. Scientific Area: Biology, Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, or related fields
2. 2. Funding Source: Private Charitable Foundation.
3. 3. Admission Requirements: Candidates must:

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, or related fields.
• Be enrolled in a Master’s program or in non-degree courses integrated within the educational project of a higher education institution.
• Be fluent (written and spoken) in Portuguese (foreign applicants must provide supporting documents) and in English.

1. The proof of enrolment must be made available until the contract is awarded, and the candidate may attach a declaration of honor to confirm that they meet the requirements. If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution it must be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th, which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd, and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act.
2. 4. 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 in the Article 9.º from the Regulation of the Scientific Grants from University of Aveiro.
3. 5. Work plan:

• Participate in the tasks and activities of the GLOW Project within the Ria de Aveiro (Portugal) case study, and in interaction with the project’s international partners;
• Carry out field and laboratory work aimed at the sampling, monitoring, and identification of macrofauna and other indicators in coastal wetlands;
• Collect automated data using sensors and camera traps as indicators of ecosystem health and biodiversity across different sites; organize and process data obtained;
• Implement and participate in communication and dissemination activities of the GLOW Project;
• Contribute to the preparation of technical-scientific reports and, where appropriate, scientific articles.

1. 6. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder, as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th; Regulation of the Scientific Grants from University of Aveiro, Regulation n.º 292/2020, published at Diário da República n.º 61, 2.ª Série, from 26th March; 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).
2. 7. Workplace: The work will be carried out at the ECOMARE - Centro de Extensão e de Pesquisa Ambiental e Marinha (CEPAM), Universidade de Aveiro (Edifício ECOMARE, Universidade de Aveiro, Estrada do Porto de Pesca Costeira, 3830-565 Gafanha da Nazaré), and Department of Biology and CESAM at University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor Dr. Ana Isabel Francisco Sousa.
3. 8. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 3 (three) months, starting in 01/10/2026, and may be renewed up by similar period, or up to the maximum limit of approved funding. Under no circumstances shall it exceed the limits defined in the n.ºs 5 e 6 of the article 9.º of the Regulation n.º 292/2020, from 28th February, published at the Diário da República, n.º 61, 2.ª Série, from 26th March (Regulation of the Scientific Grants from University of Aveiro).
4. 9. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to 1090.98 €, according to the table of monthly maintenance allowance amounts set out in Annex III of Regulation of the Scientific Grants from University of Aveiro), subject to any updates that may be applicable. The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.
5. 10. Selection methods: Selection methods will be as follows: Curriculum evaluation and interview (if needed), with the respective weighting of:

• Suitability of the academic and professional profile (weighting of 40 points). Preference will be given to candidates pursuing academic training in the field marine biology or ecology and who have an excellent level of Portuguese and a good level of English;
• Final average grade of the Bachelor’s degree (weighting of 20 points);
• Experience in academic work within the framework of estuarine ecology/biology, namely image annotation and taxonomic validation of estuarine or marine fauna (weighting of 20 points);
• Experience in estuarine and costal wetlands data collection and analysis (weighting of 15 points).

1. If the selection panel deems it necessary, interviews will be conducted with the three highest-ranked candidates. In this case, the interview will focus on the following components (with a total weighting of 100 points):

• i) communication skills;
• ii) teamwork skills;
• iii) technical expertise in areas relevant to the work plan.

1. The final score of each candidate will be obtained through a weighted average, with a weighting factor of 70% assigned to the curriculum evaluation score and 30% to the interview score. If interviews take place, they will be held in May 2026, on a date and time to be defined. The jury has the option of not attributing the research grant, if none of the candidates match the desired profile.

• 11. Composition of the Selection Jury:Chair – Professor Dr Ana Isabel Francisco Sousa, Assistant Professor, CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro;
• Permanent member – Ana Isabel Lillebo Batista, Coordinator Researcher with Habilitation, CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro;
• Permanent member – Dr João Pedro Martins Coelho, Assistant Researcher, CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro;
• Alternate member – Dr Olga Maria Correia Chitas Ameixa, Assistant Researcher, CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro;
• Alternate member – Dr. Sónia Marisa Gonçalves da Cruz, Principal Researcher, CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro;

1. 12. Deadline for applications and how to submit applications: The call is open from 10th to 21st of August, 2026 and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted. Applications must be formalized by sending the Research Grant Application Form, available at Research fellows - sgrh - Universidade de Aveiro, accompanied by the following documents:

• a) Application form for research grants available on the website of the Human Resources Management Services under “bolseiros - sgrh - Universidade de Aveiro” (https://www.ua.pt/pt/sgrh/bolseiros);
• b) Motivation letter, indicating the title and reference of the project and describing the candidate’s motivation;
• c) Curriculum Vitae;
• d) Academic qualification certificates; and proof of degree obtained abroad (if applicable);
• e) Declaration of honor;
• f) Other supporting documents considered relevant.
• g) Indicate the e-mail address to be notified for all purposes within the scope of this procedure.

1. Applications should be sent by e-mail until the last day of the call to anaisousa@ua.pt, and mentioning “GLOW – Grant” in the email subject.
2. 13. Form of publication/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be published within 60 working days after the final date of submission of the application, through notification of the candidates 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 10 working days, or appeal to the maximum executive body of the funding entity within 10 working days after notification of the final decision.
3. 14. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until 31/12/2026 for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection. The models of the grant contract and of the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor are available at Research fellows - sgrh - Universidade de Aveiro (ua.pt).

Where to apply

• E-mail: anaisousa@ua.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Biological sciences
• Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent
• Research Field: Environmental science
• Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Additional Information

Website for additional job details: https://www.cesam-la.pt/en/calls/research-grant-under-the-project-glow-2/

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 2
• 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