Organisation/Company Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra Research Field Sociology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Postdoc Positions Country Portugal Application Deadline 30 Jun 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number COMPETE2030-FEDER-00726400 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
The Centre for Social Studies (CES) – Associate Laboratory - University of Coimbra (Portugal), invites applications for (1) one Post-Doctoral Researcher position (CES/12/2025-PD-UNPROTECT) in the project “(Un)Protect - State (Un)Protection and Racialization in Portugal: a study of the impact of child and youth protection system on Black and Roma women”, with the reference COMPETE2030-FEDER-00726400, funded by the financial support from the FEDER and Portuguese national funds through FCT, and coordinated by Sílvia Maeso.
CES provides a stimulating intellectual environment in the domain of social sciences and humanities. The project is part of the research line Democracy, Justice and Human Rights, which aims to analyse the persistence of systems of oppression that are intertwined in the structures of racism, heteropatriarchy and capitalism and examine the socio-legal, socio-political and socio-cultural resistances that, in the framework of the modern State and beyond, mark the present of anti-discrimination policies and the constitution of alternative grammars of dignity.
a. Project Description
“(Un)Protect - State (Un)Protection and Racialization in Portugal: a study of the impact of child and youth protection system on Black and Roma women
(Un)Protect is an innovative study of the interrelationship between the child/youth state protection system and racialisation in Portugal, focusing on its impact on the lives of Black and Roma women. The project builds on the team’s work on institutional racism, law and public policies, to analyse this interrelationship in three areas: the production of expert knowledge, the justice system and the experience of black and Roma women.
Expected duration of the project execution: from June 1st, 2025 to May 30th, 2028.
b. Scientific Field
Social Sciences, with a focus on Critical Race Studies.
The selected candidate is expected to contribute to the successful implementation of the research project, including the execution of management, research and dissemination tasks. In particular, the selected candidate will implement the following tasks:
* Literature review, public policy and political debate research, media analysis, conducting fieldwork (qualitative methods: expert interviews and participatory action research) and analysis of qualitative data;
* Participation in scientific events and other relevant dissemination activities;
* Writing of scientific papers and collaboration in the production of audiovisual materials and other dissemination and rights literacy materials;
* Support the PI in the project management, such as the organisation of scientific and training events, communication with collaborating stakeholders and reporting activities.
d. Applicable Legislation and Regulations
The successful candidate will be hired under Law no. 57/2016, August 29, altered by Law 57/2017, which approves a doctoral hiring regime with a view to boosting scientific and technological employment in all areas of knowledge (RJEC). The hiring will also be governed by the Labor Code approved by Law no. 7/2009 of February 12, as currently worded.
e. Workplace
Research will be performed at the Centre for Social Studies facilities in Coimbra, Portugal. The successful candidate will be required to be available to travel to other locations to implement research and dissemination tasks.
f. Duration of the Contract
The contract will be signed for the sole purpose of the execution of the project, foreseeably starting in September 1st, 2025. The contract is fulltime, in exclusive dedication until the end of the project. Selected researcher is subject to yearly evaluations by the PI, upon which depends the continuation of the contract.
From the 13th to the 30thof June, 2025. After June 30th, 2025, applications will not be considered for evaluation.
h. Application process
Applications must include:
a) Presentation/Motivation letter with the contest reference (CES/12/2025-PD-UNPROTECT) of maximum 2 pages in Portuguese in which the candidate addresses at least four points:
* adequacy of the applicant’s education and previous research experience to the selecting criteria listed;
* knowledge of the political, legal and policy debates about institutional racism in the Portuguese context, and, in particular, regarding anti-black and/or anti-Roma racism;
* proficiency in English and Portuguese (oral and written) with reference to the context where the candidate learned and perfected both languages or to whether they are native speakers.
b) Detailed Curriculum Vitae;
c) Copies of degree certificates. It is mandatory to be holder of a PhD degree by the date to start the contract (note: candidates must meet the eligibility conditions and conditions indicated in point “k. Mandatory requirements”);
d) One publication in Portuguese or English;
e) Other relevant documents for eligibility purposes.
Applications should be sent by email to concursos@ces.uc.pt until the final deadline. Applications must include a clear indication of the reference of this call (CES/12/2025-PD-UNPROTECT).
