RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP FOR GRADUATEs

scope of the project co-financed by the European Union and by the regional funds Algarve 2030 (ALGARVE-FEDER-00742700) and Lisbon 2030 (LISBOA2030-FEDER-00742700) entitled “Reduced-complexity modelling of barrier islands’ adaptation to sea-level rise” – MOBILE (Ref: 16266).

1 – Requirements for admission to the competition

The scholarship is intended for holders of a Bachelor's degree in the scientific field of Geosciences (Geology, Oceanography or related areas), to carry out support activities within the scope of the MOBILE Project ‘Reduced complexity modelling of barrier island adaptation to sea level rise’.

2 — Requirements for hiring

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in Geology, Oceanography or a related field. At the time of hiring, candidates must be enrolled on a Master's degree, integrated Master's degree or non-degree course integrated into an educational project at a higher education institution, developed in association with one or more R&D units.

If the bachelor's degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must be recognised by a Portuguese higher education institution in accordance with Article 25 of Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August (which approves the legal regime for recognising academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions) and subparagraph e) of paragraph 2 of Article 4 of Decree-Law No. 60/2018 of 3 August. Any formalities established therein must be completed by the hiring date.

3 - Work plan

The scholarship programme includes the following activities:

1. Participation in sediment sampling cores;
2. Laboratory analysis of sediments, including grain size analysis (using laser diffraction and image analysis) and determination of water, carbonate and organic matter contents;
3. Compositional analysis of sand under a binocular microscope and sorting of foraminifera for dating purposes;
4. Collaboration in the organisation, storage and maintenance of the sediment sample archive;
5. Data processing and statistical analysis;
6. Participation in preparing reports (including the Final Scholarship Report);
7. Contribution to project outputs: Databases, communications, scientific meetings and e-booklet.

4 - Duration and Renovation conditions

The fellowship, due to start on November of 2026, will have a duration of 10 months, possibly renewable for additional periods up to the maximum limit of the duration of the project or the duration of the grant (whichever occurs first), in accordance with article 15 of the Regulation for Scientific Research Fellowships of IPMA, IP, on an exclusive dedication basis. The work to be carried out within the scope of this scholarship is of a temporary nature, with no continuity beyond the conclusion of the project.

5 - Supervision and workplace

The internship will take place at the Division of Marine Geology and Georesources of the Tavira Mollusciculture Experimental Station (EEMT), Rua Vale Caranguejo, s/n, 8800-737 Tavira, Portugal, as part of the Department of the Sea and Marine Resources' activities, under the scientific supervision of Teresa Drago, Senior Investigator at IPMA, I.P. The location of the activities may change in accordance with the requirements of the defined work programme.

6 - Value of monthly maintenance allowance

The amount for the fellowship corresponds to 1090.98 €, according to the table of values approved by FCT, I.P. (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf). The payment of the scholarship will be made on a monthly basis, via bank transfer, by the services of IPMA, I.P. to an account indicated by the scholarship holder. The candidate is also entitled to the reimbursement of charges related to the “Seguro Social Voluntário” (1st degree), if applicable, according to the conditions defined by the Statute of the Scholarships for Scientific Research. The candidate will also benefit of personal accidents insurance during the fellowship.

7 - Jury members

The jury, appointed by order of the Director Council of IPMA, I.P., is composed by the following members:

President: Teresa Drago, Senior Researcher IPMA, IP;

1st member: Tanya Silveira, Technician IPMA, IP;

2nd member: Aikaterini Kompiadou, Researcher CIMA, UALG;

1st substitute member: Susana Costa, Researcher CIMA, UALG;

2nd substitute member: Carlos Sousa, Technician IPMA, IP.

8 - Selection and methods criteria

8.1 Admission requirements: all candidates fulfilling the points 1 and 11 in this notice will be admitted.

8.2 Evaluation method: the candidates will be evaluated by Curriculum Assessment (CA) and Interview (I).

8.3 The assessment of the curriculum is expressed on a scale of 0 to 20, with candidates being selected according to the following formula: AC=0.3*A+ 0.7*B, in which:

A - Assess the candidate’s academic merit by taking into account the grades achieved throughout their academic career (grade achieved in the Bachelor’s degree) in accordance with the admission requirements for this call, their published research papers, and previous projects in which they have collaborated or taken the lead (0–20 points).

B - Candidate’s suitability for the work programme: Previous experience relevant to the duties required (0–20 marks), in accordance with:

(i) Proven experience in laboratory methodologies in sedimentology (0–10 marks);

ii) Knowledge and training of the compositional characterisation of sand (0–3 marks);

iii) Knowledge and training in the preparation of marine samples for Carbon14 dating (0–3 marks);

iv) Knowledge and training in the statistical processing of particle size data (0–2 marks);

v) Knowledge and experience in report writing (0–2 marks);

8.4 Candidates will be ranked based on the Curriculum Assessment (CA). Only the top three candidates of the CA list will be invited to an interview, which may be conducted in person or electronically. The interview score will be calculated by adding the marks obtained in accordance with the following criteria: a) Motivation; b) Independence; c) Adaptability; d) Verbal expression and fluency.

