Job Information
- Organisation/Company: University of Porto
- Department: Human Resources Department
- Research Field: Pharmacological sciences » Toxicology
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
- Positions: Bachelor Positions
- Application Deadline: 19 Aug 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)
- Country: Portugal
- Type of Contract: Temporary
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours Per Week: 35H
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Other EU programme
Offer Description
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR 1 (ONE) RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (BI), AS PART OF THE PROJECT “EPIGENETIC MARKERS FOR PREDICTING THE NEUROTOXICITY OF DRUGS OF ABUSE” (EpigenDrugTox; 2024.17684. PEX), FUNDED EXCLUSIVELY BY NATIONAL FUNDS THROUGH THE FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, I.P., CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT THE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTO- BOLS-FFUP-26-18
This call for applications is now open for the award of 1 (one) Research Fellowship (BI) to master’s students, students in integrated master’s programs, or bachelor’s degree holders enrolled in non-degree-granting courses, to conduct R&D activities within the scope of the project “Epigenetic markers for predicting the neurotoxicity of drugs of abuse” (EpigenDrugTox; 2024.17684.PEX), funded exclusively by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., and currently underway in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto.
1. Scientific Area(s):
Health Sciences.
2. Admission Requirements:
All individuals of legal age who meet the following requirements, as verified by supporting documentation, are eligible to apply for this scholarship:
- A bachelor’s degree in Toxicology or related fields¹;
- Be a student enrolled in a master’s program in Toxicology or related fields, or enrolled in a non-degree program that is part of a higher education institution’s educational program, carried out in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units—a requirement to be duly verified at the time of hiring.
3. Preferred qualifications:
- Proven experience with the methodologies required for the tasks to be performed in the project;
- Proven experience in scientific outreach activities in the form of oral presentations or poster sessions;
- Proven experience in writing scientific articles, scientific reports, and similar documents.
¹Where an academic qualification has been awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must be recognised by a Portuguese higher education institution, in accordance with the provisions of Article 25 of Decree-Law No 66/2018 of 16 August, which approves the legal framework for the recognition of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and Article 4(2)(e) of Decree-Law No. 60/2018 of 3 August; any formalities set out therein must be completed by the date of the contract. ²Proof of enrolment must be submitted by the date of the contract signing, and applicants may attach a sworn statement certifying that they meet the enrolment conditions for the purposes of their application.
4. Work Plan:
4.1. The main tasks to be performed as part of the fellowship will be:
- Cytotoxicity assays based on spectrophotometric methodologies to be conducted on human pluripotent stem cell cultures;
- Determination of epigenetic alterations, including DNA methylation, histone acetylation and methylation, and the activity of enzymes involved in DNA methylation and histone acetylation and methylation, using fluorimetric analytical methods;
- Methylome sequencing using nanopore sequencing technology;
- Quantification of protein expression by Western blot;
- Quantification of gene expression by qPCR;
- Mapping and functional analysis of results using analytical platforms;
- Dissemination of results in the form of scientific presentations, either oral or panel presentations, and the writing of scientific articles, reports, and similar documents.
4.2. When an academic degree or diploma is awarded during the term of the fellowship contracts, the fellowship may continue provided that the activities set forth in the work plan have not been completed and in accordance with the terms specifically set forth in the call for applications and in the contract, pursuant to Article 10(6) of the Regulation.
5. Applicable legislation and regulations:
The selection process and the awarding of the scholarship are governed by the provisions set forth in the University of Porto’s Research Scholarship Regulations—approved by Regulation No. 582/2026, published in the Diário da República, 2nd Series, No. 96, of May 19; Legal Framework for the Recognition of Academic Degrees and Higher Education Diplomas Awarded by Foreign Higher Education Institutions; the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), approved by Decree-Law No. 4/2015, dated January 7; and Statute of the Research Fellow (EBI), approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, as currently amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28; Regulation on Research Fellowships No. 950/2019, dated December 16, 2019, of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), I.P., in its current version, and other applicable regulations.
6. Work Location:
The work plan will be carried out at the UCIBIO-PORTO Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Toxicology Laboratory of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Porto and/or at other locations suitable for the implementation of the project, under the scientific supervision of Dr. Helena Maria Ferreira da Costa Ferreira Carmo and Dr. João Pedro Martins Soares de Castro e Silva, of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Porto.