Where to apply
E-mail concursos@ces.uc.pt
Requirements
Research Field Sociology Education Level PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
i. Preferred selection criteria and their weighing
Applicants must demonstrate expertise in critical race studies and in some of the key research topics of the research groupDemoJUST, by fulfilling the following criteria:
a) Academic background and research experience in Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Law or related fields (interdisciplinary approaches are welcomed), with demonstrated research in the area of critical race studies and in the Portuguese context (publications, participation in research projects, membership in research groups or networks) (20%);
b) Experience in the areas of institutional racism, racial segregation, social policy and the welfare system, child protection system in Portugal, housing policies and vulnerable populations, anti-racism and grassroots organizations, and knowledge of Portugal’s current context in these areas (20%);
c) Experience in qualitative data collection and analysis, including semi-structured interviews, ethnography, and participatory-action research (20%);
d) Experience in research teams, project management and communication, organisation of scientific events, and outreach activities. Previous postdoctoral research experience constitutes additional merit (10%);
e) Level of language proficiency in Portuguese and English (10%);
f) Experience with audiovisual methodologies (e.g. podcast, documentaries) (10%);
g) Experience in collaboration with black and/or Roma social movements and organisatons in Portugal (10%).
The jury reserves the right not to select any candidate.
Languages PORTUGUESE Level Excellent
Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent
Research Field Sociology
Additional Information
j. Monthly Salary
The monthly salary is 2.351,53 Euros gross plus two additional months of salary (total of 14 months of salary a year). Full protection by Social Security is included in the contract. Researchers will be covered by Portugal’s national health insurance plan.
Salary is set in accordance with the provisions of Portugal´s scientific employment law, namely line a) number 1, of article 15, Law nº 57/2017, corresponding to level 33 of the single salary scale approved by Decree no. 1553-C/2008 of December 31.
Eligibility criteria
k. Selection Criteria
Applicants must demonstrate expertise on the topic of the project, by fulfilling the following criteria:
a) Applicants must hold a PhD in the subject area indicated above;
b) Be proficient in Portuguese and English;
c) Demonstrate expertise in the research topics of the project (see criteria (a) to (c) above).
Applicants with an academic degree and diploma issued by a foreign Higher Education Institution must present proof of recognition of the academic degree by the Portuguese Higher Education System, (law DL66/2018). Any candidate without the recognition of the degree(s) will be admitted to the competition, but during the evaluation process the selection panel, cannot:
i. recognize the candidate’s grades and assess according to the possession of such grades;
ii. give equivalence to, or validate, the grade of her/his degree;
iii. use that note or its conversion as an evaluation parameter.
In case of selection, the contract can only be signed after the recognition of the academic degree by the Portuguese authorities, under the terms of the Law-decree n66/2018, August 16. The selected candidate must deliver the recognition of the degree within 30 days after the communication of the results. After the 30 days, the jury may decide to (1) either extend the deadline for the candidate to prove the recognition; (2) assign the position to the next candidate for merit; (3) or not award the position.
Selection process
l. Selection Process
Applicants will be selected based on their scientific merit and curricular path. In case of equivalent curricular evaluations, the best-positioned applicants will be short-listed for an interview, meant to assess each applicant’s potential contribution to the development of the project. The two stages of evaluation (the curricular merit assessment and the interview) will weigh 50% each in the final score. The scale applied to each criterion is 0 to 20.
The jury reserves the right to not select any applicants for the positions, if applications do not meet the necessary standards and/or profiles in terms of absolute merit.
m. Selection Panel
n. Communication of Results
The results of the selection process will be emailed to all candidates, and the meeting minutes of the selection panel will become publicly available.
Additional comments
Equality of opportunities:
CES abides by the national law that regulates the prevention, prohibition and fighting against discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic identity, colour, nationality, family background, territory of origin, and disability (Law nº 93/2017, 23 August; Law nº 4/2019, 10 January).
Data protection:
By submitting your application, you are agreeing with the use of your personal data by CES administrative services for the sole purpose of the current call, namely to be contacted directly by CES services and allow the communication of results as in point n. of this call. CES abides by the principles of GPDR.
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