Master's Research Grant

Offer Description

A call for applications is open for the award of 1 (one) Master's Research Grant under the CRIARTE Project – Ref: COMPETE2030-FEDER-01192200 – 17402, co-funded by the Innovation and Digital Transition Thematic Programme (COMPETE2030) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Portugal 2030, under the following conditions:

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: have proven experience in R&D activities in the field of remote inspection of civil engineering assets, including reality capture using laser scanning and photogrammetry, automatic anomaly identification using Deep Learning techniques, and anomaly mapping using Ray Casting techniques.

Requirement 3: have at least 1 (one) publication in an indexed international journal on remote inspection methodologies for civil engineering assets.

3. DURATION

The grant 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, on an exclusive basis, in accordance with the regulations governing advanced training grants for human resources of the Foundation for Science and Technology and ISEP, or until the end of the project, whichever occurs first.

4. ACTIVITY OBJECTIVE / WORK PLAN

The work to be carried out falls within the CRIARTE project, which aims to develop and implement innovative solutions that promote effective collaboration between autonomous machines and workers in the assembly of steel structures. In particular, the work plan includes the following activities:

• Development of software to automate the dynamic capture and processing of point clouds using technologies integrated into workers and robots, as well as the subsequent generation and updating of As-Is models of the asset under construction.
• Development of a digital twin of the physical asset under construction, integrating BIM models and sensor data, dynamically updated according to the actual progress of the construction work.
• Support for the development of an aggregating digital platform incorporating information from the digital twins of the asset under construction, the human operator, and the robots.

5. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS

Statute of the Research Fellow, approved by Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August; Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology, approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in the 2nd series - Part C of the Diário da República on 16 December 2019; ISEP Research Grants Regulation; Decree-Law No. 66/2018, published in Diário da República No. 157/2018, Series I, of 16 August, approving 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, simplifying administrative procedures required for the pursuit of research and development activities, all in their current versions.

6. SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION AND PLACE OF WORK

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 grant amount: € 1359.64, paid by bank transfer (according to the monthly maintenance allowance amounts applicable to FCT grants and referring to 2026: https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf), funded through PAD No. C73282.

8. SELECTION METHODS AND COMPOSITION OF THE JURY

The selection methods to be used are curriculum assessment and interview, weighted at 50% and 50%, respectively, both scored on a scale from 0 to 20 points.

The curriculum assessment will be carried out considering the following factors, with the corresponding weightings:

• Academic qualifications – 35%
• Experience in research and development projects in the field of remote inspection of civil engineering assets – 35%
• Scientific publications in the field of remote inspection of civil engineering assets – 30%

The interview will be assessed according to the following factors:

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

The jury responsible for the selection process will comprise:
Professor Diogo Rodrigo Ferreira Ribeiro (Chair)
Professor Rafael de Araújo Cabral (Member)
Dr Rúben Filipe Pereira da Silva (Member)
and, as alternate member, Professor Rodrigo Esmeriz Falcão Moreira (Alternate Member).

9. APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

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

• Curriculum Vitae;
• Motivation letter;
• Academic certificate / document proving ownership of the academic degree and diploma, including proof of recognition when awarded by foreign higher education institutions, or document proving that recognition has been requested;
• Proof of enrolment in non-degree-awarding study programmes;
• Any 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 SUBMISSION DEADLINE

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

11. PUBLICATION / NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

The assessment results will be communicated by email to the email address indicated in the application.

12. COMPLAINT AND APPEAL PROCEDURES

If the result is unfavourable, candidates have 10 working days following publication of the application assessment results to make representations, if they wish, during the prior hearing of interested parties, in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Code.
An administrative appeal against the final decision referred to in the preceding paragraphs may be lodged with the ISEP´s Director within 15 working days following notification thereof.

13. SELECTION RESERVE (OPTIONAL)

ISEP reserves the right to call upon unsuccessful candidates, in ranking order, to contract a research fellow under the same project if the initially selected candidate withdraws.

Where to apply

E-mail: drr@isep.ipp.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Engineering » Civil engineering
• Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Instituto Superior de Engenharia
• Country: Portugal
• State/Province: Porto
• City: Porto
• Postal Code: 4249-015
• Street: Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431

Contact

• State/Province: Porto
• City: Porto
• Website: https://www.isep.ipp.pt
• Street: Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 431
• Postal Code: 4249-015
• E-Mail: info-projetos@isep.ipp.pt
• E-Mail: info-sp@isep.ipp.pt