7. Duration of the Fellowship:
The Research Fellowship will have a duration of 6 months on a full-time basis and may be renewed, following a positive evaluation, up to the end of the work plan’s implementation period or the funding period; under no circumstances may its duration exceed two years, in accordance with Article 10(3)(b) of the Regulation.
8. Amount of the monthly living allowance:
8.1. The amount of the monthly living allowance for the fellowship is €1,090.98, as set forth in Annex I of the Regulation.
8.2. Payment will be made by the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto via bank transfer. In addition to this stipend, the scholarship recipient will be covered by personal accident insurance.
8.3. The scholarship recipient may enroll in Voluntary Social Security (valid for scholarship contracts of six months or longer); this is optional (not mandatory), and the reimbursement corresponds to the first bracket of the contribution base.
9. Selection methods:
9.1. The selection methods are as follows: curriculum evaluation (CE), weighted at 80%, and, optionally, supplemented by an interview (INT), weighted at 20%, which will only take place when the Selection Committee determines that the CE does not sufficiently clarify the candidates’ actual competencies or distinguish which candidate is best suited for the position and the duties to be performed. If an interview is conducted, it will be held with the three (3) candidates with the highest scores on the CV evaluation.
9.2. Each member of the Selection Committee evaluates the selection methods on a scale of 0 to 20 points.
9.3. The criteria and weighting factors for the CV evaluation (CE) are as follows:
- Undergraduate GPA (or grades for coursework completed as of the application date for students enrolled in a master’s program) and relevance to the project’s topic (1 to 5 points: 5 points for a GPA of 18–20; 3 points for a GPA of 15–17; 1 point for a GPA of 10–14);
- Experience with the methodologies required for the tasks to be performed in the project (0 to 5 points: (0 to 5 points; 5 points: Resume highly suited to the methodologies required for the tasks to be performed in the project; 3 points: CV is suitable for the methodologies of the tasks to be performed in the project; 1 point: CV is somewhat suitable for the methodologies of the tasks to be performed in the project; 0 points: CV is not suitable for the methodologies of the tasks to be performed in the project);
- Scientific output (scientific articles in indexed journals, other scientific articles, books or book chapters, abstracts published in scientific conference proceedings, science outreach activities in the form of oral or panel presentations, awards and honors) (0 to 5 points: 5 points: CV with scientific output highly relevant to the project; 3 points: CV with scientific output relevant to the project; 1 point: CV with scientific output somewhat relevant to the project; 0 points: CV without scientific output relevant to the project);
- Participation in scientific projects, with preference given to the scientific field of this experimental plan (0 to 5 points: 5 points: participation in scientific projects in the field of this experimental plan; 2 points: participation in scientific projects in a field different from that of this experimental plan; 0 points: no participation in scientific projects);
9.4. Candidates who receive a score of 9 points or less will be excluded during the AC phase.
9.5. The following are the criteria and weighting factors for the interview (ENT), should one be conducted:
- Communication skills (in Portuguese and English) (0 to 5 points);
- Problem-solving and critical analysis skills (0 to 5 points);
- Motivation and initiative within the scope of the project topic (0 to 5 points);
- Research experience and prior teamwork experience (0 to 5 points).
9.6. Candidates may request authorization from the chair of the Selection Committee to have their interview conducted via videoconference, providing justification for doing so.
9.7. Failure to attend the interview phase of the selection process is considered a withdrawal from the competition, and candidates will be excluded from the competition.
9.8. The Final Score (FS) will be calculated using the following formula (if the interview takes place, the FS will reflect the interview score; otherwise, the FS will correspond to the total score of the Written Test): FS = (0.80 × Written Test) + (0.20 × Interview).
9.10. This competition is intended exclusively to fill the specified vacancy; in the event that no candidate demonstrates the profile required to carry out the work plan described above within the scope of this project, the Selection Committee reserves the right not to award the position.
10. Composition of the Selection Committee:
Chair: Dr. Helena Maria Ferreira da Costa Ferreira Carmo, Assistant Professor at the School of Pharmacy, University of Porto;
1st Regular Member: Dr. João Pedro Silva, Assistant Researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto;
2nd Regular Member: Dr. Félix Dias Carvalho, Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto;
Alternate Member: Dr. Joana Isabel Monteiro Pinto, Assistant Researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto;
Alternate Member: Dr. Maria Paula do Amaral Alegria Guedes de Pinho, Assistant Researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto.
