Job Information
Organisation/Company: S2AQUA – Collaborative Laboratory, Association for a Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture
Research Field: Biological sciences » Other
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions: Bachelor Positions
Application Deadline: 15 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)
Country: Portugal
Type of Contract: Permanent
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 40
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture (S2AQUAcoLAB), pursuant to Article 7 of the S2AQUAcoLAB Research Grant Regulations, it is hereby announced that a call for applications has been authorized for the award of a Research Grant (Bachelor’s Degree) in the field of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Marine Biology, or related fields.
The call for applications for the Research Grant is intended to support research activities within the scope of the BetterFLAT project—an innovative tool for a genetic selection program in sole (No. 18324)—which is supported by Algarve 2030, COMPETE 2030, Portugal 2030, and the União Europeia. Os Fundos Europeus Mais Próximos de Si.
1. The Work Plan:
The work program for the scholarship recipient to be includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks:
- Bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic and genomic data;
- Assistance in conducting experimental challenge tests;
- Assistance with and participation in sampling for scheduled tests;
- Processing of biological samples for DNA and RNA extraction;
- Collaboration in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data;
- Collaboration in the preparation of reports and scientific articles.
2. Desired profile:
- Level 6 Higher Education (Bachelor's Degree) in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Marine Biology, or related fields.
- Knowledge of basic laboratory techniques, including DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, and electrophoresis.
- Experience or knowledge of NGS, including quality control and preprocessing (FastQC, Trimmomatic), BLAST, and Gene Ontology.
- Knowledge of Python and/or R and biological data analysis.
- Interest in or experience with marine biology and/or animal welfare.
- Strong analytical skills, ability to work in a team, autonomy, and scientific communication skills.
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 Research Grant for Graduates will be awarded.
The fellowship is scheduled to begin on October 1, 2026, and will last for 12 months, with the possibility of renewal under the terms of 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 grant 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 (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação Científica) amended by Decree-Law 123/2019, of 28 August.
5. Beneficiaries (conditions required)
The scholarship is intended for holders of a bachelor's degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Marine Biology, or related fields.
Applicants must be enrolled in an integrated master's, master's, or doctoral program, 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 01 and 11:59 p.m. on September 15, 2026.
To apply for this research fellowship you must send an email to geral@s2aquacolab.pt with the subject S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_10/2026.
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 fellowship takes place in the framework of the activities of S2AQUAcoLAB at Estação Piloto de Piscicultura de Olhão (Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, Portugal), under the supervision of Dr. Iris Silva, Researcher at S2AQUAcoLAB.
The scholarship requires 40 hours of work per week.
8. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance
The amount of the fellowship is1090,98€, 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);
- 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. Document proving enrollment in a master's degree program, or in a non-degree course that is part of an educational project at a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units;
- L. Updated document proving professional status, indicating the nature of the employment relationship and duties, which may be replaced by a sworn statement if the candidate does not engage in any professional activity or provide any services, if applicable;
- 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_10/2026 scholarship competition must be included in the subject line of the application email.
Failure to submit the documentation listed in sections G), 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 competition jury, appointed by S2AQUAcoLAB, consists of the following members:
- President: Iris Silva, Researcher – S2AQUAcoLAB;
- 1st Member: Pedro Pousão Ferreira, President of the Board - S2AQUAcoLAB;
- 2nd Member: Florbela Soares, Researcher - S2AQUAcoLAB;
- 1st Member Alternate: Silvia Gregório, Researcher - S2AQUAcoLAB;
- 2nd Member Alternate: Carolina Castro, Member of the Board - S2AQUAcoLAB.
11. Selection methods and criteria
Eligible Applications will be scored from zero (0 minimum rating) to twenty (20 maximum rating).
Eligibility for the competitive examination: All candidates who meet the requirements set forth in this notice will be eligible to take the competitive examination.
Evaluation method: Candidates will be evaluated based on their academic record (100%). An interview will only be conducted if the selection committee deems it necessary or in the event of a tie (E).
11.1 Curricular evaluation (CA)
The course evaluation (CA) will be expressed as a numerical score ranging from 0 to 20, calculated by adding the scores obtained for the following objective criteria, weighted as follows:
CA = 0.15 × A + 0.85 × B
where:
A - Evaluates the candidate's academic merit based on the final grade of the bachelor's degree (0–20 points);
B – Professional Experience (0–20 points): Evaluation of the candidate’s prior experience based on the following criteria:
- Experience in bioinformatics, including programming in Python/R (0–5 points);
- Experience in biological data analysis (e.g., NGS, DNA-Seq, RNA-Seq) (0–5 points);
- Experience using functional analysis tools, specifically FastQC, Trimmomatic, BLAST, and Gene Ontology (0–4 points);
- Experience with molecular biology techniques, such as DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, and real-time PCR (0–2 points);
- Experience in monitoring marine organisms and animal welfare (0–2 points);
- Experience in data analysis, report preparation, and dissemination of results (0–2 points).
11.2. Interview
Based on the Curriculum Evaluation, candidates will be ranked.
An interview will be conducted only if the selection committee deems it necessary or in the event of a tie.
The interview will be conducted in person or via videoconference, and candidates will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Knowledge of the areas covered by the project;
- Verbal expression and fluency;
- Ability to adapt and integrate into a team;
- Motivation;
- Independence;
These criteria will be scored on a scale of zero to twenty, with the total interview score calculated by dividing the sum of the criteria 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
If no applications meet the established and desired requirements, the selection committee may decide not to award this scholarship.
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 evaluation
The activity developed by the fellow will be evaluated by the supervisors, who will apply the criteria defined in the Fellow´s Final Activities Report.
- Analysis of the report and compliance with the work plan.
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.
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
Research Fellow Statute, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, as amended 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.
Regulation on Research Grants of the FCT, I. P., approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, of November 29, 2019, published in the Official Gazette, Series II, Part C, of December 16, 2019, with the amendments introduced by Regulation No. 643/2021, of June 30, 2021, published in the Official Gazette, Series II, Part C, of July 14, 2021.
Administrative Procedure Code, approved by Decree-Law No. 4/2015, of January 7, in the wording currently in force. Regulation on Research Grants from S2AQUA – Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture, approved in official letter FCT/109/06/01/2023/S by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P.
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 August 14, 2026.
Where to apply
E-mail: geral@s2aquacolab.pt
Requirements
Research Field: Biological sciences » Other
Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for 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
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