15 Sep 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company: S2AQUA – Collaborative Laboratory, Association for a Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture
Offer Description
S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture (S2AQUAcoLAB), in accordance with Article 7 of the S2AQUAcoLAB Research Grant Regulations, hereby announces that a call for applications for a Research Fellowship (Master’s Degree) in the field of Marine Biology, Biology, Aquaculture or equivalent.
The competition for the award of a Research Grant is intended for the execution of research support activities within the scope of the AlgFlavor project (SBEP/0004/2024), which is funded by FCT through the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.
1. The Work Plan:
The work programme for the successful candidate includes the following activities:
- Collection of macroalgae along the Portuguese coast;
- Planning, implementation, and optimization of macroalgae cultivation under controlled conditions;
- Data analysis, report writing, dissemination of results, and development of content for knowledge transfer.
The position includes a training component, and candidates interested in completing their master’s thesis or internship as part of the project are encouraged to apply.
It is desirable that the candidate be available to work on weekends and holidays, and to travel domestically and internationally, depending on ongoing activities.
2. Desired profile:
- A Level 7 higher education degree (Master’s degree) in marine biology, biology, aquaculture, or an equivalent field;
- Experience with marine organism culture systems;
- Ability to work independently, both in the laboratory and in the field;
Applicants must be enrolled in an integrated master's, master's or doctoral programme, or in a non-degree integrated course, in the educational project of a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.
3. Other requirements:
- Be highly motivated, demonstrate autonomy and the ability to propose new approaches;
- Ability to adapt and integrate into a team;
- Advanced level of English;
- Autonomy and proactivity.
4. Type and duration of the fellowship
A Master's Research Fellowship will be awarded.
The fellowship is scheduled to begin at a time to be determined later in consultation with the selected candidate, It will last for 12 months and may be renewable in accordance with Article 15 of the S2AQUAcoLAB Fellowship Regulations, on a full-time basis. The work to be carried out under this fellowship is temporary in nature and will not continue beyond the conclusion of the project.
The scholarship must be carried out on an exclusive basis, in accordance with S2AQUAcoLAB's scholarship regulations (Regulamento Bolsas de Investigação S2AQUAcoLAB), and FCT's scholarship regulations based on Portuguese law 40/2004, of 18 August (Statute of the Research Fellow) amended by Decree-Law 123/2019, of 28 August.
5. Beneficiaries (conditions required)
The fellowship is intended for holders of a bachelor's degree in marine biology, biology, aquaculture, or an equivalent field.
Applicants must be enrolled in an integrated master's, master's or doctoral programme, or in a non-degree course that is part of the educational project of a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.
6. Submission of applications
The call is open between September 15, and 11:59 p.m. on September 29, 2026.
To apply for this research fellowship you must send an email to geral@s2aquacolab.pt with the subject S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_12/2026.
Each candidate may submit only one application, failing which all applications submitted will be cancelled. The application will only be valid if all the mandatory documents have been submitted. False declarations or acts of plagiarism are grounds for cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctioning measures.
7. Supervision and place where the activity will be developed
The activities will take place at the Tavira Mollusk Farming Experimental Station (EEMT-IPMA), Vale Caranguejo s/n, 8800-737 Tavira, and, occasionally, at the S2AQUAcoLAB facilities, headquartered at the Olhão Pilot Fish Farming Station, Av. do Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, Portugal, under the guidance of Dr. Raquel Quintã, a researcher at S2AQUAcoLAB.
The scholarship working hours are 40 hours per week.
8. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance
The amount of the fellowship is 1359,64€, according to the table of fellowships approved by FCT, I.P. https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf.
The fellow is entitled to the reimbursement of the voluntary social insurance (1st level), if applicable, in accordance with the conditions defined in the Statute of the Research Fellow. The fellow will receive personal accident insurance during the duration of the fellowship. The payment of the fellowship will be made on a monthly basis by S2AQUAcoLAB, through bank transfer to the account indicated by the fellow.
