Master's Research Fellowship in Civil Engineering

1. SCIENTIFIC AREA

Civil Engineering

2. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Candidates may apply for this call provided that they cumulatively meet the following requirements:

Requirement 1: hold a Master's degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in Structures.
Note: If the qualification was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August, and any formalities established therein must be completed by the time of contracting.
Requirement 2: be enrolled in a PhD Programme in Civil Engineering.
Requirement 3: have proven experience in R&D activities in the field of automated development of BIM models of railway infrastructure and in the integration of railway infrastructure maintenance data into digital platforms, namely the ArcGIS platform.

3. DURATION

The fellowship will have a duration of 6 months, starting on 1 December 2026, and may be renewed in accordance with the project's objectives and budget, up to the limit established by law. It will be carried out on an exclusive basis, in accordance with the regulations governing advanced training of human resources of the Foundation for Science and Technology and ISEP or until the end of the project, whichever occurs first.

4. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION / WORK PLAN

The work to be carried out falls within the scope of the STRCUTURE project, which aims to develop a digital platform based on artificial intelligence, smart sensing and predictive analytics for monitoring the condition of railway infrastructure, thereby enabling early detection of anomalies, supporting decision-making and implementing maintenance strategies based on the actual condition of the infrastructure. In particular, the work plan includes the following activities:

• Development of advanced numerical models of vehicle-track dynamic interaction using SIMPACK software.
• Simulation of the dynamic response of the vehicle-track system in scenarios with and without anomalies in the track and vehicle subsystems.
• Support for the development of Artificial Intelligence methodologies for the detection and prediction of structural failures in railway infrastructure and vehicle components.
• Development of a multimodal digital platform for the railway system, including railway infrastructure and vehicles, to support condition assessment, traffic safety and maintenance management.

5. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS

Statute of the Research Fellow, approved by Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August; Research Fellowship Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology, approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in Series 2, Part C, of the Diário da República of 16 December 2019; ISEP Research Fellowship Regulations; Decree-Law No. 66/2018, published in Diário da República No. 157/2018, Series I, of 16 August, which establishes the legal framework for the recognition of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions; and Decree-Law No. 60/2018 of 3 August, which simplifies the administrative procedures required for the pursuit of research and development activities, all in their current versions.

6. SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION AND WORKPLACE

The work will be carried out at ISEP, within the iBuilt research group, under the scientific supervision of Professor Diogo Rodrigo Ferreira Ribeiro.

7. MONTHLY MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE

Monthly fellowship amount: €1,359.64, paid by bank transfer (according to the monthly maintenance allowance values applicable to FCT fellowships for 2026: https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf), funded through PAD No. C73417.

8. SELECTION METHODS AND COMPOSITION OF THE PANEL

The selection methods will be as follows: curriculum evaluation and interview, with a weighting of 50% and 50%, respectively, both assessed on a scale from 0 to 20 points.
The curriculum evaluation will consider the following factors, with the corresponding weightings:

• Academic qualifications – 35%
• Experience in research and development projects in the field of railway infrastructure digitalization – 35%
• Scientific publications in the field of digital construction – 30%

The interview will be assessed according to the following factors:

• Motivation for applying – 50%
• Perception of the relevance of the project's subject matter within the scope of Digital Construction – 50%

The selection panel will be composed of:
Professor Diogo Rodrigo Ferreira Ribeiro (Chair)
Professor Luis Manuel Silva Conceição (Member)
Professor Rafael de Araújo Cabral (Member)
and Professor Maria Do Rosário Santos Oliveira as Alternate Member.

9. APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Applications must be submitted by email to drr@isep.ipp.pt and must include the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae;
• Motivation letter;
• Certificate of qualifications / Document proving the award of the academic degree and diploma, together with proof of recognition when awarded by foreign higher education institutions, or a document proving that recognition has been requested;
• Proof of enrolment in a degree-awarding study programme;
• Other documents considered relevant by the candidate.

To ensure that all documents can be read, the preferred file format is Portable Document Format (.pdf).

10. APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications will be accepted from 30 September to 14 October 2026.

11. PUBLICATION/NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

The evaluation results will be communicated by email to the email address provided in the application.

12. COMPLAINT AND APPEAL PROCEDURES

If the result is unfavorable, candidates have a period of 10 working days after publication of the application evaluation results to submit comments, if they so wish, during the prior hearing of interested parties, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Code.
An administrative appeal against the final decision referred to above may be submitted to the ISEP´s Director within 15 working days of its notification.

13. RESERVE LIST (OPTIONAL)

ISEP reserves the right to call upon non-selected candidates, in ranking order, to contract a fellow under the same project in the event that the initially selected candidate withdraws.