Offer Description
PUBLIC NOTICE
International tender for the position of Assistant Researcher in the scientific area of Oceanic and Coastal Dynamics or Environmental Systems and Resources, for the Marine and Environmental Research Center (CIMA), within the scope of the Associated Laboratory Aquatic Research Network (ARNET).
By ordinance dated May 2, 2024, issued by the Rector of the University of Algarve, an international tender for the position of Assistant Researcher in the scientific area of Oceanic and Coastal Dynamics or Environmental Systems and Resources, for the Marine and Environmental Research Center (CIMA), at the Center for Marine and Environmental (CIMA), within the scope of the Associated Laboratory Aquatic Research Network (ARNET) of the University of Algarve. The tender will be open, for a period of 30 working days, starting from the working day immediately following the publication of this notice in the Diário da República (the Official Portuguese Gazette).
This tender is opened under the program contract signed between the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P and the University of Algarve, within the scope of the Institutional Support Competition Procedure – Laboratórios Associados ARNET/UAlg, and is governed by the provisions of Articles 9, 10 and 15 to 27 of the Scientific Research Career Statute (ECIC), in its current version, as well as the Regulation for the Tendering of Personnel for Lecturing Careers at the University of Algarve, Regulation no. 520/2010, published in Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 111, on June 9, 2010.
This tender will be published on the Public Employment Exchange (BEP), within 2 working days, after its publication in the Diário da República, advertised on the Euraxess Portugal portal at https://www.euraxess.pt, and on the University’s website, in both Portuguese and English, pursuant to Article 29-B, paragraph 1 of the ECDESP, in its current version.
The rector is authorized under Article 92, paragraphs d), e) and q) of Law 62/2007 of 10 September, to cancel the tender in the event of compelling reasons.
In compliance with Article 9, paragraph h) of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, the Public Administration, as an employer, actively promotes a gender policy of equal employment and career progress opportunity, scrupulously taking every possible measure to avoid any kind of discrimination.
I – Admission requirements
a) Hold a doctoral degree in Marine and/or Earth and/or Environmental Sciences, Chemistry and/or Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Oceanography or a related scientific area, under the terms of article 10 of the ECIC.
i) Holders of a doctoral degree obtained outside Portugal must prove the recognition of that degree under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August and other applicable legislation.
ii) Applicants to whom the previous subparagraph applies who do not provide proof of recognition of the degree until the end of the application period, will be excluded from the tender.
iii) Applicants who hold a doctoral degree in a related scientific area must submit a document proving that they have applied to the scientific council of their respective institution to have their qualification in a related scientific field considered for the purposes of the tender, also by the closing date for applications.
b) Applicants must be fluent in the Portuguese or English language, both spoken and written. Non-native speakers of Portuguese must provide proof of an officially recognized diploma, demonstrating their mastery of the language, or a certificate or diploma of communicative competence in the Portuguese language from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (proficiency level C1) by the end of the term granted for the contract’s signature.
c) Meet the general requirements for employment in public functions provided for in Article 17 of the Labor Law in Public Functions, contained in the Annex to Law No. 35/2014, of June 20, in its current wording, unless exempted by the ECIC.
2. Applicants will be excluded from the tender procedure if they:
a) Do not hold a doctoral degree in Marine and/or Earth and/or Environmental Sciences, Chemistry and/or Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Oceanography, or a related scientific area, under the terms of article 10 of the ECIC.;
b) Do not hold a recognized doctoral degree, by the closing date for applications, if their qualification is from a foreign institution;
c) Do not meet the general requirements for employment in public functions provided for in article 17 of the Law on Work in Public Functions, contained in the Annex to Law no. 35/2014, of 20 June, in its current wording, which are not exempted by ECIC;
d) Do not submit the required documents or works stipulated in the Public Notice within the designated deadline.
3 – The hiring committee will notify the applicants admission or exclusion by email with delivery receipt of the notification, for the purpose of prior hearing.
II – Admission requirements based on absolute merit:
1- Admission on absolute merit of applicants is based on the scientific quality of the Curriculum Vitae, measured by the following cumulative requirements:
a) Work experience in one of the following areas:
i. LT1 – New Approaches in Aquatic Exploration and Monitoring;
ii. LT2 – Environmental Sustainability in a Context of Global Change;
iii. LT3 – Environmental Risk Assessment and Management;
iv. LT4 – Biotechnology and Nature-Based Solutions for the Blue Economy.
b) Authorship or co-authorship of, on average, at least 2 indexed publications per year after the doctorate, internationally assessed in ‘Scopus Author ID’ in the disciplinary area, or related areas, of the one for which the competition was opened.
c) Participation in scientific projects and/or public policies, as a Researcher.
d) The ability to disseminate scientific knowledge within the scientific community and to the general public, through scientific and citizenship projects, as well as dissemination activities.