9. Admissibility
9.1 Requirements for applicant admissibility
Who can apply for the Research Fellowship:
A. Portuguese Citizens or citizens of Member States of the European Union;
B. Citizens of third states.
To apply for the Research Fellowship, it is necessary to:
C. Reside in Portugal permanently and habitually;
D. Not have benefited from a research fellowship in companies directly financed by FCT, regardless of their duration.
9.2 Application Admissibility Requirements
It is indispensable, under penalty of non-admission of the application:
E. Detailed and signed Curriculum Vitae of the candidate;
F. A motivation letter (maximum one-page, double space, letter Arial, size 12) where the reason for the application is clearly and briefly stated, as well as the academic and professional background, such as academic training, supplementary training and other information considered relevant for the evaluation of the CV;
G. Copy of the ID card or passport;
H. Permanent residence certificate, permanent residence permit, or long-term resident status, if applicable;
I. Documents proving the conditions required for the respective type of fellowship, in particular certificates of qualifications indicating the degree and final classification, all recognised by a Portuguese university if diplomas were obtained abroad;
J. Copy of evidence related to professional experience and training, including letters of recommendation, proof of courses or traineeships, if applicable;
K. Updated document proving professional status, indicating the nature of the employment relationship and duties, which may be replaced by a declaration of honour (link under point L) if the candidate does not perform any professional activity or provide any services;
L. An up-to-date document attesting to the applicant’s employment status, indicating the nature of the employment relationship and job duties; this may be replaced by a sworn statement (link, item M) if the applicant is not engaged in any professional activity or service provision;
M. Declaration of the candidate, under commitment of honour, that they meet the requirements of admission for this fellowship – a template is available in (Declaração_sob_compromisso_de_honra_-_BI_S2AQUAcoLAB.pdf).
The reference to the S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_12/2026 scholarship competition must be included in the subject line of the application email.
Failure to submit the documentation listed in sections J), K), and L) within fifteen days of the date of notification of the results will result in the scholarship not being awarded.
10. Composition of the jury
The contest jury consists of the following members:
President: Raquel Quintã, Researcher – S2AQUAcoLAB;
1st Member: Ana Catarina Braga, Researcher - S2AQUAcoLAB;
2nd Member: Renata Gonçalves, Researcher - S2AQUAcoLAB;
1st Member Alternate: Íris Silva, Researcher – S2AQUAcoLAB;
2nd Member Alternate: Sílvia Gregório, Researcher – S2AQUAcoLAB.
11. Selection methods and criteria
Eligible Applications will be scored from zero (0 minimum rating) to twenty (20 maximum rating).
Admission criteria: all candidates who meet the requirements of this notice.
Evaluation method: applications will be evaluated through a curricular evaluation (CA) (100%) of the applicant. An interview will only be conducted if the jury deems it necessary or in case of a tie.
11.1 Curriculum assessment (CA)
The curricular evaluation (CA) will be expressed from 0 to 20 which corresponds to the score obtained with the following formula:
CA = 0.15 × A + 0.85 × B
where:
A - Academic merit (0–20 points): Evaluates the applicant's academic merit based on their master's degree grade;
B – Professional Experience (0–20 points): Evaluation of the candidate’s prior experience based on the following criteria:
- Experience in macroalgae cultivation (0–5 points);
- Experience in cultivating Ulva sp. and Gracilaria sp. (0–5 points);
- Experience in aquaculture or the maintenance of systems for cultivating other marine organisms (0–4 points);
- Experience with biological and environmental sampling relevant to the work to be performed (0–3 points);
- Knowledge and experience in data analysis, report writing, and dissemination of results (0–3 points).
11.2. Interview
The candidates will be ranked based on the curricular evaluation. An interview will be held if the jury deems it necessary, or in case of a tie.
The interview will be conducted in person or by videoconference, where the final score will correspond to the sum of the following criteria:
a) Knowledge of the areas covered by the project;
b) Verbal expression and fluency;
c) Adaptability and integration to work as a team;
d) Motivation;
e) Autonomy.
These criteria will be classified from zero to twenty, with the total of the interview resulting from the sum of the criteria to be divided by five (0 to 20 points).
11.3 Final Classification
The candidates´ final classification will be decided by a majority of the jury.
