Detalhe da Oferta:
PUBLIC NOTICE/0079/2025
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE POST OF DOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Application Reference: 2023.15056.TENURE.039 - CBQF's Chair in Plant Science Assistant Researcher -Universidade Católica Portuguesa
1. Framework
The Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Prof. Dr. Isabel Capeloa Gil, hereby announces the opening of an international call for applications for one vacancy of doctoral researcher assistant, with an exclusivity clause, to perform duties of scientific research, in the scientific field of Plant Nutrition and Biotechnology. The research activities will be carried out at the Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (CBQF), integrated at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in Porto within the framework of the FCT-Tenure first edition call by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (FCT,IP), and its call procedure (articles 17, 19 and 28 of the Regulamento do Emprego Científico – REC).
The Assistant Researcher to be recruited will foster the development of the strategic research area of Plant Nutrition and Biotechnology, taking advantage of ground-breaking advances in the understanding of underutilized crops in sustainable value chains, expanding this to the understanding of crop wild relatives and their potential for this transition. The Assistant Researcher will also take a lead role in applying for competitive grants or research funding, develop links with relevant stakeholders for collaborative research, write scientific papers/presentations for scientific and professional meetings, assist in communicating research findings, and train and supervise young researchers. The candidate will have experience deploying and monitoring large-scale phenotyping experiments to screen for genotypes better adapted to climate change- induced scenarios, including their effects on the nutritional quality of plant foods and/or resilience against important quarantine pathogens. The candidate will contribute towards promoting sustainable and resilient agroecosystems to enhance primary production in a changing environment. Experience in leading and/or participating in internationally funded projects, and an ambition to contribute towards securing international funding in the areas mentioned above is required. Besides the integration and dynamization of fundamental research, an active collaboration with key stakeholders is expected, including primary producers, technologists, nutritionists, consumers, and, whenever possible, to translate research findings into practical applications. The researcher will collaborate in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, attracting competitive funding, and contributing to the overall academic and research excellence of the organization.
2. Framework and Applicable Legislation
This selection procedure is open under the FCT-Tenure funding instrument, with the aim of promoting the hiring of doctoral graduates for permanent positions through integration into the research career.
This selection procedure is governed by the terms of the Statute of the Teaching and Research Career of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, hereinafter ECDI-UCP, and other regulations and statutes associated to the first FCT Tenure call, and applicable labour legislation.
3. Workplace
The workplace is located at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa facilities of Porto.
4. Remuneration
The gross monthly pay is €3.501,28 plus meal allowance, to which will be added annual leave and Christmas allowances.
5. Admission requirements
5.1. Framework.
5.1.1- Eligibility of the candidates
Only national, foreign, or stateless candidates who hold a doctoral degree can submit their application.
If the Doctoral Degree has been awarded by a non-Portuguese higher education institution, said degree, to be eligible, must comply with the provisions of the Portuguese legislation on the recognition of foreign degrees, as set out in Decree-Law no. 66/2018 of August 16th. Entering into a contract with the selected candidate is conditional to the submission of the formal document. For additional information on this matter candidates are advised to check the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES): https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition.
The following will also determine the exclusion of the application:
I. Applications from PhD holders with permanent employment positions in the careers of Scientific Research, University Teaching and Polytechnic Higher Education Teaching, and those with permanent positions in national institutions not covered by the Career Statutes, will not be eligible for this support.
ii. Failure to comply with the deadline for submission of the application.
iii. Failure to submit, or submitting after the deadline, any of the documents required in the application formalization process.
iv. The applications that do not meet the requirement to be presented in English.
5.1.2. System for assessment of the merit of the application
In the first phase of the evaluation process, applications will be assessed based on absolute merit. To this end, the jury deliberates on approval on absolute merit based on the requirements indicated in this notice. Absolute merit is expressed by the formulas “rejected” or “approved”.
Once the aforementioned admission phase of the competition has ended, the panel begins to assess the relative merit of the applications approved on absolute merit, taking into account the selection requirements and criteria set out in the notice.
To this end, each member of the jury must produce a written document, duly substantiated, which will be attached to the minutes of the respective meeting, with the final classification on a numerical scale of 0 to 100 obtained by each candidate, based on the evaluation criteria and parameters, and corresponding weighting factors, as set out in this notice. Each member of the jury orders the candidates in descending order of merit, and based on their ordered list of candidates participates in the voting for 1st place, then for 2nd place, and so on, until all candidates approved on absolute merit have been ranked. No abstentions will be permitted.
Once the application of the selection methods has been completed, the jury prepares the provisional unitary list for ranking the candidates. All candidates will be notified electronically via the email address provided for the purpose of holding a Hearing of interested parties, as provided for in item 10 of this notice. After this period or after the Hearing of interested parties has taken place, the panel, in a subsequent meeting, will assess, if applicable, the allegations presented and approve the final list.
5.2. Admissibility and selection requirements
5.2.1- Eligibility requirements for the purposes of assessing the absolute merit of the application
a) Holders of a Doctoral degree in biotechnology, plant sciences or a related field.
b) Proven track record of research, demonstrated through publications in reputable scientific journals, with an H-index of not less than 15 (fifteen) and > 1000 citations in the Web of Science and/or Scopus bibliometric systems.
c) Strong background in plant nutrition and expertise in advanced techniques for plant phenotyping, biochemistry, and molecular biology techniques, demonstrated by at least 10 publications in Scopus-indexed journals.
d) Supervision of PhD and master students.
5.2.2- Specific requirements for the purposes of assessing the relative merit of the application.