11. Submission Procedure and Deadline:
11.1. Applications must be submitted by 19 August, 2026 (11:59pm – Lisbon).
11.2. Applications must be submitted via the online application system, available at: https://www.apply.up.pt (Ref. BOLS-FFUP-26-18).
11.3. The application must be accompanied by documents proving compliance with the conditions set forth in this Notice, namely:
- Curriculum vitae;
- A copy of the certificate(s) for the required qualifications and recognition of the degree if it was obtained from a foreign institution of higher education (this recognition may be submitted by the time of hiring);
- Proof of enrollment in a program of study or course that does not lead to an academic degree, or a sworn statement attesting that the applicant meets the enrollment requirements and will submit proof of enrollment by the time of hiring;
- Declaration of eligibility (attached).
11.4. Applicants may also submit any other documents they deem relevant for the evaluation of their qualifications.
11.5. Failure to meet the deadline for submitting the application, or failure to submit—or late submission of—the documents referred to in subparagraphs (a) through (d) of paragraph 11.3, will result in the exclusion of the application.
11.6. For the purposes of evaluating applications, no documents accessible via links will be considered, with the exception of those that link to publications with a DOI.
11.8. The documents mentioned in section 11.3 should preferably be submitted in a non-editable format.
11.9. The Selection Committee may, whenever it deems necessary, request that applicants submit supplementary documentation regarding the facts mentioned in the submitted curriculum vitae, setting a deadline for such submission, under the following terms:
- The aforementioned documentation is not intended for the submission of information not referenced in the curriculum vitae, nor for the inclusion of missing documents required by this Notice;
- All applicants will be notified that supplementary documentation has been requested.
12. False statements:
False statements made by applicants will be punished in accordance with the law.
13. Method of Publication/Notification of Results:
13.1. Applicants will be notified of the minutes pertaining to the application evaluation phase(s) via email, sent to the address they provide for this purpose, with a delivery confirmation.
13.2. Notifications are sent by email, in accordance with Articles 112(1)(c) and 113(5) of the CPA.
13.3. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 121 et seq. of the CPA, after being notified, candidates have 10 business days to respond in writing.
14. Reserve List:
A reserve list will be drawn up based on the final ranking list, which may be used in the event that the candidate ranked first withdraws. The faculty’s highest authority reserves the right to call upon the next candidate, and so on, until the vacancy is filled. This reserve list may be used for a maximum period of 12 (twelve) months from the date of publication of this Notice.
15. Policy on Non-Discrimination and Equal Access:
The University of Porto actively promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access; therefore, no applicant may be given preferential treatment, favored, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right, nor exempted from any duty on the basis of, in particular, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic status, education, origin or social status, genetic makeup, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, and union membership.
STATEMENT ELIGIBILITY
For the purposes of complying with the provisions of Article 10 of the University of Porto Research Studentship Regulation, I hereby declare that:
I haven't signed any research studentship/s contract/s to date under the EBI;
To date, I have signed the following research studentship/s contract/s under the EBI:
Type of studentship / Start Date / End Date / Contracting Authority
I also declare that I meet the eligibility conditions for this studentship, as required under the terms of the aforementioned regulation.
I hereby declare and sign this statement.
Date ___/___/___ Signature _______________
Where to apply
Website: https://www.apply.up.pt/
Requirements
Research Field: Pharmacological sciences » Toxicology
Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent
Internal Application form(s) needed: Edital Ing.pdf (English, 187.5 KB - PDF)
Additional Information
Website for additional job details: https://sigarra.up.pt/spup/pt/noticias_geral.ver_noticia?p_nr=92171
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto
Country: Portugal
State/Province: Portugal
City: Porto
Postal Code: 4050-313
Street: R. de Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto
Contact
State/Province: Porto
City: Porto
Website: https://sigarra.up.pt/spup/pt/noticias_geral.ver_noticia?p_nr=92171
Street: Praça Gomes Teixeira
Postal Code: 4099-002
E-Mail: recrutamentorh@sp.up.pt
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