All candidates that applied for the fellowship will be ranked according to the classification awarded by the jury, based on the CA.
If the interview (I) is necessary, the final classification (FC) will be obtained through the weighted sum of the curriculum evaluation (CA) - with a weight of 40% - and the interview (I) - with a weight of 60%.
FC = 0.4 × CA + 0.6 × I
The jury will hold the necessary meetings to obtain a final decision, documenting the procedures in minutes, as well as all the elements deemed relevant to reach the final decision. If there are no applications of merit, the jury may decide not to award this scholarship.
The Jury reserves the right to decide not to award the fellowship if it considers that none of the candidates has the appropriate profile, experience, and/or skills to carry out the work plan.
12. Reporting the results
The results of the evaluation are published at the location indicated in the opening notice and by email within 90 working days after the application submission deadline.
Candidates have a period of 10 working days after the disclosure of the results to present any objections, in the pre-hearing of interested parties and in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Administrative Procedure.
The final decision shall be taken no later than 60 working days after the conclusion of the prior hearing of interested parties.
The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall not apply where the draft decision leads to the granting of a fellowship to all applicants, in which case the draft shall be equivalent to the final decision.
13. Approval
After the conclusion of the hearing process of interested parties, the jury´s decision will be taken to the Board of Directors of S2AQUAcoLAB for approval.
14. Other information
Hiring documents:
After the selection of the candidate, the following documents/information will be requested for the purpose of hiring:
- Copy of the civil, tax, and social security identification number (if applicable);
- Document disclosing the country of residence, residence permit, or other legally equivalent document (if applicable) which should be valid at the starting date of the fellowship;
- Documents proving that the applicant meets the conditions required for the respective type of fellowship, including proof of registration;
- Declaration of commitment acknowledging the exclusivity regime;
- Certificates of qualifications;
- Bank account number - IBAN.
Fellowship contract model:
After the selection of the candidate and reception of all documentation, a fellowship contract will be signed according to the model: Fellowship Contract.
Fellowship report
At the end of each fellowship period (if applicable) the fellow must submit a report following the template available in the Fellow´s Final Report.
The Board of Directors reserves the right, by change of circumstances at the date of this announcement, to cancel this call without any recruitment.
Applicants with disabilities will have preference in a situation of equal classification, and such preference prevails over any legal preferences. Applicants must declare, under commitment of honour, their disability degree, type of disability and means of communication/expression to be used during the selection period.
Fellowship evaluation:
The activity developed by the fellow will be evaluated by the supervisors, who will apply the criteria:
1) analysis of the Final Activity Report of the Fellow;
2) compliance with the work plan.
S2AQUAcoLAB's non-discrimination and equal opportunities policy.
No candidate may be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any right or exempt from any claim as to descent, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, economic situation, origin, social status, genetic inheritance, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity, territory of origin, language, religion, politics, ideology or trade union affiliation.
15. Applicable legislation and regulations
Statute of the Research Fellow, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, in the wording conferred by Decree-Law No. 202/2012, of August 27, by Law No. 12/2013, of January 29, by Decree-Law No. 89/2013, of July 9, by Decree-Law No. 233/2012, of October 29 and by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28.
FCT, I.P. Research Fellowship Regulation, adopted by Regulation No. 950/2019 of November 29 2019, published in Diário da República, II Series, Part C of December 16, 2019 with the amendments introduced by Regulation No. 643/2021 of June 30, 2021, published in Diário da República, Series II, part C of 14 July 2021.
Code of Administrative Procedure, approved by Decree-Law No. 4/2015, of January 7, in the wording currently in force.
S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture’s Regulation of Research Fellowships, approved in the document FCT/109/06/01/2023/S by FCT, I.P.
This notice was approved by the members of the jury on September 14, 2026.
Where to apply
E-mail: geral@s2aquacolab.pt
Requirements
- Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology
- Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for a Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture (S2AQUAcoLAB)
- Country: Portugal
Contact
- City: Olhão
- Website: https://www.s2aquacolab.pt/
- Street: Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n
- Postal Code: 8700-194
- E-Mail: geral@s2aquacolab.pt
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