5.2.2.1. Scientific and technological outputs
a) Scientific outputs in the area for which the recruitment process is open (Scopus-indexed publications).
b) Experience in integrating research projects, including collaboration with international and multidisciplinary teams.
c) Funding acquisition as Principal Investigator (national or international).
d) Scientific impact (e.g. relevance of results, collaboration network, recognition by external scientific entities).
e) Supervision/co-supervision of undergraduate, master's and PhD students.
5.2.2.2. Applied or practice-based research activities
a) Experience in working in raw materials valorization.
b) Experience in managing field trials and sample collection/managing stakeholder groups in the farming sector.
c) Knowledge in sensory and consumer sciences.
d) Experience in Project Management.
5.2.2.3. Extension activities and knowledge dissemination activities
a) Experience in scientific evaluation, including participation in European project evaluation panels.
b) Participation in peer review and editorial activities.
c) Member of the organizing committee in science dissemination events (scientific meetings, workshops, outreach events).
d) Teaching and formative activity in the field of genetics.
5.2.2.4. Career Development Plan
Career development plan, for the next 6 years, on the research to be developed, its contextualization at the CBQF and the expected scientific and societal impact, as well as the motivation for those choices (up to 5 pages).
6. Selection Process
The selection process must comply with the ECDI-UCP.
In case of doubt, the panel is entitled to request that candidates present further documentation attesting to their written statements, or to conduct interviews to obtain clarification on elements contained in the application.
Interviews will not constitute a selection method and as such, are not subject to classification.
Failure to submit the requested clarification, information, or documents, within five working days of being requested to do so, determines the dismissal of the application.
Any false statements made or provided by the candidates are punishable by law.
7. Assessment criteria
The assessment criteria are the following: scientific output and its relevance, participation in scientific projects and conferences, student supervision, scientific dissemination activities, knowledge transfer, and other relevant activities and experience, and a career development plan.
The candidate classification shall be given on a scale of 0 to 100. The value shall be calculated considering that, for each item, only those activities relevant to the field of the present call for applications are to be considered, with the following weighting model:
Scientific and curricular background
a) Scientific and technological output: 35%;
b) Applied or practice-based research activities: 25%;
c) Knowledge extension and dissemination activities: 25%;
d) Career development plan: 15%
8. Tender Selection Panel
Pursuant to the ECDI-UCP and other relevant regulations, the jury shall be formed by:
President of the Jury: Prof. Doctor Manuela Pintado; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia; Full Professor.
Other members: Prof. Doctor Paula Teixeira; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia; Full Professor; Prof. Dr. Teresa Lino Neto; University of Minho; Associate Professor; Prof. Dr. Mário Cunha; Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto; Associate Professor; Prof. Dr. Maria João Cabrita; Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Évora; Associate Professor.
9. Deliberation and publication
The panel shall deliberate based on the adopted and disclosed selection criteria, with no abstentions allowed. Minutes of panel meetings shall be taken. These shall contain a summary of events, as well as details of the votes cast by each of the members and their respective reasoning. After all selection criteria have been applied, the panel shall prepare a ranked list of approved candidates. The panel’s final decision shall be approved by the Rector, who shall also approve the hiring of the selected candidate.
The ranked list of approved candidates will be posted at the Porto facilities of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, located at Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Centro Regional do Porto, Rua de Diogo Botelho, 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal and will be published on the website https://cbqf.esb.ucp.pt/. Candidates will be notified by email once this list has been made available.
10. Preliminary Hearing and Final Decision Deadline
After notification of the results, candidates have ten working days to respond. In the following five working days (counting from the end of the candidates’ response period), the panel’s final decision is issued.
11. Formalizing applications
Applications are formalized by completing the application form available at https://hr-ucpporto.inqueritos.porto.ucp.pt/225684?lang=en.
Applications must be submitted in English.
Applications shall include the following documents:
a) Curriculum vitae, containing all the relevant information for assessing the application and duly structured in accordance with the requirements of nº 5 of this notice;
b) Doctoral Certificate with date of admission to the degree, and when applicable, the recognition of the degree;
c) Declaration of commitment by the candidate to attest that he/she is not the holder of an employment legal relationship of indefinite period in the careers of Scientific Research, University Professor and Professor of Polytechnic Higher Education, and/or without term in national institutions not covered by the Career Statutes;
d) Document proving that the candidate has been awarded a fixed-term contract or scholarship, as a doctor, at an institution of the National Science and Technology System, on a date prior to the publication of this notice;
e) Career development plan.
12. Application deadline
Candidates may submit their application, pursuant to the terms mentioned in the previous point, from July 29, 2025 until August 24, 2025 (until 5pm, Continental Portugal time).
13. Privacy Policy
Universidade Católica Portuguesa is the controller responsible for the processing of Personal Data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – General Regulation on Data Protection.
The personal data submitted within the scope of this tender procedure is processed within the framework of said tender procedure only, and will be treated by Universidade Católica Portuguesa with the purpose of verifying the fulfillment, by the candidates, of the assumptions established in the applicable legislation for their contracting. Opposition to the processing of data by the candidates will make it impossible to accept the application and, therefore, to analyze and evaluate it.
The personal data of the Data Subject, if it be indispensable for the fulfillment of the obligations of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, may be conveyed to third parties, namely to the Financing Entities identified in this announcement.
The data retention period shall correspond to the legally defined period of five years.
The Data Subject is entitled to oppose to the collection and processing of data, has the right to verification, the right to rectification, the right to deletion, and the right to restriction of processing of the data collected. However, the exercise of such rights may be excluded when the personal data is used to protect public interest, namely in the detection and prevention of crimes or when subject to professional rules of confidentiality.
The Data Subject has the right of access and portability of the data.
Rights of Personal Data Subjects: https://www.ucp.pt/rights-data-subjects.
For purposes of exercising the respective rights, contact the University through the e-mail address
Mostrar Email > < Mostrar Email
Lisbon, 24 July 2025.