2 – A vote against admission based on absolute merit shall be based on the following grounds:
1. The applicant does not have work experience in one of the areas listed in paragraph a) of paragraph 1, of Point II;
2. The applicant must not be the author or co-author of, on average, at least 2 indexed publications, per year, after the doctorate, as described in paragraph b) of paragraph 1 of point II;
3. The applicant has not participated in scientific projects and/or public policies as described in paragraph c) of paragraph 1 of point II;
4. The applicant has no evidence of disseminating scientific knowledge after the doctorate, as described in paragraph d) of paragraph 1 of point II.
3 – To assess the applicants on the basis of absolute merit, each member of the hiring committee presents the applications they consider not to meet the requirements referred to in paragraph 1 of point II, by means of reasoned written proposals, and then vote on each proposal, in accordance with the provisions of Article 15, no. 1, of the Regulation, with abstentions not permitted.
4 – An application will be rejected based on absolute merit if at least one proposal obtains a majority of favorable votes from the hiring committee members present at the meeting. The proposals, votes obtained by each, and the respective substantiations, will be an integral part of the minutes.
5 – The hiring committee will notify the applicants of the exclusion or approval of applications based on absolute merit, for the purpose of a preliminary hearing.
III — Application instructions
1 – The application must be submitted by means of a request addressed to the Rector of the University of Algarve, available on the website of the University of Algarve https://www.ualg.pt/procedimentos-concursais, by accessing Documents – Research Personnel – Application Form. It may be submitted:
a) In person at the Human Resources Department on floor 0 of the Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve in Faro; or
b) By registered mail, posted no later than the deadline for submitting applications, addressed to: Serviços de Recursos Humanos, Campus da Penha, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
2 – The application for admission to the tender must be accompanied by the following documents, in Portuguese or English:
a) Photocopy and 1 copy in PDF format of a valid identification document at the date of application;
b) Certificate proving the holding of a doctorate degree, in a specialty appropriate to the competition, and in applicable cases, document proving the recognition of the degree, photocopied and in PDF electronic format;
c) Photocopied proof in electronic PDF format that the applicant holds a doctorate in a scientific area related to that for which the tender is open, issued by the scientific council of the respective institution that awarded the degree, for the purposes of the tender, (if applicable);
d) Photocopied proof in electronic PDF format of the level of proficiency in Portuguese;
e) One (1) paper copy and one (1) copy in PDF format of the applicant’s curriculum vitae, duly signed and dated,
organized in accordance with the selection criteria and the respective parameters for assessing the applicant’s scientific and curricular career, namely the quality of their scientific and technical work, professional experience, professional training, contributions to scientifically oriented activities, participation in management bodies and service to the community set out in Point V of this Notice;
f) Motivation letter (in English), highlighting the most significant scientific activities and contributions in the last 5 years (maximum 3000 characters including spaces) including a list and availability of 3-5 published articles that applicant considers representative or with the greatest impact in the area;
g) One (1) printed or photocopied copy and one (1) copy in PDF format of each of the works listed in the previous paragraph and which have been selected by the applicant as the most representative, particularly with regard to their contribution to the development and evolution of the scientific area in which the tender is open;
h) Other documents that the candidate considers to be of interest for the hiring committee to fully appreciate his/her scientific and curricular background, which will, however, be taken into account by the hiring committee if duly substantiated and at the hiring committee’s discretion, in PDF format;
i) A criminal clearance certificate attesting to the fact that the applicant is not banned from working in government service or from exercising the professional functions for which the applicant is applying;
j) A statement confirming that the applicant has the physical robustness and mental profile indispensable for the exercise of the functions in question;
k) An up-to-date vaccination certificate;
l) Declaration, under a commitment of honor, to join the ARNET Associated Laboratory through CIMA in the case of hiring.
3 – The documents referred to in paragraphs i), j) and k), may be waived as long as the applicants make a declaration of honor in a separate section of their application, stating his/her current circumstances regarding each of the requirements in question. The absence of a declaration constitutes grounds for exclusion. However, these documents will be required in case the applicant fills the vacancy.