Each criterion will be scored from zero to twenty, and the total interview score will be the sum of these scores divided by four (0 to 20 points).

8.5. The final classification of each candidate will be decided by simple majority of the jury members.

8.6 Ordered List of the Final Classification: all the candidates eligible to the call will be ranked by the classification given by the jury. If an interview is conducted the final classification is obtained by the weighted sum of the curricular assessment, weighting 50%, and of the interview, weighting 50%. If an interview is not conducted, the final classification corresponds to the curricular assessment.

8.7 The jury members will conduct the necessary meetings to reach the final decision, documenting in minutes all the procedures used, as well as all the elements considered relevant for the final decision. Candidates whose application is assessed with a final mark of less than 10.00 will not be eligible for the scholarship.

9 - Communication of results

Once the assessment process has been completed, candidates will be notified of the ranked list via the email address provided in their application within five working days. This will be followed by a hearing for interested parties in accordance with Article 12 of the IPMA IP Scientific Research Grants Regulations.

As part of the grant award procedure, if the final approved ranking list contains more successful candidates than grants available, a 'reserve list', which corresponds to the approved final ranking list , will be created. This may be used when a vacancy arises due to a selected candidate withdrawing, in accordance with the C.P.A., and during the project's eligibility period.

10 - Research Fellowship Contest approval

Upon conclusion of the hearing process and its appreciation by the jury members, the final decision will be proposed for approval by the Director Council of IPMA, I.P.

11- Submission of applications:

11.1 Applications to the research fellowship must be formalized by sending, to the email candidaturas.bolsas@ipma.pt, the application form available at https://www.ipma.pt/export/sites/ipma/bin/docs/organizacionais/IPMA-FORMULARIO-CANDIDATURA-CC-v1.0.pdf, along with the following documents:

a) Copy of the identification document;
b) Copy of the certificate of permanent residence, authorization for permanent residence or long-term residence status, if applicable;
c) Documents proving the conditions required by the type of fellowship, namely copy of diplomas that confirm the Academic Degree, recognized by a Portuguese University, if the degree has been obtained abroad;
d) Detailed and signed Curriculum vitae of the candidate, specifying compliance with point 3;
e) Copy of the documents attesting the professional experience and training, namely recommendation letters, course or internship certificates;
f) Recent document attesting the current professional status, indicating the nature of the link and functions, and may be replaced by a declaration of honor if the candidate does not carry out any professional or service activity;
g) A document confirming enrolment on a Master's degree programme, an integrated Master's degree programme, or a non-degree course forming part of a higher education institution's educational programme delivered in partnership with one or more R&D units;
h) Declaration of honor attesting that the candidate fulfills the requirements of admission to the present fellowship call, available at: https://www.ipma.pt/export/sites/ipma/bin/docs/organizacionais/Declaracao-Compromisso-Honra-IPMA-BI-Estudante-Mestrado.pdf or https://www.ipma.pt/export/sites/ipma/bin/docs/organizacionais/Declaracao-Compromisso-Honra-IPMA-BI-ECNCGA.pdf

The reference to “Concurso de bolsa IPMA-2026-025-BI” must be indicated in the subject of the application's e-mail.

11.2 In case of not being possible to obtain the certificates mention in c) and g) until the due date of the application, the candidate may replace them by declarations of their responsibility with the corresponding content, submitted electronically and, in case of grant of the fellowship, send the official certificates to the IPMA, IP, before the contract being handled.

11.3 If the documents, referred in b), e) and f) are not delivered within 1 month after the publication of results, implies that the fellowship is not granted.

11.4. The application submission period will run from 24th September, 2026 to 08th October, 2026 (10 working days).

12 - Legislation and regulation applicable

• Regulation for Scientific Research Fellowships of IPMA, IP, published in the Official Journal 2nd series, part C, nº 154, of august 10 / 2020;
• Statute of the Scholarships for Scientific Research, approved by Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August, as amended by the Law No. 202/2012 of 27 August, Law No. 12/2013 of 29 January, Decree-Law No. 89/2013, of 9 July, Decree-Law No. 233/2012 of 29 October and by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28 and by Decree-Law No. 65/2024, of October 1;
• Grants Regulation of the FCT, I. P., approved by the Regulation No 950/2019 of 29 November, published in Official Journal 2nd series, part C on 16 December 2019, and reviewed by the Regulation No 643/2021 of 30 of June of 2021, published in Official Journal 2nd series, part C on 14 of July of 2021, amended and published by Notice (extract) No 412/2026/2 in the Official Journal, Series II, on 7 January 2026.
• Code of Administrative Procedure, approved by Decree-Law No. 4/2015, of 7 January, in the wording currently in force.

The Jury’s President,

Teresa Drago