Offer Description

NOTICE

ANNOUNCEMENT CALL FOR A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (BI) FOR MSc HOLDERS

A call is now open for the award of 1 (one) scientific research fellowship (BI) for MSc holders, under the under the project MAP.INVADER - “Automatic mapping of invasive alien plants at national level using a multi-resolution remote sensing approach”, of operation no. 14727, operation code at Balcão dos Fundos COMPETE2030-FEDER 00922900, of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra), BI Refª.UI0308/MAP.INVADER.2/2026, to be funded under Notice MPr-2023-12 - Scientific Research and Technological Development (S&TD) Projects - Individual and Co-promotional Operations, within the scope of the Compete 2030 Operational Program - Thematic Program Innovation and Digital Transition, part of Portugal 2030 and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Environmental Protection, Biological Sciences, Remote Sensing

Admission requirements Master’s degree in Environmental Protection, Biological Sciences, Geospatial Engineering and Earth Observation, or related fields. Candidates are expected to be enrolled in a doctoral program or in a study cycle that does not confer an academic degree.

Additional skills and qualifications: Previous experience with plant phenology using earth observation data and with the integration of citizen science and earth observation.

We emphasize that the academic degrees obtained in foreign countries require registration by a Portuguese Institution in accordance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16 and Ordinance No. 33/2019 of January 25. The presentation of the certificate is mandatory for the signing of the contract. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374.

Work plan and objectives to be achieved: In the framework of the MAP.INVADER project (Invasive alien plants mapping over national extents using an automated and multi-scale remote sensing framework) and its work packages and milestones, the main goal to be achieved is related with the Milestone 4. The work will specifically focus on the study of portuguese forest species phenology for Continental Portugal using remote sensing. This will consider three main forest species: eucalyptus, pine and acacia dealbata and earth observation data coming from Sentinel constellations. Given the disparate landscapes present in Continental Portugal the phenology study will consider several landscape units in Portugal. This will then serve as input for the acacia dealbata image recognition models which will be mapping acacia dealbata over continental Portugal. The final outcome will be a report and/or scientific paper addressing the differences in phenology of the above indicated forest species in Portuguese landscape units deemed representative of the several landscapes present in Portugal.

Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow, approved by Law No. 40/2004 of August 18, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of August 27, by Decree-Law No. 89/2013 of July 9, by Decree-Law No. 233/2012 of October 29, and by Law No. 12/2013 of January 29, and amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019 of August 28, in the drafting in force (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/estatutobolseiro) and Regulation of Research Grants of FCT, I. P, in force: https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.pt

Regime: The granting of the scholarship does not create or entitle a relationship of a legal-labor nature, it is carried out on an exclusive dedication basis and is attributed to the Scholarship Holder/the Scholarship Regulation of INESC COIMBRA, as provided for in the Bylaws of the Research Fellow and in the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., both in their current wording.

Workplace: The work will be developed within the activities of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra), under the scientific guidance of Diogo Duarte. The workplace is in the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra.

Duration of the scholarships: The scholarship will last for 6 months, renewable for equal periods or until the end of the project, on an exclusive basis, in accordance with FCT’s advanced human resources training regulation and the INESC COIMBRA Research Scholarship Regulation, and is scheduled to start in December 15th 2026.

Monthly maintenance allowance amount: The amount of the scholarships is in accordance with the table of values of the scholarships awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in the country (https://www.fct.pt/fct-atualizou-o-valor-das-bolsas-para-2026//) and corresponds to 1359,64€, The form of payment will be by bank transfer, for the account to be designated by the Research Fellow. The voluntary social insurance, corresponding to the first tier, is added to this amount if the applicant chooses to subscribe to it, as well as personal accident insurance. The value of the scholarship will not increase over the entire period of its duration.

Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be as follows: curricular evaluation, with a valuation of 50% for academic qualifications and 50% for the degree of satisfaction of the requirements related to knowledge and experience, in particular experience with mobile devices programming and Artificial Intelligence techniques. If the Jury deems necessary, an interview may be conducted with candidates placed in the top four positions according to the order resulting from the previous criteria. In this case, the final score will include the curricular evaluation (as described above), with a valuation of 75%, and the interview, with a valuation of 25%.

