PhD Studentship

The scholarship will be funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT) under the Collaboration Protocol for Financing the Multiannual Plan for Research Scholarships for PhD Students, signed between FCT and the R&D Unit, Mértola Biological Station Association, Nº 14442.

More information

Where to apply

Website: https://ebmertola.pt/recrutamento/

Requirements

Research Field: Biological sciences

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

To apply for the PhD studentship it is necessary:

• To hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Biological Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Agronomy, Forestry Engineering, Environment, Social Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Archaeology, or in related areas. Alternatively, to have a curriculum vitae of recognised merit in one of the mentioned areas.
• To reside in Portugal permanently and habitually at the start date of the work plan period abroad, if the proposed work plan associated with the studentship is partially carried out in foreign institutions (mixed studentships); this requirement applies to both national and foreign citizens.
• Not have benefited from a PhD or a PhD in industry studentship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
• Not holding a PhD degree

Specific Requirements

PhD Studentships are intended for candidates enrolled or those who meet the necessary conditions to enroll in a Doctoral Programme at a Portuguese University and who intend to carry out research activities leading to a PhD degree at the Mértola Biological Station Association, or at associated host institutions, including international ones in the case of a mixed studentship.

Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Good

Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology

Additional Information

Benefits

The studentship holders are granted a monthly maintenance allowance in accordance with the table in Annex I of the FCT, I.P. Regulation of Research Fellowships. The studentship may also include other components, under the terms of Article no. 18 of the RBI and for the values indicated in its Annex II. All studentship holders benefit from personal accident insurance for research activities, supported by FCT. All studentship holders who are not covered by any social protection regime can ensure the exercise of their right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance regime, under the terms of the Contributory Scheme of the Social Security System, with FCT covering the costs resulting from contributions under the terms and with the limits provided for in Article no. 10 of the EBI.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants' admissibility requirements

The following citizens may apply to this call:

• National citizens or citizens from other member-states of the European Union;
• Third-party state citizens;
• Stateless individuals;
• Citizens holding a political refugee status.

To apply for the PhD studentship it is necessary:

• To hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Biological Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Agronomy, Forestry Engineering, Environment, Social Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Archaeology, or in related areas. Alternatively, to have a curriculum vitae of recognised merit in one of the mentioned areas.
• To reside in Portugal permanently and habitually at the start date of the work plan period abroad, if the proposed work plan associated with the studentship is partially carried out in foreign institutions (mixed studentships); this requirement applies to both national and foreign citizens.
• Not have benefited from a PhD or a PhD in industry studentship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
• Not holding a PhD degree

Selection process

Under penalty of non-admissibility to the Call, it is mandatory to attach the following documents to the application:

1. Applicant's Curriculum Vitae, including explicit information on the academic, scientific, and professional background properly structured and tailored to sub-criteria A and B of the evaluation criteria;
2. Project/work proposal, with a maximum of three pages and up to 2000 words, containing the following information: brief background, research hypotheses, objectives, tasks, timeline, doctoral programme where the degree will be obtained, partner institutions, potential supervisory team, type of studentship (in the country or mixed), and potential funding sources for the execution of the works;
3. Support/reference letter, at least one dated and signed letter. The document must be issued specifically for the present application and contain the complete identification of the subscriber (names, positions, and institutional affiliations), and may declare availability to supervise the candidate;
4. Motivation letter, justifying the indicated doctoral programme and explaining the interest in developing the presented working plan within the domains of EBM - Mértola Biological Station, as well as evidencing the interest in the region;
5. Identification document elements (ID Card/Citizen Card/Passport);
6. Degree certificates for the academic degrees held, mandatorily specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects completed, or, alternatively, a declaration of honour from the candidate stating they have concluded the Bachelor's or Master's degree by the end of the application deadline;
7. Record of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and record of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese grading scale, or, alternatively, a declaration of honour from the candidate stating they have obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a Bachelor's or Master's by the end of the application deadline:

Write the application and all associated documents in English or Portuguese. Failure to comply with this condition will lead to the exclusion of the application.

Additional comments

Regarding the admissibility requirements mentioned above, the following should be noted:

In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to guarantee the application of the principle of equal treatment to applicants holding foreign and national academic degrees, it is mandatory to recognize those degrees and to convert the respective final classification into the portuguese classification scale.

The recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas as well as the conversion of the final classification into the Portuguese classification scale may be requested at any public higher education institution, or at the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES, only in the case of automatic recognition). Regarding this matter, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal at the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation considers the candidate's merit and their scientific career. Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 for each of the following evaluation criteria:

• Criterion A - Academic Background (reflecting the grades of the academic degrees and the overall academic curriculum), with a weight of 30%;
• Criterion B - Scientific and Professional Career (reflecting scientific production, professional experience, participation in research projects, and communications in the thematic area of application), with a weight of 30%;
• Criterion C - Project/work proposal (with a special focus on the analysis of the alignment with the theme, objectives, main tasks, and scientific support), with a weight of 25%;
• Criterion D – Motivation Letter (based on clarity, reasoning, and interest in carrying out their research proposal at EBM), with a weight of 15%;

To proceed to the second evaluation phase, candidates will be ranked based on the weighted average of the scores obtained in each of the criteria according to the following formula:

1st Phase Classification = (0,3 x A) + (0,3 x B) + (0,25 x C) + (0,15 x D)

Candidates with a classification equal to or higher than 70% (seventy), up to a limit of 10 candidates, will advance to the second evaluation phase. For tie-breaking purposes, the ranking of candidates will be based on the scores assigned to each evaluation criterion in the following order of precedence: Criterion C, Criterion D, Criterion A, Criterion B.

In the second evaluation phase, candidates will be assessed considering the following evaluation criteria:

• Criterion E - Interview, involving questions related to the following topics: motivation, scientific reasoning, demonstration of knowledge regarding the presented work proposal, soft skills, and communication capacity, with a weight of 30%
• Criterion F - Classification obtained in the 1st evaluation phase, with a weight of 70%

For the decision on granting the studentship, candidates will be ranked according to the weighted average of the classification obtained, per theme, as expressed by the following formula:

Final Classification (FC) = (0,3 x E) + (0,7 x F)

For tie-breaking purposes, the final ranking of candidates will be based on the scores assigned to each of the evaluation criteria in the following order of precedence: Criterion E and Criterion F.

Important warning for candidates with degrees issued by foreign higher education institutions:

Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be evaluated using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they present, in their application, proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.

Candidates with recognized foreign diplomas who do not present proof of conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with the minimum classification (50 out of 100 points) in criterion (A).

In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification, as indicated above.

Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final score of less than 70 are not eligible for a scholarship.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1

Company/Institute: Associação Estação Biológica de Mértola

Country: Portugal

State/Province: Mértola

City: Mértola

Postal Code: 7750-360

Street: Rua Professor Batista Graça, nº1

Contact

State/Province: Mértola

City: Mértola

Website: https://ebmertola.pt/

Street: Rua Professor Batista Graça, nº1

Postal Code: 7750-360

E-Mail: ebm@ebmertola.pt

bolsas@ebmertola.pt