4 – The PDF documents required in paragraphs b) to h), must be delivered on a pen-drive. The pen-drive should allow for document search and contain publication entries associated with clickable links to the document containing the publication, which may be recorded on the same digital medium or exist in a freely accessible repository on the Internet. Clickable links to the web pages of the entities or events referred to in the curriculum vitae, should also be provided, whenever reasonable and relevant.
5 – The curriculum vitae and respective appendices must be systematized in the order of the parameters and factors listed in point V, paragraph 2, of this Notice. Failure to comply with this order may result in information not being considered for evaluation. The same goes for the accessibility of the links, the functioning of which must be checked by the applicant so that the members of the hiring committee has access to the information.
IV – Interviews
1- In accordance with article 25 of the Regulation for Recruitment, Hiring and Provision of Services for Career Researchers at the University of Algarve and no. 3 of article 10 of the ECIC, the hiring committee can promote interviews on an equal basis of circumstances for all applicants.
2 – If the hiring committee decides to hold the interviews referred to in the previous paragraph, the conditions and timetable will be announced to the applicants at least 8 days in advance.
V – Selection criteria and evaluation parameters in relative merit, respective weighting and final evaluation system
1- Assessment and selection on relative merit is based on the criteria, parameters and respective weighting identified below.
2- The assessment of the applicants’ scientific and curricular career will focus on the activities carried out in the scientific area of the tender, their suitability for the position of Assistant Researcher and their relevance, quality and timeliness:
a) The scientific, technological, cultural or artistic production of the last five years considered most relevant by the applicant (50%).
Particular consideration should be given to relevance to the scientific area in which the tender is open, expressed by the number and type of publications and the recognition given to them by the scientific community.
b) Research and/or public policy activities carried out in the last five years and considered to have the greatest impact by the applicant (25%).
Participation in scientific projects and/or public policies, as well as the quality of the scientific projects in which the applicant has participated, in the area in which the tender is open, financed on a competitive basis by public funds, through national or international agencies, or financed by companies, should be considered.
c) Outreach and knowledge dissemination activities carried out in the last five years, namely in the context of promoting culture and scientific practices, considered to be of the greatest relevance by the applicant (15%).
Among other dissemination activities, this should include mentoring students at different levels of education, participation in public policies and in initiatives to disseminate science and technology to the scientific community and to various audiences, and the presentation of lectures and seminars aimed at the general public.
d) Management activities of science, technology and innovation programs, or experience in observing and monitoring the scientific and technological system or higher education, in Portugal or abroad (10%).
Activities that fit in with the strategic objectives of the ARNET Associated Laboratory, which should be clearly identified in the applicant’s curriculum vitae, and experience in the ability to connect between different national and foreign research groups should be considered.
3 – The evaluation of the candidates’ scientific and curricular career is expressed on a scale of 0 to 20 values, with valuation up to the tenths, with each applicant’s final classification being obtained by the average of the scores awarded by each of the members of the hiring committee, being excluded the applicant who has obtained a classification lower than 9.5 out of the tender.
4 – The final ranking of applicants will result from the weighted arithmetic average of the classifications resulting from the application of the selection criteria.
5 – After completing the application of the selection criteria, the hiring committee proceeds to rank the successful applicants, in descending order of classification, on a scale of 0 to 20 values, with valuation up to tenths.
6 – The selected applicant will be expected to carry out all the research activity within the scope of the ARNET Associated Laboratory’s activities.
VII – Composition of the hiring committee
President: Doctor Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira Bicho, Vice-Rector of the University of Algarve, with delegated competence from the Rector of the University of Algarve.
Committee members:
Doctor Fernanda Maria Fraga Mimoso Gouveia Cássio, Full Professor at the University of Minho;
Doctor Pedro Miguel Raposo de Almeida, Full Professor at the School of Science and Technology at the University of Évora.
Doctor Ricardo Alexandre Perdiz de Melo, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon;
Doctor Maria João da Anunciação Franco Bebianno, Retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Algarve;
Doctor Flávio Augusto Bastos da Cruz Martins, Coordinating Professor with Aggregation at the Higher Institute of Engineering of the University of Algarve.
VIII – Access to the tender procedure
The tender procedure can be accessed by appointment at the Human Resources Department of the University of Algarve, located on floor 0 of the Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve in Faro. The department is available for appointments from 9:30 am to noon and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
May 31, 2024. – The Rector, Paulo Águas.