Composition of the Selection Jury:

President: Professor Gil Gonçalves

Members: Professora Hélia Marchante; Professor Jacinto Estima

Substitute members: Professor Carlos Henggeler

Candidates’ eligibility: Without prejudice to the applicable rules for each scholarship type, the following are eligible for fellowship:

1. National citizens or citizens of other Member States of the European Union;
2. Third-party state citizens;
3. Stateless persons;
4. Beneficiaries of political refugee status.

Required documents and application formalization: The application must be formalized by sending, by e-mail, the following documents:

• Letter of motivation, where the applicant must mention whether he is available to start the fellowship on the scheduled date;
• Document(s) with proof of the ownership of the academic degree and/or diploma(s) required in the call, preferably with indication of the final average and the classifications obtained per curricular unit. Applicants with foreign qualifications must prove their academic degree and foreign diploma under Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16. These documents may be exempted, during the application stage, by the declaration of honor contained in the application form, which can only attest to facts that occurred on a date prior to the application, with this condition being only verified in the contractualization phase of the fellowship;
• (Optional in the application phase) Document proving the enrollment and registration in the study cycle or non-awarding degree course, as stated in the application notice. This registration may be made at a time after the application, provided that it is complete until the contractualization of the fellowship;
• Updated curriculum vitae of the candidate, with the description of qualifications;
• Proof(s) of another evaluation parameter(s) indicated in the application notice;
• Other certifications and/or other documents considered relevant by the applicant

Applicants with academic degrees obtained abroad will be required to present a Certificate of Recognition in accordance with applicable law. This document is mandatory only in the contractualization phase.

Form of publicization / notification of results: The final evaluation results will be published, through a list ordered by the obtained final grade, published in a visible and public place of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra), and the approved candidates will be notified by email.

After the announcement of the results, candidates are considered automatically notified to, if they wish to do so, comment on the results on a preliminary hearing period within 10 business days after that date.

Application deadline: The call is open from November 2nd to 13th, 2026.

Submission of applications: Applications must be sent by e-mail to icolaco@inescc.pt (indicating in the subject BI Refª.UI0308/MAP.INVADER.2/2026)

Additional information: In the absence of Applicants complying with the admission requirements (valuation of less than 50%) the fellowship will not be granted.

In case of resignation or withdrawal of the selected candidate, the next candidate with the highest evaluation score will be notified immediately. Once the selection process is completed, the fellowship contract will be drawn up in accordance with the draft contract provided by the FCT. After the contracted period, the fellowship holder and supervisor must prepare the final report in accordance with the respective assessment criteria that were established.

Publication link Notice in PT and EN, on the INESC Coimbra website: https://www.inescc.pt/wp-content/uploads/Edital_BI_MAPINVADER-2_PT-e-EN.pdf

Where to apply

Website: https://www.inescc.pt/

Requirements

Research Field: Engineering

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications: Master’s degree in Environmental Protection, Biological Sciences, Geospatial Engineering and Earth Observation, or related fields. Candidates are expected to be enrolled in a doctoral program or in a study cycle that does not confer an academic degree.

Specific Requirements: Additional skills and qualifications: Previous experience with plant phenology using earth observation data and with the integration of citizen science and earth observation

Internal Application form(s) needed: Edital_BI_MAPINVADER 2_PT e EN.pdf (English, 1.21 MB - PDF)

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: INESC Coimbra
• Country: Portugal
• State/Province: Portugal
• City: Coimbra
• Postal Code: 3030-790
• Street: Rua Silvio Lima, Polo II da UC, DEEC

Contact

• City: Coimbra
• Website: https://www.uc.pt/en/org/inescc
• Street: Rua Silvio Lima, Polo 2 da UC - DEEC
• Postal Code: 3030-790
• E-Mail: secretaria@inescc.pt